Globetrotter Moshe Klein finds a minyan of one in Eritrea

Photos: Moshe Klein

Globetrotter Moshe Klein didn’t have great expectations in planning a trip to Eritrea, a small country with little Jewish history located across the Red Sea from Yemen. But a providential meeting with the one remaining Jew showed him a country he’ll never forget

World traveler Moshe Klein didn’t expect any high drama on his visit to Eritrea, a relatively small country with little Jewish history that is located across the Red Sea from Yemen. But funny things happen when you travel. Losing his luggage turned out to be the best thing that could have happened to Klein, leading him to the home of Eritrea’s only Jewish resident, and a glimpse of the country he will never forget.

Within Limits

Situated on the Horn of Africa, north of Ethiopia and east of Sudan, Eritrea is not such an easy country to get into. Two years after Eritrea won its 30-year-long war for independence from Ethiopia, Isaias Afwerki became the country’s president, as well as the chairman of its only legal political party, the People’s Front for Democracy and Justice. Eritrea has no legislature, no functioning constitution, and no published budget, and Afwerki controls both the judiciary and the military. Human Rights Watch, which investigates abuse all over the world, asserts that Eritrea is a dictatorship; the US State Department goes so far as to describe the country as a “highly centralized totalitarian regime.”

In other words, getting into Eritrea isn’t as simple as booking a plane ticket and packing a bag. Few tourists are allowed in, but Klein had enjoyed visiting other countries in the region, and Eritrea earned a spot on his bucket list. He made sure to time his visit for Eritrea’s Independence Day celebration in late May, when travel visas are issued more liberally, and he was able to work the connections he’s acquired in his travels to get the necessary paperwork approved.

Klein’s visa allowed him to travel only with a guide within the city limits of Asmara, Eritrea’s capital and there were just a handful of other tourists on Klein’s flight to Asmara International Airport. While he could have applied for special permission to visit other sites during his four-day stay, all government offices were closed for Independence Day, so he made the most of his time in Asmara and nearby villages.