There’s a scene in the 1995 movie Batman Forever, where Batman and his prospective love interest, Dr. Chase Meridian, have their first exchange.
“Well, let’s just say I could write a hell of a paper on a grown man who dresses like a flying rodent.”
“Bats aren’t rodents, Dr. Meridian.”
“Really? I didn’t know that.”
Don’t worry, doctor, you’re not alone.
Yes, bats share the same Kingdom, Phylum, Class, and Infraclass as mice, rats, and squirrels do (Animalia, Chordata, Mammalia, and Eutheria, respectively), but Order Rodentia is classified by having two continuously growing incisors in the upper and lower jaws which must be kept short by gnawing—a crucial something which are absent in bats. Consequently, bats are grouped under Order Chiroptera (from the Greek cheir meaning “hand” and pteron meaning “wing”) as chiropterans, not rodents.
However, due to external and superficial similarities and a lack of knowledge, bats are endlessly referred to as “flying rodents” or “rats with wings”.
Frogs and toads, newts and salamanders, butterflies and moths–nature is rife with wholly different creatures that look, and sometimes act, just similarly enough to be confused with each other. And for Afro-Caribbean Jews, nothing is more frustrating as the confusion between us and Hebrew Israelites/Black Hebrews/”Black Jews”. Mostly because the conflation is purposely engineered or the distinction willfully ignored.
But the mainstream normative Black Jewish community and the communities of adherents to the Hebrew-Israelite religions are not the same thing.
We do not share a community.
We do not share the same struggle.
We do not fight the same battle for legitimacy.
Yet hardly an article can be written about Black adherents to normative Judaism without including Hebrew Israelites, nor can one be written about the Hebrew Israelite religion without naming them as a “Black” denomination of Judaism. Normative Black Jews come in cultural, secular, Reform, Conservative, Orthodox, Reconstructionist, Renewal, and all the other expressions that already exist in mainstream Judaism, just like everyone else. “Black Judaism” is molasses in the charoset for Seder because it was a slave crop, habaneros in the geflite fish because we cook with actual spices, wearing flavor-colored suits to shul because we have fashion, and clapping on the two and four during benching because we have rhythm.
What “Black Judaism” is not, is the Hebrew Israelite religion.
Yet, we are constantly “confused” for one another, and normative Black Jews are forced to explain the difference again and again and again. Meanwhile, journalists continue to conflate us by uplifting achievements of the Hebrew-Israelite community as advances for mainstream Black Jews, “scholars” add to the obfuscation by creating semantically arbitrary dichotomies like “black Judaism vs Black Judaism,” and Hebrew-Israelites themselves also style and/or self identify themselves and their communities as “Black Jews” while abiding by none of the guidelines of any Jewish community that has either previously or currently existed.
For reference, here’s a brief synopsis of the history of currently existing Jewish denominations:
- Reform Judaism: Founded in the early 1800’s by Rabbis Samuel Holdheim and Abraham Geiger (among others), both German Jews.
- Orthodox Judaism: The mainstream and traditional form of Judaism until the advent of the Reform movement and its labeling of adherents to traditional Judaism as “Orthodox Jews.” “Orthodox” was not a self-identifier until the 1840’s under the leadership of Rabbi Jacob Ettlinger, a German Jew, who began the trend of incremental shifts to the right as Reform Judaism made massive leaps towards the left.
- Conservative Judaism: Founded in the late 1800’s by Rabbi Zecharias Frankel—a German Jew—and Rabbi Solomon Schechter—a Moldovian-born American Jew—also in response to the liberties being taken by the Reform movement, the defining schism being the Trefa Banquet of 1883 in Cincinnati, Ohio.
- Reconstructionist Judaism: Founded in 1922 by Rabbi Mordecai Kaplan, a Lithuanian Conservative (formerly Orthodox) Jew.
- Humanistic Judaism: Founded in 1963 by Rabbi Sherwin Wine, an American Reform Jew.
By contrast, here is small sample of the various Hebrew-Israelite denominations and organizations:
- The Church of G’d and Saints of Christ (now known as Temple Beth-El): Founded in 1896 by William S. Crowdy, a southern Baptist who never belonged nor converted to any branch of Judaism.
- The Church of the Living G’d, Pillar of Truth for All Nations: Founded in 1915 by F. S. Cherry, a southern Baptist who never belonged nor converted to any branch of Judaism.
- Commandment Keepers Ethiopian Hebrew Congregation of the Living G’d Pillar and Ground of Truth, Inc.: Founded in 1919 by Wentworth A. Matthew, a non-Jew who never belonged nor converted to any branch of Judaism.
- The Congregation of the Moorish Zionist Temple: Founded in 1923 by Israel Ben Newman and Mordecai Herman, two non-Jews. Neither Newman nor Herman ever belonged or converted to any branch of Judaism.
- Beth B’nai Abraham: Founded in 1927 by Arnold Josiah Ford, son of an Evangelical minister. Ford never belonged nor converted to any branch of Judaism.
- Bethel Holy Commandment Church (now known as Congregation Temple Bethel): Founded in 1951 by Louise Elizabeth Dailey, daughter of a Southern Baptist minister. Dailey never belonged nor converted to any branch of Judaism.
- The Hebrew-Israelite Community of Dimona, Israel: Founded in Israel in 1963 by Benjamin Carter, aka Ben Ammi, and 300 Hebrew-Israelites. They gained resident status, but many never converted to any branch of Judaism.
- The Israelite School of Universal Practical Knowledge: Founded in 1969 by Eber Ben Yomin, also known as Abba Bivens, a Hebrew-Israelite who broke away from the Commandment Keepers congregation to form a Hebrew-Israelite denomination that believes in the both the Old and New Testaments, and the exclusive identification of the Twelve Tribes of Israel with ethnic communities of Black, Latin American, and Native American descent in the Americas.
- The Israelite Rabbinical Academy: An outgrowth of the Royal Order of Ethiopian Hebrews founded by Wentworth A. Matthew in 1925 and renamed by Levi Ben Levy, a Hebrew-Israelite leader, in 1970. Neither founder belonged nor converted to any branch of Judaism, nor—save for Capers Funnye and Eli Aronoff—have any of their graduates belonged or converted to any branch of Judaism. The title of “Rabbi” which is awarded to the Academy’s graduates, and the International Israelite Board of Rabbis upon which many of its graduates sit, are not recognized as authoritative titles or bodies outside of Hebrew-Israelite circles.
As clearly illustrated, all of the Jewish denominations were started by people who were Jewish, and none of the Hebrew Israelite denominations were.
Every denomination of Judaism requires conversion for those who are not born Jewish–whether matrilineally as per traditional Judaism, or paternally by Reform Judaism and others. Those are the two incontestable requisites of membership into the Jewish people across all denominations. If one is not born of a Jewish parent, and also doesn’t abide by the subsequent Jewish membership requirements of any particular denomination of Judaism, then, logically, one is not any kind of Jew. Additionally, since conversion to normative Judaism is not a requirement to join the Hebrew-Israelite community, nor do they advocate undergoing one, these communities still remain largely un-Jewish, irrelevant of how close to “traditional” Jewish practice they are or how “Orthodox” their prayerbooks.
Therefore, it is exceedingly hard for normative mainstream Jews to tolerate the constant claiming of Hebrew Israelites as a “denomination” of Judaism, or belonging under the tent at all.
To be fair, yes, there are the occasional individuals who—while continuing to affiliate themselves with the Hebrew-Israelite movement—undergo an actual Jewish conversion. There also exist disenfranchised individuals who are Jewish by the standards of whichever denomination. However, by and large these are the exceptions, not the rule.
Now, yes, there is the very real and very valid culture of a right to self-identification, but that argument only really goes but so far, and in this particular case is exploitative.
Singing the Star Spangled Banner, saying the Pledge of Allegiance every day, and identifying with the USA doesn’t make a Canadian an American citizen. Having extensive knowledge of anatomy and physiology, and calling yourself “Doctor” doesn’t automatically make one a doctor. Saying that you “identify” with being Jewish, or deciding to begin observing Jewish rituals doesn’t automatically make one Jewish.
However, what is interesting to note, is that the purported interchangeability between the identification of Black Jews and Hebrew Israelites is most frequently propagated by socially liberal White Jewish media and organizations. Which is understandable. It’s an understandable reluctance to discount adherents to the Hebrew Israelite religion from being Jews due to their lack of adherence to normative Jewish practices for fear of seeming hypocritical, or out of fear of reprisal from more observant branches declaring that you, likewise, are not Jewish because you also disregard some traditional normative Jewish practices and interpretations of Jewish law.
However, the flaw in that logic is that—regardless of how far flung the practices are vis a vis traditional Jewish law—the Reform, Conservative, Reconstructionist, and Humanistic movements, as illustrated above, were all started by actual Jews. Being Jewish and deciding to do less doesn’t make one not Jewish anymore. Conversely, being not-Jewish and taking on Jewish practices does not instantly make one actually Jewish. You might be the most terrible driver in the world, but you have a driver’s license. Someone else might be the most amazing driver in the world, but they don’t. And that makes all the difference between getting behind the wheel of a car and it being legal or it being a crime.
Additionally, as also noted above, each of these denominations have requirements to meet before being counted as a member of the Jewish people. Hebrew-Israelites abide by none of these.
This, of course, is us giving your motivations the benefit of the doubt.
The other possible motivations you may have are cowardice and an unwillingness to transcend your narrow pre-conceived notion of what a Black American Jew is. Or a refusal to let go of the assumption that there are no Black Jews in the actual mainstream American Jewish communities you belong to, so you must therefore relentlessly concentrate on a Black “sect” that sometimes possibly looks Jewish if you squint when you look at it and turn your head sideways.
Because to focus on the acceptance of Hebrew-Israelites as Jews says nothing of the acceptance of actual Black Jews in American Judaism and effectively renders their struggles invisible.
It also belies a sense of condescending paternalism, because if any of these Hebrew-Israelites communities were White, their existence would not be a point of curiosity. Especially not to the extent that Hebrew-Israelites and their origins are entertained.
Point of fact, none of the White supremacist groups who adopt Jewish rituals and believe that they are the true Jews—like The Church of True Israel—are considered to be Jewish or a “White” sect of Judaism. The Hebrew Roots movement, despite being Torah-observant, getting circumcised, and wearing tefillin, are still seen as being Torah-observant gentiles, correct?
Precisely.
Put it in blackface, however, and you’re willing to ignore all the glaring evidence against the Hebrew-Israelite religion and will in fact commiserate with said congregations as they cry “White Jews don’t accept us as Jews because we’re Black”, instead of kindly interjecting with the reality that “They don’t accept you as Jews because you’re actually not Jews. You just happen to also be Black.” Not only is the commiseration dishonest, it also silences the legitimate criticisms of racism levied by Black Jews who exist in mainstream Judaism as being a problem of a “fringe” society only.
Also, point of clarification, are there Black Jews whose first personal or familial exposure to Judaism was through the Hebrew-Israelite movement?
Yes.
And Malcolm X’s first exposure to Islam was through the Nation of Islam. And then he went to Mecca and became a Muslim of a denomination actually under the umbrella of Islam. Hebrew-Israelitism, like the Nation of Islam, is a Black religion/movement inspired by Judaism, just as much as NOI is by Islam, yet exists outside the tent of Judaism as NOI exists outside the tent of Islam.
But the Hebrew Israelite religion did not arise in or from a vacuum. And we’ll be exploring that next.