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Nathan P. Devir. New Children of Israel: Emerging Jewish Communities in an Era of Globalization. Salt Lake City: The University of Utah Press, 2017. xvi + 289 pp. Photographs. Maps. Bibliography. Index. $29.95. Paper. ISBN: 9781607815846.

Little-known communities in Africa and Asia that self-identify as Jewish have gained increasing attention in recent years. With his 2017 book New Children of Israel: Emerging Jewish Communities in an Era of Globalization, Nathan P. Devir provides a fascinating insight into these communities. It all began when Devir, an associate professor at the University of Utah, spent a month in Ghana among ethnic Sefwi who claim to be the descendants of ancient Hebrews. The members of this Ghana community became interested in Judaism in the 1970s as a “kind of impromptu Old Testamentism” (xiii). In studying the scriptures and their own African traditions, the Sefwi noticed common elements between their cultural practices and religious Judaism: circumcision, Sabbath observance, and similar rules regarding food and burial practices. Based on these commonalities, the Sefwi self-identified as Jews and now call themselves the “House of Israel.” Thanks to the Internet, they eventually connected to the wider Jewish world, particularly in the U.S., and asked for support and guidance. Soon it became clear that the Sefwi were by no means alone in their aspirations. Other self-defining Jewish groups exist not just in Ghana, but also in Brazil, Cameroon, India, Kenya, Madagascar, and Uganda. This list is by no means all inclusive, as the numbers of “new” children of Israel could be in the millions (xiv). The study of the Sefwi turned out to be only the beginning of Devir’s larger scholarly project on so-called “neo-Jewish,” “Judaizing,” or “self-defining Jewish” communities in Africa and India. In his book, Devir provides an overview of various groups and developments, but mainly examines two other field-based case studies from the developing world: the “Internet Jews of Cameroon” in Africa and “the Children of Eprahim” in India. Most of these neo-Jews were formerly Christians who came from religious communities that focused on the Old Testament, but some went a step further and broke away from Christianity. A particularly fascinating chapter deals with the “Internet Jews” of Cameroon. For some rural Christian communities in that nation, their spiritual awakening came solely via online connections. Devir writes,