History of the Jews in Lesotho

The history of the Jews in Lesotho is connected to the much larger Jewish community of the surrounding country of South Africa. The Jewish community is small.

History
The history of the Jewish presence in Lesotho dates back to the Second Boer War of 1864–1865, when a German-Jewish immigrant named Moritz Leviseur fought for the Free State forces that invaded the country. During Lesotho's colonial period, some European Jews settled in Lesotho. Following World War II, Jewish refugees from Nazi Europe temporarily increased the Jewish population. Since World War II, most Jews living in Lesotho have lived there temporarily for business purposes. However, in 1999, Lesotho's Jewish community sent a delegate to the Commonwealth Jewish Congress conference in London.

The World Jewish Congress has reported that only a handful of Jewish people in Lesotho belong to the Lesotho Jewish Community, which is affiliated with the Congress. Almost all Lesotho Jews live in the capital city of Maseru.

According to a 2020 report from the United States Department of State, Lesotho had a small Jewish community and there were no reported instances of antisemitic acts.