The Jew in King Shaka’s court: How a 19th-century castaway shaped a Zulu leader’s legacy

By: Adam L. Rovner, University of Denver, The Conversation

Outlets: The Conversation

Published: October 31, 2025

Words: 1,344

Last Updated: 3 weeks, 4 days ago

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By Adam L. Rovner, University of Denver

Gales tore at the Mary’s sails, and surf crashed across the brig’s deck. Seventeen-year-old Nathaniel Isaacs tied himself to a railing to avoid being washed overboard. The Mary’s rudder soon splintered against a rocky bar at the entrance to Natal Bay – what is now Durban, South Africa. Helpless to maneuver, the ship took on water.

It was Oct. 1, 1825. Isaacs, a Jewish apprentice merchant from England, loosed …

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