Asmara's last Jew

June 18, 2007

In Eritrea, most people are either Christian or Muslim. But in the 1950s and 1960s, the capital Asmara also boasted a lively Jewish community, mostly originating from Yemen and attracted by Eritrea 's developing economy under the Italian colonization. Today, only one Jew remains. In a country often accused of religious intolerance, 60-year-old Samy Cohen has fond memories of his childhood and cannot imagine ever leaving the town where he was born.