Nearly all the Jews in Zambia live in Lusaka. The community is composed of a core of settlers with roots in the country going back to the turn of the century and of a number of Israelis and other foreigners presently working in Zambia. The early Jewish pioneers actively developed the cattle and ranching trade, as well as the country's first iron foundries.
Today there are Jewish farmers, traders, and professionals in Zambia.
The Lusaka-based Council for Zambian Jewry, founded in 1978, is the central body. It has given medical, educational, and financial assistance to needy members of the community and to political refugees. Very few Jews remain in the Copperbelt, and the Ndola synagogue has been closed. Israel Israel and Zambia enjoy full diplomatic relations. Israel is represented by its ambassador in Harare, Zimbabwe.