The experience of the diaspora is inherent to the very existence of Jewishness on a global level to the point that even communities that stayed in Israel/Palestine are affected by it. The vast majority of Jewry has been in a seemingly perpetual Diaspora for over two millennia — for non-white Jews living in what is considered the “Western” World, that reality is compounded by our racialization.
Eurocentrism exists as a tool of white supremacy that works to strip Black, Indigenous and People of Color (BIPOC) in general, but in particular those of both mainland and diasporic African heritages, of our diverse and storied ancestries. This is a trauma faced by millions living primarily in the Americas and Europe that is responsible for wounds that have deeply scarred all of humanity. Those of us who live outside of what the zeitgeist has intended for the culture face having to actively challenge preconceived notions associated with our identity and reassert our very existence in places that have become intersections because of exploitative bigotry that never intended for us to be able to exist.
For Black Jews in particular, we face a set of paradigms that requires not only nuance in the navigation of our identities but also a deeper understanding, appreciation, and ultimately decolonization of our identities. What this results in varies from culture to culture but ultimately leads to us existing on our own terms; rejecting being defined by any other who would claim to put a yoke on us. Black Jews are diverse on a variety of levels and dealing with the intricacies of our backgrounds is one of the many ways that we can reclaim our identities from being defined by colonial constructs.
Blackness, as we understand it today, is a reaction to the brutalities of European colonialism and racialization that took place to rob Black individuals of our diverse heritages and a celebration of ourselves and other Black peoples as we continue to persist. In a similar way, Jewishness, as we understand it today, is resistance against the multitude of attempted exterminations of our people. In decolonizing ourselves it becomes imperative that we not only claim who we are but that we also reject the dominant culture’s structuring of our identities. What this looks like varies based on as many factors as systems of oppression. For some of us, it is a relatively “simple” process but for others, it also comes with additional negotiations of identity. The end goal is to deconstruct the normative that is harmful; whether that is white, male, cis-gendered, or heterosexual.
The continent of Africa has been the host to some of the oldest Jewish communities in the Diaspora, with communities in Ethiopia and the Maghreb that date back to the time of the First Temple. Beta Israel, Falasha Mura, Beta Abraham, Lemba, Igbo, Abayudaya, Bilad al-Sudan, and a fair portion of Mizrahim and Sephardim make up the anatomy of what an African Jew is. Jews have called modern-day Ethiopia, Egypt, Morocco, Tunisia, and Libya home for nearly 3000 years and in this time Jewish communities have spread to modern-day Nigeria, Uganda, and Zimbabwe.
Despite ignorance about the history of Africa’s Jews in the modern era, we can still find evidence from individuals ranging from prominent rabbis to explorers and bureaucrats about the whereabouts of Jews on the continent. When we look to the myths of the sages about the existence of the Sambation, a mythic river that can only be crossed on Shabbat, that was rumored in rabbinic literature we also find stories told about communities in Africa, China, and India. For people from continental Africa, the racialization of our identities connects us to a greater network of Black peoples but with the trauma of assimilation imposed by the prevalence of eurocentrism.
Very commonly when discussing the experience of Black Jews the experiences of Black Ashkenazi are centered to the point that those of Sephardim and Mizrahim who also are a marriage of cultures is ignored. Black Jews of these experiences range from children of a Jewish parent and a non-Jewish parent to converts. The Black and Jewish Diasporas create communities and customs that are as varied as the personal experiences of individuals. One fascinating example of this is seen in Jamaica, home to one of the oldest Sephardi communities in the Americas. The experiences of Jews from these diverse backgrounds are the crux of the relationships between the Black and Jewish communities in our respective diasporas and are invaluable to not only our people but also for activism in many parts of the “Western” world. Many Jews who hold these identities must claim a seat at a table that was not prepared for someone of their racial background and do so in ways that revolutionize centuries-old traditions. The atrocities committed by white supremacy birthed a tenuous relationship that seeks to create a split in identity that Black Jews of these experiences mend in creative and fascinating ways.
Jewish tradition affirms that we have always been a diverse people; Joseph married an Egyptian woman, Ruth insisted on joining our people, and Moses was married to a Midianite woman and an Ethiopian woman. Today we find ourselves in the middle of a world that seems to be on fire following centuries of brutality by forces that never intended us to exist. Black Judaism is what each Black Jew chooses to make it based on the traditions we inherit and/or the traditions that we choose; whether that is a Kes reading out of a centuries-old Orit, a child humming a Ladino tune, or a family that found themselves amongst the Haredi.
