Chabad Lubavitch of Ethiopia
Chabad-Lubavitch in Ethiopia: Rabbi Eliyahu Chaviv (Habib)'s Addis Ababa Chabad house since about 2013, an airport prayer room at Bole International, and a planned 3,000 m² campus
| Chabad of Ethiopia
| |
|---|---|
| Type | Chabad-Lubavitch emissary operation |
| Founded | c. 2013 |
| Founder(s) | Eliyahu Chaviv and Devorah Chaviv |
| Headquarters | Addis Ababa |
| Area served | Ethiopia; transit passengers at Bole International Airport |
| Key people | Eliyahu Chaviv (Habib, Chabib) and Devorah Chaviv |
| Remarks | Affiliations: Listed among Chabad of Central Africa's centres in 2022; not in its 2026 list or on Lubavitch.com. Spellings of the rabbi's surname vary: Chaviv, Habib, Chabib |
Chabad-Lubavitch in Ethiopia is run in Addis Ababa by Rabbi Eliyahu Chaviv (also spelled Habib or Chabib) and his wife Devorah. In 2018 SA Jewish Report wrote that he had "set up Chabad Ethiopia five years ago from scratch", which dates the mission to about 2013.[1] JTA listed Ethiopia among the countries where Chabad houses had opened since 2011.[2] The mission runs a Chabad house with nightly kosher meals, a synagogue room at Bole International Airport (one of Africa's busiest transit hubs), and plans for a 3,000-square-metre campus. Ground was broken for the campus in December 2023 before "federal and local government representatives, and Ambassadors".[3][4]
Emissaries and centres
- Eliyahu Chaviv. The son of an Algerian-born father and a French mother, he studied in New York for five years and served short Chabad postings in Peru, Bolivia and India before Ethiopia.[1] His wife Devorah told SAJR: "We give all Jews in Addis Ababa a kosher meal every night if they want it."[1]
- Airport synagogue. The Chabad house at Bole International Airport is "essential for Yidden transiting through the airport". A new Torah scroll was dedicated there in early March 2024.[4] SAJR noted in 2018 that Chaviv had "even opened a Jewish prayer room at Addis airport".[1]
- New campus. Ground was broken on the final night of Chanukah 2023 (14 December 2023) for a 3,000 m² (32,000 sq ft) campus. It is to include a synagogue, a hall, guest rooms, a kosher restaurant, a mikvah and a preschool.[3]
Ethiopia is listed among Bentolila's centres in 2022, but not in Chabad.org's 2026 list of "eleven permanent Chabad centers across ten countries", and it does not appear on Lubavitch.com's Africa directory.[5][6]
Relations with the wider Jewish community
SAJR recalls Operation Solomon, which airlifted 14,000 Beta Israel to Israel in May 1991. At the Shabbat that SAJR's correspondent attended in 2018, the worshippers included two Beta Israel men, an Adeni Jew born in Ethiopia, and an Israeli backpacker. The service mixed "Ashkenazi, Adeni and Sephardi traditions".[1]
Relations with the state and Israel
Federal and local government representatives, ambassadors, and Israeli and local business people attended the 2023 groundbreaking.[3]
Funding and donors
The 2024 Torah scroll was dedicated in memory of the wife of Moshe Indig.[4] No other donors or accounts were found.
Controversies
None found.
Timeline
| Year | Event |
|---|---|
| c. 2013 | Chaviv sets up Chabad of Ethiopia |
| by 2018 | Prayer room at Bole International Airport |
| 14 Dec 2023 | Groundbreaking for the new campus |
| Mar 2024 | New Torah scroll for the airport synagogue |
See also
- Jewish, Zionist and Israeli connections to Ethiopia
- Chabad Lubavitch of Kenya
- Chabad Lubavitch of the Democratic Republic of the Congo
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 Steven Gruzd, "Finding Jewish communities in Africa", SA Jewish Report, 8 February 2018. Press.
- ↑ Cnaan Liphshiz, "As Chabad grows in Africa, hardy rabbis encounter crime and spirituality", Jewish Telegraphic Agency, 7 September 2016. Press.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Chabadinfo reporter, "Ethiopia: New Chabad Campus Holds Groundbreaking Event", Chabadinfo.com, December 2023. Chabad-side.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 "New Sefer Torah Dedicated To Shul at Addis Ababa's Airport", Chabadinfo.com, March 2024. Chabad-side.
- ↑ Bruria Efune, "Rich in Jewish Tradition, Zambia Welcomes First Rabbi in Over 75 Years", Chabad.org, 20 November 2022. Chabad-side.
- ↑ Shloimy Galperin, "Getting Central Africa's Rabbis Into One Room Isn't Easy", Chabad.org, 10 June 2026. Chabad-side.