Cameroon
Thriving Jewish communities in Cameroon are decentralized across all ten regions of the country, including in Yaoundé, Douala, Sa’a, and small towns. Established for a quarter of a century, the communities have in common warm and inclusive prayer services led by local leadership. Beyond the synagogue, community members hold interfaith and hesed work in high regard, contributing to their local community through charitable acts.
Aliyah gives a speech during her Bat Mitzvah celebration on Purim
A community delegation bring gifts to new mothers as part of a Bat Mitzvah project
Purim celebrations
Children show off matzot hand made by community members
Bar and bat mitzvah classes continue outdoors during COVID-19
Practicing Judaism since
1998
Languages
French
Location
S’aa, Yaounde, Garoua, Douala
Kulanu support since
2010
”Baroukh Hashem, we congratulate Kulanu for its work to support emerging Jewish communities and to make them known to other Jewish communities by participating in their development. I am impressed by the spirit of Kulanu and the work they have accomplished in Uganda and the rest of Southern Africa.”
Discover Cameroon
Beth Bene Yeshuroun-Yaoundé – leading the charge
This Sephardic community is the longest standing in Cameroon, and recently converted through an orthodox beit din from Israel. The synagogue choir has composed new melodies for the siddur composed in the local musical style of Central African Bantu, making for vibrant services. The highly educated community is lively, family-like, with a strong youth presence including a youth group. The community has agricultural plans for a large area of communally owned land and has already achieved food self-sufficiency.
Yaoundé area’s infrastructure
The Yaoundé area is a thriving hub of Jewish activity. Rabbi Betsalel Laurent Elouna not only leads Beth Bene Yeshuroun-Yaoundé but also runs a school complex in nearby Voundou that offers education from kindergarten through high school and is fully recognized by the government. Yaoundé hosts a second community, Beth Goshen, led by Mathieu Serge and affiliated with the Chief Rabbinate of Africa.
Beyond Yaoundé
Cameroon’s blossoming Jewish network includes Beth Yeshuroun in Sa’a, led by Serge Etele, which is a Sephardic orthodox community well-known internationally. In Douala, Balthazar Ambomo Ndouma leads the Chabad-style community Beth Adams David, which leads the way in promoting connections between Cameroonian communities. And in the north of the country, Ezekiel leads a community with a particularly family-friendly feel where children are deeply involved.