Schwarze Hebräer

2011-08-18T09:26:33Z

Modinyr: /* Commandment Keepers */

{{African American topics sidebar|right}}
'''Black Hebrew Israelites''' (also '''Black Hebrews''', '''African Hebrew Israelites''', and '''Hebrew Israelites''') are groups of people mostly of [[Black people|Black African]] ancestry situated mainly in the [[United States]] who believe they are descendants of the ancient [[Israelite]]s. Black Hebrews adhere in varying degrees to the religious beliefs and practices of mainstream [[Judaism]]. They are generally not accepted as [[Jew]]s by the greater Jewish community, and many Black Hebrews consider themselves — and not mainstream Jews — to be the only authentic descendants of the ancient [[Israelites]]. Many choose to self-identify as Hebrew Israelites or Black Hebrews rather than as Jews.<ref>Ben-Jochannan, p. 306.</ref><ref name="JVL">{{cite web |url=http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/Judaism/blackjews.html |title=The Black Jewish or Hebrew Israelite Community |accessdate=2007-12-15 |last=Ben Levy |first=Sholomo |publisher=[[Jewish Virtual Library]] }}</ref><ref>{{cite encyclopedia |editor=Johannes P. Schade |encyclopedia=Encyclopedia of World Religions |title=Black Hebrews |year=2006 |publisher=Foreign Media Group |location=Franklin Park, N.J. |isbn=1601360002 }}</ref><ref name="NYT">{{cite news |first=Tara |last=Bahrampour |title=They're Jewish, With a Gospel Accent |url=http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9D07E3DD1230F935A15755C0A9669C8B63 |work=[[The New York Times]] |date=June 26, 2000 |accessdate=2008-01-19 |archiveurl = http://web.archive.org/web/20080403082701/http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9D07E3DD1230F935A15755C0A9669C8B63 |archivedate = April 03, 2008|deadurl=yes}}</ref>

Dozens of Black Hebrew groups were founded during the late 19th and the early 20th centuries.<ref name=Chireau21/> In the mid-1980s, the number of Black Hebrews in the United States was between 25,000 and 40,000.<ref name=Sundquist118>Sundquist, p. 118.</ref> In the 1990s, the [[Alliance of Black Jews]] estimated that there were 200,000 African-American Jews, including Black Hebrews and those recognized as Jews by mainstream Jewish organizations.<ref name=Gelbwasser>{{cite web |url=http://www.jweekly.com/article/full/8029/organization-for-black-jews-claims-200-000-in-u-s/ |title=Organization for black Jews claims 200,000 in U.S. |accessdate=2010-08-02 |author=Michael Gelbwasser |date=1998-04-10 |publisher=''[[j.]]'' }}</ref>

== Overview ==
While [[Black Christians]] traditionally have identified spiritually with the [[Children of Israel]], they never claimed to be descendants of the [[Israelites]].<ref name=Chireau18>Chireau, p. 18.</ref> In the late 19th century among some African-Americans, an identification ''with'' the ancient Hebrews developed into an identification ''as'' ancient Hebrews.<ref name=Chireau21>Chireau, p. 21.</ref> One of the first groups of Black Hebrews, the [[Church of God and Saints of Christ]], was founded in 1896.<ref name=Chireau21/> During the following decades, many more Black Hebrew congregations were established. These groups claimed descent from the ancient Israelites. They selected elements of Judaism and adapted them within a structure similar to that of the [[Black church]].<ref name=Chireau21/>

The beliefs and practices of Black Hebrew groups vary considerably. The differences are so great that historian [[James Tinney]] has suggested the classification of the organizations into three groups: Black Jews, who maintain a Christological perspective and adopt Jewish rituals; Black Hebrews, who are more traditional in their practice of Judaism; and Black Israelites, who are most [[Black nationalism|nationalistic]] and farthest from traditional Judaism.<ref name=Tinney>{{cite journal |last=Tinney |first=James |date=December 7, 1973 |title=Black Jews: A House Divided |journal=[[Christianity Today]] |pages=52–54 }}, cited at Chireau, p. 29.</ref>

Nevertheless, Black Hebrew organizations have certain common characteristics. Anthropologist James E. Landing, author of ''Black Judaism'', distinguishes the Black Hebrew movement, which he refers to as Black Judaism, from normative Judaism practiced by people who are Black (black Judaism):

<blockquote>Black Judaism is ... a form of institutionalized (congregational) religious expression in which black persons identify themselves as Jews, Israelites, or Hebrews...in a manner that seems unacceptable to the "whites" of the world's Jewish community, primarily because Jews take issue with the various justifications set forth by Black Jews in establishing this identity. Thus "Black Judaism," as defined here, stands distinctly apart from "black Judaism," or that Judaic expression found among black persons that would be acceptable to the world's Jewish community, such as conversion or birth to a recognized Jewish mother. "Black Judaism" has been a social movement; "black Judaism" has been an isolated social phenomenon.<ref name=Landing10>Landing, p. 10, quoted in Walter, p. 520.</ref></blockquote>

Landing's definition, and its underlying assumptions about race and normative Judaism, have been criticized,<ref name=Isaac>Isaac, pp. 512–542.</ref> but it provides a helpful framework for understanding some of the common traits that various Black Hebrew organizations share.

== Groups ==
During the late 19th and early 20th centuries, dozens of Black Hebrew organizations were established.<ref name=Chireau21/> In [[Harlem]] alone, at least eight such groups were founded between 1919 and 1931.<ref name=Parfitt96>Parfitt, p. 96.</ref> The Church of the Living God, the Pillar Ground of Truth for All Nations is the oldest known Black Hebrew group<ref name=Singer57/> and the [[Church of God and Saints of Christ]] is one of the largest Black Hebrew organizations.<ref name="Africana"/> The [[Commandment Keepers]] are noted for their adherence to traditional Judaism<ref name=Moses537/> and the [[African Hebrew Israelites of Jerusalem]] are widely known for having moved from the United States to [[Israel]].<ref name=Shipler/><ref name=Haas/><ref name=MFA/>

=== Church of the Living God, the Pillar Ground of Truth for All Nations ===
The oldest known Black Hebrew organization is the Church of the Living God, the Pillar Ground of Truth for All Nations.<ref name=Singer57>Singer, p. 57.</ref><ref name=Chireau3031>Chireau, pp. 30–31. "The founding dates of the earliest black-Jewish congregations are in dispute. Shapiro notes that F.S. Cherry's Church of God was organized in Tennessee in 1886, but other sources do not confirm this date. Another group, the Moorish Zion Temple, founded in 1899 by a Rabbi Richlieu of Brooklyn, New York, was one of the earliest black Jewish congregations that did not combine Jewish and Christian beliefs, as did the Church of God and the Saints of Christ."</ref> The group was founded by [[F. S. Cherry]] in [[Chattanooga, Tennessee|Chattanooga]], [[Tennessee]], in 1886, and later moved to [[Philadelphia]].<ref name=Singer57-58>Singer, pp. 57–58.</ref> Theologically, the Church of the Living God mixed elements of Judaism and Christianity, counting the [[Bible]] — including the [[New Testament]] — and the [[Talmud]] as essential scriptures.<ref name=Fauset34>Fauset, p. 34.</ref> The rituals of Cherry’s flock incorporated many Jewish practices and prohibitions alongside some Christian traditions.<ref name=Fauset36-40>Fauset, pp. 36–40.</ref> For example, during prayer the men wore [[Kippah|skullcaps]] and congregants [[Mizrah|faced east]]. In addition, members of the Church were not permitted to eat pork.<ref name=Fauset36-40/> Prayers were accompanied by musical instruments and [[Gospel music|gospel singing]].<ref name=Fauset36-37>Fauset, pp. 36–37.</ref> After Cherry's death, members of the church believed he had left temporarily and would reappear soon in spirit to lead the church through his son.<ref name="Africana">{{cite encyclopedia |last=Hudson |first=Peter |editor=[[Kwame Anthony Appiah]] and [[Henry Louis Gates, Jr.]] |encyclopedia=[[Encyclopedia Africana|Africana: The Encyclopedia of the African and African American Experience]] |title=Black Jews |year=1999 |publisher=Basic Civitas Books |location=New York |pages=1050 }}</ref>

=== Church of God and Saints of Christ ===
{{main|Church of God and Saints of Christ}}
[[File:First Tabernacle - Washington, D.C..jpg|thumb|Former headquarters of the [[Church of God and Saints of Christ]] in [[Washington, D.C.]] The building is now known as First Tabernacle Beth El and is listed on the [[National Register of Historic Places]].]]
The Church of God and Saints of Christ was established in [[Lawrence, Kansas|Lawrence]], [[Kansas]], in 1896 by [[William Saunders Crowdy]].<ref name=Fox>{{cite news |url=http://www.brown.edu/Students/INDY/archives/2005-09-29/articles/arts-fox_israelite.php |title=Sons of Abraham |accessdate=2007-10-20 |last=Fox |first=Andrew |date=September 29, 2005 |work=[[The College Hill Independent]] }}</ref> The group established its headquarters in Philadelphia in 1899, and Crowdy later relocated to [[Washington, D.C.]], in 1903. After Crowdy's death in 1908, the church continued to grow under the leadership of William Henry Plummer, who moved the organization's headquarters to its permanent location in [[Belleville, Virginia|Belleville]], [[Virginia]], in 1921.<ref name=Wynia31-34>Wynia, pp. 31–34.</ref> In 1936, the Church of God and Saints of Christ had more than 200 "tabernacles" (congregations) and 37,000 members.<ref name="Africana"/><ref name=Wynia>Wynia, n.p. </ref> [[Howard Z. Plummer|Howard Zebulun Plummer]] succeeded his father and became head of the organization in 1931.<ref>Greene, p. 42.</ref> His son, Levi Solomon Plummer, became the church's leader in 1975.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.cogasoc.org/history/index.html |title=Historical Timeline |accessdate=2008-02-09 |publisher=[[Church of God and Saints of Christ]] }}</ref> Since 2001, the Church of God and Saints of Christ has been led by [[Jehu August Crowdy, Jr.|Rabbi Jehu A. Crowdy, Jr.]], a great-grandson of William Saunders Crowdy.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.cogasoc.org/leaders/jacrowdy.html |title=Rabbi Jehu August Crowdy, Jr. |accessdate=2008-02-09 |publisher=[[Church of God and Saints of Christ]] }}</ref> As of 2005, it had fifty tabernacles in the United States and dozens in Africa.<ref name=Fox/>

The Church of God and Saints of Christ describes itself as "the oldest African-American congregation in the United States that adheres to the tenets of Judaism".<ref name=Chireau3031/><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.cogasoc.org/main.html |title=Church of God and Saints of Christ |accessdate=2008-02-09 }}</ref> It teaches that all Jews had been black originally, and that African-Americans are descendants of the [[Ten Lost Tribes|lost tribes of Israel]].<ref name=Kidd>Kidd, p. 59.</ref><ref name=Singer59>Singer, p. 59.</ref> Members believe that [[Jesus]] was neither God nor the son of God, but rather an adherent to Judaism and a prophet. They also consider William Saunders Crowdy to be a prophet.<ref name="gallagher">Gallagher, p. 146.</ref>

The Church of God and Saints of Christ synthesizes rituals from both Judaism and Christianity. They have adopted rites drawn from both the [[Old Testament]] and New Testament. Its Jewish observances include [[Brit milah|circumcision]] of newborn boys, use of the [[Hebrew calendar]], wearing of [[Kippah|yarmulkes]], observance of Saturday as the [[Shabbat|Sabbath]], and celebration of [[Passover]]. Its New Testament rites include [[baptism]] (immersion) and [[footwashing]], both of which have Old Testament origins.<ref name=Kidd/><ref name=Singer59/>

{{Jews and Judaism sidebar}}

=== Commandment Keepers ===
{{main|Commandment Keepers}}
[[Wentworth Arthur Matthew]] founded the Commandment Keepers Congregation in Harlem in 1919.<ref name="JVL"/> Matthew was influenced by the non-black Jews he met and by [[Marcus Garvey]] and the [[Universal Negro Improvement Association]]. Garvey used the Biblical Jews in exile as a metaphor for black people in North America. One of the accomplishments of Garvey's movement was to strengthen the connection between black Americans and Africa, [[Ethiopia]] in particular, and when Matthew learned about the [[Beta Israel]] — Ethiopian Jews — he identified with them.<ref name=Chireau25>Chireau, p. 25.</ref>

The Commandment Keepers follow traditional Jewish practice and observe Jewish holidays.<ref name=Moses537>Moses, p. 537.</ref> Members observe [[Kashrut|Jewish dietary laws]], circumcise newborn boys and celebrate [[Bar and Bat Mitzvah|bar mitzvah]], and their synagogue has a [[Mechitza|partition]] to separate men and woman during worship.<ref name="Jewish Week">{{cite news |first=Eric |last=Herschthal |title=Decline Of A Black Synagogue |url=http://joi.org/bloglinks/black%20synagogue%20Jewish%20Week.htm |work=[[The Jewish Week]] |date=July 6, 2007 |accessdate=2008-02-09 }}</ref>

[[Image:RabbiMatthewHoldingTorah.jpg|thumb|left|[[Wentworth Arthur Matthew]] holding a [[Sefer Torah|Torah scroll]].]]
The Commandment Keepers believe they are descendants of [[Solomon|King Solomon]] and the [[Queen of Sheba]].<ref name=Parfitt95>Parfitt, p. 95.</ref> Matthew taught that "the Black man is a Jew" and "all genuine Jews are Black men",<ref name=Sundquist116>Sundquist, p. 116.</ref> but he valued non-black Jews as those who had preserved Judaism over the centuries.<ref name="JVL"/> Matthew maintained cordial ties with non-black Jewish leaders in New York and frequently invited them to worship at his synagogue.<ref name=Wolfson48>Wolfson, p. 48.</ref>

Matthew established the Ethiopian Hebrew Rabbinical College (later renamed the Israelite Rabbinical Academy). He ordained more than 20 rabbis, who went on to lead congregations throughout the United States and the Caribbean.<ref name=Sundquist116/><ref name=Wolfson48/> He remained the leader of the Commandment Keepers in Harlem, and in 1962 the congregation moved to a landmark building on 123rd Street.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.nyc-architecture.com/HAR/HAR025.htm |title=Commandment Keepers Ethiopian Hebrew Congregation |accessdate=2008-02-01 |publisher=New York Architecture }}</ref>

Matthew died in 1973, sparking an internal conflict over who would succeed him as head of the Harlem congregation. Shortly before his death Matthew named his grandson, David Matthew Doré, the new spiritual leader. Doré was 16 years old at the time. In 1975, the synagogue's board elected Rabbi Willie White to be its leader. Rabbi Doré occasionally conducted services at the synagogue until the early 1980s, when White had Doré and some other members locked out of the building. Membership declined throughout the 1990s and by 2004 only a few dozen people belonged to the synagogue. In 2007 the Commandment Keepers sold the building that housed their synagogue while various factions among former members sued one another.<ref name="Jewish Week"/><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.blackjews.org/Essays/DestructionofCommandmentKeepers.html |title=The Destruction of Commandment Keepers, Inc. 1919-2007 |accessdate=2008-02-10 |last=Ben Levy |first=Sholomo |work=BlackJews.org |publisher=International Israelite Board of Rabbis }}</ref>

Beside the Harlem group, there are eight or ten Commandment Keeper congregations in the New York area and others throughout North America and in [[Israel]].<ref>Goldschmidt, p. 221.</ref> Since 2000, seven rabbis have graduated from the Israelite Rabbinical Academy founded by Matthew.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.blackjews.org/IsraeliteAcademy.html |title=Israelite Academy |accessdate=2008-02-10 |work=BlackJews.org |publisher=International Israelite Board of Rabbis }}</ref>

=== African Hebrew Israelites of Jerusalem ===
{{main|African Hebrew Israelites of Jerusalem}}
[[Image:Black hebrews Dimona visit1.jpg|thumb|''African Hebrew Israelites'' speak to visitors in [[Dimona]].]]
[[Ben Ammi|Ben Ammi Ben Israel]] established the African Hebrew Israelites of Jerusalem in [[Chicago]], [[Illinois]], in 1966. In 1969, after a sojourn in [[Liberia]], Ben Ammi and about 30 Hebrew Israelites moved to [[Israel]].<ref name=Haas>{{cite news |last=Haas |first=Danielle |title=Black Hebrews fight for citizenship in Israel |url=http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/chronicle/archive/2002/11/15/MN144395.DTL |work=[[San Francisco Chronicle]] |date=November 15, 2002 |accessdate=2008-05-25 }}</ref> Over the next 20 years nearly 600 more members left the United States for Israel. As of 2006, about 2,500 Hebrew Israelites live in [[Dimona]] and two other towns in the [[Negev]] region of Israel, where they are widely referred to as Black Hebrews.<ref name=CBS>{{cite news |author=[[Associated Press]] |title=Music Earns Black Hebrews Some Acceptance |url=http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2006/04/05/ap/world/mainD8GPUNGG8.shtml |work=[[CBS News]] |date=April 5, 2006 |accessdate=2008-05-25 |archiveurl = http://web.archive.org/web/20060507212849/http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2006/04/05/ap/world/mainD8GPUNGG8.shtml |archivedate = May 07, 2006|deadurl=yes}}</ref> In addition, there are Hebrew Israelite communities in several major American cities, including Chicago, [[St. Louis, Missouri|St. Louis]], and Washington, D.C.<ref name=Michaeli75>Michaeli, p. 75.</ref>

The Black Hebrews believe they are descended from members of the [[Tribe of Judah]] who were exiled from the [[Land of Israel]] after the [[Roman Empire|Romans]] destroyed the [[Second Temple]] in 70 CE.<ref name=CBS/><ref name=OurStory>{{cite web |url=http://www.kingdomofyah.com/our_story.htm |title=Our Story |accessdate=2008-05-25 |publisher=The African Hebrew Israelites of Jerusalem }}</ref> The group incorporates elements of [[African American culture]] into their interpretation of the Bible,<ref name=Michaeli75/> and they do not recognize rabbinical Jewish interpretations such as the [[Talmud]].<ref name=CBS/> The Black Hebrews observe [[Shabbat]] and biblically ordained [[Jewish holiday]]s such as [[Yom Kippur]] and [[Passover]].<ref name=Michaeli76>Michaeli, p. 76.</ref> Men wear ''[[tzitzit]]'' on their African print shirts, women follow the [[Niddah|biblical laws concerning menstruation]],<ref name=Michaeli75/> and newborn boys are circumcised.<ref name=Haas/> In accordance with their interpretation of the Bible, the Black Hebrews follow a strictly [[vegan]] diet and wear only natural fabrics.<ref name=Haas/><ref name=OurStory/> Most men have more than one wife, and [[birth control]] is not permitted.<ref name=CBS/>

When the first Black Hebrews arrived in Israel in 1969, they claimed citizenship under the [[Law of Return]], which gives eligible Jews immediate citizenship.<ref>Michaeli, pp. 73–74.</ref> The Israeli government ruled in 1973 that the group did not qualify for automatic citizenship, and the Black Hebrews were denied [[work permit]]s and state benefits. The group responded by accusing the Israeli government of [[Racism|racist discrimination]].<ref name=Michaeli74>Michaeli, p. 74.</ref> In 1981, a group of American civil rights activist led by [[Bayard Rustin]] investigated and concluded that racism was not the cause of Black Hebrews' situation.<ref name=Shipler>{{cite news |last=Shipler |first=David K. |title=Israelis Urged To Act Over Black Hebrew Cult |url=http://select.nytimes.com/search/restricted/article?res=F4071FFA395F0C738FDDA80894D9484D81 |work=[[The New York Times]] |date=January 30, 1981 |accessdate=2008-05-28 }}</ref> No official action was taken to return the Black Hebrews to the United States, but some individual members were [[Deportation|deported]] for working illegally. Some Black Hebrews [[Renunciation of citizenship|renounced]] their American citizenship to try to prevent more deportations. In 1990, Illinois legislators helped negotiate an agreement that resolved the Black Hebrews' legal status in Israel. Members of the group are permitted to work and have access to housing and social services. The Black Hebrews reclaimed their American citizenship and have received aid from the U.S. government that helped them build a school and additional housing.<ref name=Michaeli74/> In 2003 the agreement was revised, and the Black Hebrews were granted [[Permanent residency|permanent resident]] status.<ref name=MFA>{{cite web |url=http://www.mfa.gov.il/mfa/facts%20about%20israel/people/the%20black%20hebrews |title=The Hebrew Israelite Community |accessdate=2008-05-26 |date=September 29, 2006 |publisher=Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs }}</ref><ref name=Kaufman>{{cite news |last=Kaufman |first=David |title=Quest for a Homeland Gains a World Stage |url=http://www.nytimes.com/2006/04/16/fashion/sundaystyles/16BUTLER.html |work=[[The New York Times]] |date=April 16, 2006 |accessdate=2008-05-28 }}</ref>

In 2009, Elyakim Ben-Israel became the first Black Hebrew to receive Israeli citizenship. The Israeli government said that more Black Hebrews may be granted citizenship.<ref>{{cite news |last=Alush |first=Zvi |title=First Black Hebrew Gets Israeli Citizenship |url=http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3665976,00.html |work=[[Ynetnews]] |date=February 2, 2009 |accessdate=2009-02-02 }}</ref>

The Black Hebrews have become well-known for their [[Gospel music|gospel choir]], which tours throughout Israel and the United States. The group owns restaurants in several Israeli cities.<ref name=Michaeli74/> In 2003 the Black Hebrews garnered much public attention when singer [[Whitney Houston]] visited them in Dimona.<ref>{{cite news |title=Israel retreat for Houston |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/music/2940042.stm |publisher=[[BBC News Online]] |date=May 27, 2003 |accessdate=2008-05-26 }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |author=[[Associated Press]] |title=Whitney Houston visits Israel for Christmas album inspiration |url=http://www.usatoday.com/life/music/news/2003-05-27-houston-israel_x.htm |work=[[USA Today]] |date=May 28, 2003 |accessdate=2008-05-26 }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Palti |first=Michal |title=Whitney does Dimona |url=http://www.rickross.com/reference/black_hebrews/black_hebrews6.html |work=[[Haaretz]] |date=May 29, 2003 |accessdate=2008-05-26 }}</ref> In 2006, [[Eddie Butler (singer)|Eddie Butler]], a Black Hebrew, was chosen by the Israeli public to [[Israel in the Eurovision Song Contest 2006|represent Israel]] in the [[Eurovision Song Contest 2006|Eurovision Song Contest]].<ref name=CBS/><ref name=Kaufman/>

== Allegations of black supremacy and racism ==
In late 2008, the [[Southern Poverty Law Center]] (SPLC) described as [[Black supremacy|black supremacist]] what it called "the extremist fringe of the Hebrew Israelite movement". It wrote that the members of such groups "believe that Jews are devilish impostors and ... openly condemn whites as evil personified, deserving only death or slavery". The SPLC also said that "most Hebrew Israelites are neither explicitly racist nor anti-Semitic and do not advocate violence".<ref name=Ready>{{cite web |url=http://www.splcenter.org/intel/intelreport/article.jsp?aid=941 |title='Ready for War' |accessdate=2008-11-22 |date=Fall 2008 |work=Intelligence Report |publisher=[[Southern Poverty Law Center]] }}</ref>

The Black Hebrew groups characterized as black supremacist by the SPLC include the [[Nation of Yahweh]]<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.splcenter.org/intel/intelreport/article.jsp?aid=808 |title=Margins to the Mainstream |accessdate=2008-11-22 |last=Potok |first=Mark |date=Fall 2007 |work=Intelligence Report |publisher=[[Southern Poverty Law Center]] }}</ref> and the Israelite Church of God in Jesus Christ.<ref name=Ready/> Also, the [[Anti-Defamation League]] has written that the "12 Tribes of Israel" website, maintained by a Black Hebrew group, promotes black supremacy.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.adl.org/poisoning_web/black_bigots.asp |title=Poisoning the Web: African-American Anti-Semitism |accessdate=2008-11-22 |year=2001 |publisher=[[Anti-Defamation League]] }}</ref>

== Correspondence of the Twelve Tribes of Israel ==
Some groups of Black Hebrews believe that various groups in the Americas correspond to the Biblical [[Israelites|Twelve Tribes of Israel]]. One such correspondence is:

* [[Tribe of Judah|Judah]] — [[Black Americans]]
* [[Tribe of Benjamin|Benjamin]] — [[Caribbean|West Indians]]
* [[Levite|Levi]] — [[Haiti]]ans
* [[Tribe of Simeon|Simeon]] — [[Dominican Republic|Dominicans]]
* [[Tribe of Zebulun|Zebulun]] — [[Guatemala]]ns, [[Panama]]nians
* [[Tribe of Ephraim|Ephraim]] — [[Puerto Rican people|Puerto Ricans]]
* [[Tribe of Menasheh|Manasseh]] — [[Cubans]]
* [[Tribe of Gad|Gad]] — [[Indigenous peoples of the Americas|Native American Indians]]
* [[Tribe of Reuben|Reuben]] — [[Seminole]] Indians
* [[Tribe of Asher|Asher]] — [[Colombia]]ns, [[Uruguay]]ans
* [[Tribe of Naphtali|Naphtali]] — [[Argentinian people|Argentines]], [[Chilean people|Chileans]]
* [[Tribe of Issachar|Issachar]] — [[Mexico|Mexicans]]<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.saintsunit.org/12tribes.html |title=The 12 Tribes |accessdate=2008-10-22 |author= |last= |first= |date= |year= |month= |publisher=Children of the Saints Unit }}</ref>

== See also ==
{{Portal box|African American|Israel|Judaism}}
* [[African-American – Jewish relations #Blacks as the chosen people]]
* [[Afro-American religion]]
* [[Alliance of Black Jews]]
* [[Groups claiming an affiliation with the ancient Israelites]]
* [[Jews and Judaism in the African diaspora]]
* [[List of Jews in the African diaspora]]

== Notes ==
{{Reflist|2}}

== References ==
{{Refbegin|2}}
* {{cite book |last=Ben-Jochannan |first=Yosef A. A. |authorlink=Yosef Ben-Jochannan |title=We, the Black Jews: Witness to the "White Jewish Race" Myth |origyear=1983 |year=1993 |publisher=Black Classic Press |location=Baltimore |isbn=0933121407 }}
* {{cite book |last=Chireau |first=Yvonne |editor=Yvonne Patricia Chireau, [[Nathaniel Deutsch]], eds. |title=Black Zion: African American Religious Encounters with Judaism |year=2000 |publisher=Oxford University Press |location=New York |isbn=0195112571 |chapter=Black Culture and Black Zion: African American Religious Encounters with Judaism, 1790–1930, an Overview }}
* {{cite book |last=Fauset |first=Arthur Huff |authorlink=Arthur Fauset |title=Black Gods of the Metropolis: Negro Religious Cults of the Urban North |origyear=1944 |year=2002 |publisher=University of Pennsylvania Press |location=Philadelphia |isbn=0812210018 }}
* {{cite book |title=The New Religious Movements Experience in America |last=Gallagher |first=Eugene V. |year=2004 |publisher=Greenwood Press |location=Westport, Conn. |isbn=0313328072 }}
* {{cite book |last=Goldschmidt |first=Henry |title=Race and Religion Among the Chosen Peoples of Crown Heights |year=2006 |publisher=Rutgers University Press |location=New Brunswick, N.J. |isbn=0813538971 }}
* {{cite book |title=Selling Black History for Carter G. Woodson: A Diary, 1930–1933 |last=Greene |first=Lorenzo Johnston |authorlink=Lorenzo Greene |coauthors=Arvarh E. Strickland, ed. |year=1996 |publisher=University of Missouri Press |location=Columbia, Mo. |isbn=0826210686 }}
* {{cite book |last=Isaac |first=Walter |editor=[[Lewis Gordon|Lewis R. Gordon]], Jane Anna Gordon, eds. |title=A Companion to African-American Studies |year=2006 |publisher=Blackwell Publishing |location=Malden, Mass. |isbn=0631235167 |chapter=Locating African-American Judaism: A Critique of White Normativity }}
* {{cite book |title=The Forging of Races: Race and Scripture in the Protestant Atlantic World, 1600-2000 |last=Kidd |first=Colin |authorlink=Colin Kidd |year=2006 |publisher=Cambridge University Press |location=Cambridge |isbn=0521793246 }}
* {{cite book |last=Landing |first=James E. |title=Black Judaism: Story of an American Movement |year=2002 |publisher=Carolina Academic Press |location=Durham, N. C. |isbn=0890898200 }}
* {{cite book |last=Michaeli |first=Ethan |editor=Yvonne Patricia Chireau, [[Nathaniel Deutsch]], eds. |title=Black Zion: African American Religious Encounters with Judaism |year=2000 |publisher=Oxford University Press |location=New York |isbn=0195112571 |chapter=Another Exodus: The Hebrew Israelites from Chicago to Dimona }}
* {{cite book |last=Moses |first=Wilson Jeremiah |editor=[[Cornel West]], Eddie S. Glaude, Jr., eds. |title=African American Religious Thought: An Anthology |year=2003 |publisher=Westminster John Knox Press |location=Louisville, Ky. |isbn=0664224598 |chapter=Chosen Peoples of the Metropolis: Black Muslims, Black Jews, and Others }}
* {{cite book |last=Parfitt |first=Tudor |coauthors=Emanuela Trevisan Semi |title=Judaising Movements: Studies in the Margins of Judaism in Modern Times |year=2002 |publisher=Routledge |location=New York |isbn=0700715150 }}
* {{cite book |last=Singer |first=Merrill |editor=Yvonne Patricia Chireau, [[Nathaniel Deutsch]], eds. |title=Black Zion: African American Religious Encounters with Judaism |year=2000 |publisher=Oxford University Press |location=New York |isbn=0195112571 |chapter=Symbolic Identity Formation in an African American Religious Sect: The Black Hebrew Israelites }}
* {{cite book |last=Sundquist |first=Eric J. |title=Strangers in the Land: Blacks, Jews, Post-Holocaust America |year=2002 |publisher=Harvard University Press |location=Cambridge, Mass. |isbn=0674019423 }}
* {{cite book |last=Wolfson |first=Bernard J. |editor=Yvonne Patricia Chireau, [[Nathaniel Deutsch]], eds. |title=Black Zion: African American Religious Encounters with Judaism |year=2000 |publisher=Oxford University Press |location=New York |isbn=0195112571 |chapter=African American Jews: Dispelling Myths, Bridging the Divide }}
* {{cite book |last=Wynia |first=Elly M. |title=The Church of God and Saints of Christ: The Rise of Black Jews |year=1994 |publisher=Routledge |location=New York |isbn=0815311362 }}
{{Refend}}

== Further reading ==
*{{cite web
| url=http://www.villagevoice.com/2011-03-30/news/black-hebrew-israelites-new-york-s-most-obnoxious-prophets/3/
| title=Black Hebrew Israelites: New York's Most Obnoxious Prophets
| author=Steven Thrasher
| date=March 30, 2011
| publisher=''[[The Village Voice]]''}}

== External links ==
{{Commons cat|Black Hebrew}}
* [http://www.religioustolerance.org/bhi.htm Black Hebrew Israelites—ReligousTolerance.org]
* [http://www.blackapologetics.com/bhifaq.html Black Hebrew Israelite FAQ—Black Apologetics Ministry]
* [http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/Society_&_Culture/Black_Hebrews.html The Black Hebrews], [[Jewish Virtual Library]]
* [http://www.hebrewisraelites.org/ Israelite Heritage]

{{Jews and Judaism}}
{{good article}}

[[Category:Black Hebrew Israelites| ]]
[[Category:African-American culture]]
[[Category:Black Jews]]
[[Category:Groups claiming Jewish descent]]
[[Category:African and Black nationalism]]

[[be:Чорныя ізраільцяне]]
[[bg:Черни евреи]]
[[ca:Hebreus africans]]
[[es:Israelitas negros]]
[[fr:Hébreux noirs]]
[[nl:Afrikaanse Hebreeërs]]
[[ja:ブラック・ジュー]]
[[pt:Israelitas negros]]
[[ru:Чёрные евреи]]

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