In 2005 Wikipedia's first sentence called it “members of the igbo people of nigeria who claim descent from mediterranean israelite migrants into nigeria”. Today it says “members of the igbo people of nigeria who practice judaism”.
Measured, not asserted. Every count, date and revision on this page was taken from Wikipedia's own history and checked against the live article. The words quoted are theirs.
Machine-checked against the full current article on 2026-08-02. In 2005 Wikipedia's first sentence called it “members of the igbo people of nigeria who claim descent from mediterranean israelite migrants into nigeria”. Today it says “members of the igbo people of nigeria who practice judaism”.
We saved snapshots of this article over twenty years; you are reading the 2025 one. Red dashes: removed from Wikipedia since.Pale dots: rewritten; the numbered note shows what it says now.Red text: written in or rewritten since the previous snapshot.1 tap a number or a side note to jump between them
The opening as it read in 2025
It is a tenet of their beliefs that they have ties to one of the lost tribes of Israel , the tribe of Gad . Jews have been documented in parts of Nigeria since the precolonial period, but it is not known for the Igbo to have claimed Israelite descent or practiced Judaism prior to colonial times. Significant Igbo identification with Jews concretized during and after the Biafran War (1967–1970) . No formal census has been taken in the region and the precise number of Igbo in Nigeria who practice Judaism is not known. An estimated 30,000 Igbo Jews, having at least 26 synagogues of various sizes, were said to exist in 2008. In 2021 there were said to be approximately 12,000-15,000 practicing Igbo Jews in Nigeria, comprising some 70 active communities. A more conservative figure of at least 2,000-3,000 Igbo practicing Judaism, and at most 5,000, has also been given. Identity among the Igbo of Nigeria .
This is Wikipedia's own text, saved in our repository. Their copy of it is revision 1290954898.
The opening as it stood in 2010
Ethnic group The Igbo Jews are members of the Igbo people of Nigeria who claim descent from Mediterranean Israelite migrants into Nigeria. There is no archeological or forensic evidence to back their claims.
Red text was written in or rewritten since the previous snapshot. Their copy is revision 368981821.
The opening as it stood in 2015 1 passage from the previous snapshot no longer appear
Ethnic group Igbo Jews are members of the Igbo people of Nigeria who practice Judaism .
Red text was written in or rewritten since the previous snapshot. Their copy is revision 653541257.
The opening as it stood in 2020
Ethnic group Igbo Jews are members of the Igbo people of Nigeria who practice a form of Judaism .They either adopted Judaism newly, or are descendants of the Jews of Bilad el-Sudan .
Red text was written in or rewritten since the previous snapshot. Their copy is revision 958220567.
The opening as it stood on October 6, 2023 1 passage from the previous snapshot no longer appear
Ethnic group Ethnic group Igbo Jews are members of the Igbo people of Nigeria who practice Judaism . Jewish life has been documented in parts of Nigeria since the precolonial period, but it is not known for the Igbo to have claimed Israelite descent or practiced Judaism in precolonial times.During and after the Biafran war (1967-1970) , more widespread Igbo identification with Jews concretized.No formal census has been taken in the region and the precise number of Igbo in Nigeria who practice Judaism is not known.An estimated 30,000 Igbos, having at least 26 synagogues of various sizes, were said to be practicing some form of Judaism in 2008.In 2021 there were said to be approximately 12,000-15,000 mainstream Igbo Jews in Nigeria, comprising some 70 active communities.A more conservative figure of at least 2,000-3,000 Igbo practicing Judaism, and at most 5,000, has also been given.Identity among the Igbo of Nigeria .
Red text was written in or rewritten since the previous snapshot. Their copy is revision 1177662690.
Today
In 2005 Wikipedia's first sentence called it “members of the igbo people of nigeria who claim descent from mediterranean israelite migrants into nigeria”. Today it says “members of the igbo people of nigeria who practice judaism”. Read the current article and compare.
2010
2015
2020
Oct '23
2025
Counts in the opening at each snapshot. Green: the word gained ground. Red: it was cut. Grey: no change.
What Wikipedia says this is
Every article opens by defining its subject. This one was redefined between 2010 and 2025.
Then
members of the igbo people of nigeria who claim descent from mediterranean israelite migrants into nigeria
Now
members of the igbo people of nigeria who practice judaism
Struck red text is no longer in the article; dotted amber text was rewritten. Every revision id links to Wikipedia's copy; the text shown is our own saved copy. Data: /data. Wikipedia text is CC BY-SA; quoted for the record; not affiliated with Wikipedia.
