= Black Hebrew Israelites There are so many ways to approach this problem. https://www.mdpi.com/2077-1444/9/7/222/htm is one, here is another:
Black Hebrew Israelites (also called Hebrew Israelites, Black Hebrews, Black Israelites, and African Hebrew Israelites) are groups of African Americans who believe that they are the descendants of the ancient Israelites. To varying degrees, Black Hebrew Israelites incorporate certain aspects of the religious beliefs and practices of both Christianity and Judaism, though they have created their own interpretation of the Bible.[1] Many choose to identify as Hebrew Israelites or Black Hebrews rather than Jews in order to indicate their claimed historic connections.[2][3][4][5]https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_Hebrew_Israelites
== Continuity with Judah
Black Hebrew Israelites are not associated with the mainstream Jewish community, and they do not meet the standards that are used to identify people as Jewish by the Jewish community. They are also outside the fold of mainstream Christianity, which considers Black Hebrew Israelism to be a heresy.[6]https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_Hebrew_Israelites
The standards are shown in [[kuzari argument]]. Also see [[ten lost tribes]] for the case for exclusion. The main arguments against continuity are that they did not maintain their traditions (as was prophesied) and they have not yet returned to the authority of Judah nor repented for their sins as Northern Israel--instead they have doubled down on the rejection of the authority of Judah (i.e. King David's line as commanded by God). == History
The Hebrew Israelite movement originated at the end of the 19th century, when Frank Cherry and William Saunders Crowdy both claimed to have received visions that African Americans are descendants of the Hebrews in the Bible; Cherry established the Church of the Living God, the Pillar Ground of Truth for All Nations in 1886 and Crowdy founded the Church of God and Saints of Christ in 1896.[7][8][9][10] Consequently, Black Hebrew groups were founded in the United States during the late 19th and early 20th centuries, from Kansas to New York City, by both African Americans and West Indian immigrants.[11] In the mid-1980s, the number of Black Hebrews in the United States was between 25,000 and 40,000.[12] Black Hebrew Israelism is a non-homogenous movement with a number of groups, that have varying beliefs and practices.[3] Various sects of Black Hebrew Israelism have been criticized by academics for their promotion of historical revisionism.[13]https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_Hebrew_Israelites
Unfortunately due to their continued rejection of the authority of Judah (King David's line), whether or not they are actually Israelites becomes a curious aside. In any case the a study of the [[ten lost tribes]] and the [[kuzari argument analysis]] makes it abundantly clear that the primary issue has been discredited anyways. == Main Groups * Church of the Living God, the Pillar Ground of Truth for All Nations ** Oldest group, followed Judaism to a degree * Commandment Keepers ** Followed Judaism to a great degree * Church of God and Saints of Christ ** Self described as adhered to the tennets of Judaism * African Hebrew Israelites of Jerusalem ** A main-stream group who tried to claim status under the law of return (below). == Black Criticism
African American Christian apologetics organizations, such as the Jude 3 Project, have critiqued the theological and historical claims which have been presented by various Black Hebrew Israelite sects.[78] Zimbabwan novelist Masimba Musodza has stated that the doctrine which is taught by Black Hebrew Israelites "force[s] their own ideas onto the text to promote their own agenda, which serves no purpose at all except to engender antisemitism in Black communities in western countries."[1] The historian Josephus, as well as the theologians Emil Schürer and Friedrich Münter, wrote of Jewish slaves who were sold and served as labourers in Egypt and the Roman Empire, contradicting the Black Hebrew Israelite claim that Egypt is a metaphor for the Americas.[1] Additionally, contrary to what is taught by Black Hebrew Israelites, no Kingdom of Judah existed in West Africa and the Middle Eastern state has no connection with the Kingdom of Whydah.[1] Black Hebrew Israelites have been criticized for making historical revisionist claims which do not acknowledge the poverty that Jews experienced as immigrants in the United States.[1] Fran Markowitz, a Professor of Cultural Anthropology at the Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, writes that the Hebrew Israelite view of the transatlantic slave trade conflicts with historical accounts, as does the Hebrew Israelite belief that Socrates and Shakespeare were black.[13]https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_Hebrew_Israelites
=== Condemned by BLM leaders
NEW YORK (JTA) — The president of Black Lives Matter Brooklyn condemned anti-Semitic hate crimes following the attack at a Hanukkah party in Monsey. Anthony Beckford described the incident in which a man attacked party guests with a machete at a rabbi’s house on Saturday as “heinous” in a statement published Sunday by Shorefront News. “A night of peace turned into a night of violence and trauma and my heart hurts,” he said. “I stand in solidarity with Jewish Community members during this tragedy and condemn all acts of hate. I commend those who were in the synagogue next door for acting quickly and locking the attacker out, preventing him from attacking more people. To be better, we must work together to do better.” Beckford has run unsuccessfully twice for New York City Council and once for the state Assembly.https://www.jta.org/quick-reads/brooklyn-black-lives-matter-leader-expresses-solidarity-with-jews-after-monsey-attack
=== The Claim of Judah and the Law of Return Additionally, the group "African Hebrew Israelites of Jerusalem" has caused serious problems in the community by underscoring the illegitimacy of their claim to a self-evident degree:
The Black Hebrews believe they are descended from members of the Tribe of Judah who were exiled from the Land of Israel after the Romans destroyed the Second Temple in 70 CE.[56][58] The group incorporates elements of African-American culture into their interpretation of the Bible.[57] They do not recognize rabbinical Jewish interpretations such as the Talmud.[56] The Black Hebrews observe Shabbat and biblically ordained Jewish holidays such as Yom Kippur and Passover.[59] Men wear tzitzit on their African print shirts, women follow the niddah (biblical laws concerning menstruation),[57] and newborn boys are circumcised.[26] In accordance with their interpretation of the Bible, the Black Hebrews follow a strictly vegan diet and only wear natural fabrics.[26][58] Most men have more than one wife, and birth control is not permitted.[56] When the first Black Hebrews arrived in Israel in 1969, they claimed citizenship under the Law of Return, which gives eligible Jews immediate citizenship.[60] The Israeli government ruled in 1973 that the group did not qualify for automatic citizenship because they could not prove Jewish descent and had not undergone Orthodox conversion. The Black Hebrews were denied work permits and state benefits. The group accused the Israeli government of racist discrimination.[61] In 1981, a group of American civil rights activists led by Bayard Rustin //(note: [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bayard_Rustin|Bayard Rustin]] was a major black social rights activist during the civil rights movement --ed)// investigated and concluded that racism was not the cause of the Black Hebrews' situation.[25] No official action was taken to return the Black Hebrews to the United States, but some individual members were deported for working illegally.[61]https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_Hebrew_Israelites
=== The Coup against the Commandment Keepers Notably the Black Hebrew Israelite movement has sabotaged itself.
Wentworth Arthur Matthew founded the Commandment Keepers Congregation in Harlem in 1919.[3] Matthew was influenced by the non-black Jews he met as well as by Marcus Garvey and the Universal Negro Improvement Association and African Communities League. 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. When Matthew later learned about the Beta Israel—Ethiopian Jews—he identified with them.[47] Today the Commandment Keepers follow traditional Jewish practices and observe Jewish holidays.[24] Members observe kashrut, circumcise newborn boys and celebrate Bar and Bat Mitzvahs, and their synagogue has a mechitza to separate men and women during worship.[48] The Commandment Keepers believe that they are descendants of Solomon and the Queen of Sheba.[49] Matthew taught that "the Black man is a Jew" and "all genuine Jews are Black men",[50] but he valued non-black Jews as those who had preserved Judaism over the centuries.[3] Matthew maintained cordial ties with non-black Jewish leaders in New York and frequently invited them to worship at his synagogue.[51] Matthew established the Ethiopian Hebrew Rabbinical College (later renamed the Israelite Rabbinical Academy) in Brooklyn. He ordained more than 20 rabbis, who went on to lead congregations throughout the United States and the Caribbean.[50][51] He remained the leader of the Commandment Keepers in Harlem, and in 1962 the congregation moved to a landmark building on 123rd Street.[52] 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, as 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, while various factions among former members sued one another.[48][53] Besides the Harlem group, there are eight or ten Commandment Keeper congregations in the New York area, and others exist throughout North America as well as in Israel.[54] Since 2000, seven rabbis have graduated from the Israelite Rabbinical Academy founded by Matthew.[55]https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_Hebrew_Israelites
== Status as a Hate Group
According to the Anti-Defamation League (ADL), "Some, but not all [sects of the Black Hebrew Israelites], are outspoken anti-Semites and racists."[14] As of December 2019, the Southern Poverty Law Center "lists 144 Black Hebrew Israelite organizations as black separatist hate groups because of their antisemitic and anti-white beliefs."[15] Former KKK Grand Wizard Tom Metzger once remarked to the Southern Poverty Law Center, "They're the black counterparts of us."[16]https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_Hebrew_Israelites
One of the problems with the Black Hebrew Israelites is that they believe that all white people are [[Edomites]] and that it is their mission as heralds of God to destroy them all. This has led to actual acts of terrorism by the Black Hebrew Israelites[cite].
In late 2008, the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) wrote that "the extremist fringe of the Hebrew Israelite movement" is black supremacist. It also 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 wrote that "most Hebrew Israelites are neither explicitly racist nor anti-Semitic and do not advocate violence".[67] The Black Hebrew groups that are characterized as black supremacist by the SPLC include the Israelite School of Universal Practical Knowledge,[68] the Nation of Yahweh[69] and the Israelite Church of God in Jesus Christ.[67] Also, the Anti-Defamation League has written that the "12 Tribes of Israel" website, which is maintained by a Black Hebrew group, promotes black supremacy.[70] As of December 2019, the Southern Poverty Law Center "lists 144 Black Hebrew Israelite organizations as black separatist hate groups because of their antisemitic and anti-white beliefs."[15][needs context] A 1999 FBI terrorism risk assessment report stated that "violent radical fringe members" of the Black Hebrew Israelite movement hold "beliefs [that] bear a striking resemblance to the Christian Identity theology practiced by many white supremacists."[71][72] It also wrote that "the overwhelming majority of [Black Hebrew Israelites] are unlikely to engage in violence."[71] On December 10, 2019, two people who had expressed interest in the Black Hebrew Israelite movement, were killed in a shootout with police after killing a police detective at Bayview Cemetery and three people at the JC Kosher Supermarket in Jersey City, New Jersey; the Jewish co-owner of the grocery store, an employee, and a Jewish shopper. Authorities treated the incident as an act of domestic terrorism.[73] Capers Funnye, who has been the rabbi for the past 26 years of the 200-member Beth Shalom B'nai Zaken Ethiopian Hebrew Congregation,[74][75] condemned the attack and said that his community was "gripped by sadness" over "the heinous actions of two disturbed individuals who cloaked themselves in anti-Semitism and hate-filled rhetoric". He also criticized the media reports by saying that it was "unfortunate that the media uses the term ‘Black Hebrew Israelites’ without distinction as if the description is a one size fits all and it is absolutely not!" Funnye emphasized that "we don’t want to be seen as some radical fringe group with a false narrative because we are black and profess Judaism; we are Torah-oriented Jews."[76] On December 28, 2019, a man with a machete attacked several Orthodox Jewish people during Hanukkah celebrations in a house in Monsey, New York. Authorities revealed the fact that his journals included what appeared to be a reference to Black Hebrew Israelites stating that "Hebrew Israelites" have taken from "ebinoid Israelites".[77]https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_Hebrew_Israelites
=== Confounding Edomites with White People The position of the BHI movement is that all white people are the nation of Edom. This is of course preposterous, but see [[Edomites]] for background information on the nation of Edom. FIXME original article below == A Plausible Argument On the surface, it seems abundantly obvious that **some** black people in Africa and **some** people in other countries could be from one of the twelve tribes of Israel. If this is true, then by many prophecies (ex. Leviticus 26) they would have a share in the land of Israel. However plausable, there are some conditions that would need to be met. According to the prophecies in the bible, only //some// of the people in Africa would be from Israel, as there was a native population of peopole in the area going back thousands of years. Therefore anyone who would be considered a Hebrew Israelite out of the fact that they were originally from Africa would need to show additional qualifications. == Qualified by the American Slave Trade As a matter of fact, the Black Hebrew Israelite movement does have an additional qualification; they state that they are a member of the group of Africans which were brought to America in slave ships. This would then seem to conform to the prophecy of Leviticus 26 as follows (assuming America is "Egypt" which we may give as a not unreasonable reading of the passage): - A full repentance and return to observance of the covenant which defines Israel as a nation -- (which would naturally include) submission to the current generation of Israel's rabbis, priests, judges, etc. Any "true Hebrews" who were unwilling to do this would be forbidden to rejoin the assembly, not just by the current generation of representatives of Israel, but also by God. It is not enough to simply be a descendant of Abraham. One must keep the covenant, this is the word of God. Secondly there is an incredible problem with any particular African of any country culture or descent claimng to be a true Hebrew. On one hand, when the ten tribes were replaced into other countries, as noted Assyria certainly left //some// jews in Israel; also certainly the Isrealites were moved to other countries and were assimilated into those countries; meaning, that //some// of the Africans (who were in the other lands prior to the Assyrian removal) are **not** part of Israel, and there is really no easy way to tell who these people are or who the Israelites are. Secondly, as a people who did not keep the covenant on a historical basis, they would be cut off from the tribe of Israel. These people are said to have been perished. There is also the problem of intermarriage which disqualifies the son or daughter from inheritance for ten generations. If there was no Jewish community to repair this damage, the net effect would be to **erase** the Israelite nation in those lands, reverting it's inhabitants to permanent non-Israelite status. In such a case, even if an African felt they would be entitled to a place in Israel, the continuance of covenant-abiding Jews from Judah (shown to be modern day Jews) are **forbidden** from accepting them for ten generations(!!) It would be simpler in that scenario to simply submit to a full conversion and not have to go through such a lengthy and needless process. However the issue is one of authority, and in this case it is ironically observed that **the tribes of Northern Israel still choose to rebel against God's appointed ruler -- Judah.** == Their Place in Prophecy: Are 'Black People' the "Real Jews"? With respect to Torah observance and religious observance, it is noted that without exception all Jews as defined by the above follow the exact same Torah and set of religious ordinances as set out by God in the Sinai covenant, and accept as canon the exact same Hebrew Bible. It does not matter if they are Ashkenazi, Sephardic, Yemenite, or any other kind of Jew. It is also noted that this is in full accordance with the actual text of the bible; nothing seems to be missing or out of place here. Further, all of these Jews (Ashkenaz, Yemenite, Moroccan, Sephardic, etc.) recognize all the other branches as authentic Jews, and state that there is no such Jew in any other case. ==== Who are the 'Other' Jews? Even if one denies the Khazars a place in Jewry (which is explicitly forbidden as stated above) one must contend with the massive other numbers of Jews, which show strong continuity with Judah and Jerusalem. One such group are the Moroccan Jews. Moroccan Jews are the Jews who live or lived in the area of North Africa known as Morocco. The first Jews migrated to this area after the destruction of the First Temple in Jerusalem and settled among the Berbers. Thus, this is a perfect example of a community of Jews who retained continuity amongst themselves from the time of Jesus/the Roman occupation. It should be uncontestable by anyone that these Moroccan Jews are authentic Jews. But what happened in 1492? The Moroccan Jews were met by a wave of migration from the Iberian peninsula in the period immediately preceding and following the 1492 Alhambra Decree -- when the Jews were expelled from kingdoms of Spain, and ortugal. This case is exceptionally important as an example because the immigrants were all Sephardic Jews -- not Ashkenazi. The influx was significant enough to shift their cultuee away from a specifically Andalusian Sephardic liturgy towards a purely Sephardic identity. At its peak in the 1940s, Morocco's Jewish population exceeded 250,000. After the formation of Israel more than 240,000 of the Jews there chose to move to Israel. The Moroccan Jews who now live in Israel are famous as they constitute the second-largest Jewish community (approximatively 1 million). Other communities are found in France, Canada, Spain, the United States and South America, mainly in Venezuela, Brazil and Argentina. The example of the Moroccan Jew is very educational. It shows many basic facts about who is a Jew and what a Jew is. Almost based solely on a study of Moroccan Jewish relations, if one had to, one may conclude the following: - The original Jewish state of Israel, as a continuance of Judah, fully accepts Ashkenazi jews as full jews, both in Israel and from Europe into communities outside of Israel. **This would be impossible if the true, authentic Chosen People did not consider the Khazar conversion as valid.** - Hundreds of thousands, if not millions of Sephardic Jews -- not Ashkenazi Jews -- existed alongside Ashkenazi (Khazarian Convert) Jews for over 1,000 years in Europe, and would freely intermingle, even to the point where the entire community of Moroccan Jews would move to Israel, which at the time was predominated with Ashkenazi Jews. Please see [[Kuzari Argument Analysis]] for a more complete picture of the history of the Ashkenazi people. === Summary from Sources Examining the exhaustive sources (above) we see an immediate and jarring problem with the idea that "Black people" of any country in Africa would be "True Jews" simply because of the very obvious; they failed to continue in the traditions of the Lord and to keep God's laws and his traditions. There are also numerous other problems; even if they were "true hebrews" in any sense of the word, this does not exclude any other race or culture from claiming that title as well, and specifically the Edomites (whoever you assume them to be) -- going so far as to specifically state that they are direct kin and it is forbidden to exclude them (and any others who were there) from the assembly of God. It would also be noted that the commandments not to add to the torah would logically forbid the exclusion of any race or culture not mentioned as to be excluded (Ammonites, Moabites, Amalekites, etc.) Thus, while it is possible and in fact extremely likely that the "true hebrews", i.e. descendants of Abraham who are Jews and who are covered by the covenant (SEE: LEV. 26) can be found in modern day Africa, this does not at all imply that ALL Africans or ALL "black people" are under the covenant, nor does it exclude any other race or culture from being a "true hebrew". Specifically, the Edomites. This is God's word. === The issue of race One, the covenant was not made with a race, or a nation. God made the people of Israel out of all those who were present at the assembly as mentioned in Deuteronomy 29. This included other tribes who were not descendants of Abraham (the woodcutters, etc.) These were various other tribes, such as Canaanites who came to embrace Judaism, (SEE: the wood-cutters and water-drawers of Joshua 9:21-27) and the //mixed multitude// (Exodus 12:38). It also included the Israelites' slaves, people of the gate (righteous gentiles) and so forth. Therefore the primary defining issue of who is an Israelite has nothing to do with race, although even if it was said that most Israelites were //black//, not all blacks were Israelites, nor were all Israelites //black//, or African, or Egyptian, or anything. Thus, race can never be a deciding factor in who is a member of Israel; it is defined solely by who has historically kept the covenant and who has not. === Conclusion If indeed the black hebrew Israelite movement is authentic, they must be able to show a continuity with Israel in the same way as //all the other lost tribes// and/or a willingness to join this community. Without a strong connection and some sort of ancient preserved tradition it is unlikely that someone is Jewish simply because they are "black" (even, African).