An Israeli firm and a Chabad rabbi in Nigeria are preparing to open the first known Jewish ritual bath, or mikvah, in West Africa.

Yisroel Ozen, a prominent Chabad emissary based in Nigeria, is supervising construction of a mikvah for women in the Nigerian capital of Abuja on land purchased for him by an Israeli firm operating in the country, the Israeli daily Maariv reported last week.

Ozen said the mikvah is the only known one in West Africa, a claim that is also stated on a Hebrew- and English-language sign announcing the project in front of the construction site.

Nigeria has “a thriving Israeli community that nonetheless lacks basic amenities,” Ozen said. He added that from the point of view of halachah, or Jewish law, “a community cannot exist without a mikvah because it’s the key to the continuity of the Jewish people.” Some 1,200 Israelis live in Nigeria, according to the Maariv article.

Jewish law states that women should immerse themselves in the ritual bath before marriage and at least once a month in a ceremony meant to purify them after menstruation.

A mikvah for men is planned at a later stage Maariv reported, and plans may be broadened after the opening this year to include a community center.

EMI Systems LTD, a security firm based in Abuja and owned by the Israel-born businessman Eyal Mesika, ordered materials from Europe and the United States for the project. — jta