Oakton lecture spotlights African Jews during Black History Month

What it means to be an African Jew is the topic of a free event 11 a.m., Thursday, Feb. 28, at Oakton Community College’s Skokie campus, 7701 N. Lincoln Ave. (Room P103). Though fewer than 2 percent of the world’s nearly 14 million Jews live in Africa, some Jewish communities there are among the oldest in the world, originating more than 2,700 years ago. The lecture “The Jews of Africa: An Historical Perspective” spotlights what it means to be an African Jew, the group’s influence and contributions to that part of the world, and the future of Judaism throughout the continent. Presenter Joel Okafor, adjunct instructor of history and African/African-American Studies at Roosevelt University, served as a medic in the Biafran army during the Nigerian Civil War. For information, contact Wendy Maier-Sarti, Oakton professor of history and coordinator of Jewish Studies, at (847) 635-1458 or ">jewishstudies@oakton.edu