The Copperbelt University School of Medicine in Zambia has received a US$ one million donation from the Council of Zambian Jewry, an affiliate of the African Jewish Congress and the World Jewish Congress.
The donation is to be used for the development of the medical campus, which opened doors in 2011. The school is currently based at the Ndola Central Hospital and lacks more developed infrastructure. The contribution is the first step towards a broader cooperation between the university and the Zambian Jewry. In the future the community will be looking to establish ties between the school and universities in Israel.
Meanwhile, Zambia is also getting ready for the official opening this year of the Gateway Jewish Museum, which will celebrate the Jewish past and present of the country. Located at the Railway Museum in Livingstone. The museum will look at “the role that the Jewish community has played in terms of infrastructure development, and their involvement in the socio-economic life of the country,” explains George Tleeves, who is involved in setting up the project.
The list of well-known Jews in Zambia includes prominent businessmen such as Simon Zukas, Abe Galaun and Dennis Figov, as well as Jack Fisher and Rabbi Maurice, both former mayors of Lusaka. Stanley Fischer, the former governor of the Bank of Israel and former chief economist of the World Bank, was also born in Zambia.
It is estimated there are about 100 Jews in Zambia today.
