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Black Jews in America. Brief Historical Overview Theology and Culture Race and Identity. Rabbi Arnold J. Ford, Founder. Born in Barbados 1877 Claimed African Jewish Ancestry Musical Director of the Universal Negro Improvement Association (wrote anthem) Founded Beth B’nai Abraham, 1923
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Black Jews in America Brief Historical OverviewTheology and CultureRace and Identity Northampton Community College Prof. Sholomo B. Levy
Rabbi Arnold J. Ford, Founder • Born in Barbados 1877 • Claimed African Jewish Ancestry • Musical Director of the Universal Negro Improvement Association (wrote anthem) • Founded Beth B’nai Abraham, 1923 • Immigrated to Ethiopia in 1930 • Ordained Rabbi Matthew • Died in Ethiopia 1935 Northampton Community College Prof. Sholomo B. Levy
Marcus Mosiah Garvey Lived 1887-1940 1914, Organized the Universal Negro Improvement Association in Jamaica 1917, Opened a UNIA branch in Harlem 1918-1924 Negro World, Black Star Line, Black Cross Nurses, etc. 1924 Officially proclaimed the blackness of Jesus 1925-1927 Federal Prison in Atlanta 1927 Returned to Jamaica 1940 Died in England Northampton Community College Prof. Sholomo B. Levy
Marcus Mosiah Garvey • Black Nationalism • Negro Catechism(Bishop George Alexander McGuire, Chaplain and later founder of the African Orthodox Church) • Pan Africanism • Black Zionism Northampton Community College Prof. Sholomo B. Levy
Rabbi Ford’s Choir 1920s Northampton Community College Prof. Sholomo B. Levy
Rabbi W. A Matthew, Builder • Lived, 1892-1973 • Founded Commandment Keepers Ethiopian Hebrew Cong. Harlem, 1919 • Ethiopian Rabbinical College, 1925 • Community Leader / Activist Northampton Community College Prof. Sholomo B. Levy
Rabbi Mordecai HermanMoorish Zionist Temple, Harlem 1920s Northampton Community College Prof. Sholomo B. Levy
Noble Drew Ali Parallel Development of Judaism and Islam Among African Americans Why did Islam grow faster? Northampton Community College Prof. Sholomo B. Levy
Noble Drew Ali • Search of “True” Identity • Reconsideration of all elements of identity: • Religion • Language (& terminology) • Dress • History • Symbols • Values • Political Tactics Northampton Community College Prof. Sholomo B. Levy
Slavery Created Cultural and Social Dislocation Racial Identity Alone Was Inherently Inferior; i.e. Negroness is insufficient. True Identity Must Be Found To Gain Equality Intellectual Underpinnings Northampton Community College Prof. Sholomo B. Levy
Slaves Converted to Christianity 1740s Strong Affinity to the Old Testament Identification with the Hebrew Slaves Prominence of Judaic themes in Negro Spirituals Very Thorough Knowledge of Biblical Judaism Theological Influences Northampton Community College Prof. Sholomo B. Levy
Deuteronomy Chapter 28 Jeremiah 29:14 Ezekiel 11:17, 20:34, 20:41, 36:24 Zephaniah 3:20 Isaiah 11:11-12 Dispersal of the Jewish People Ten Lost Tribes Scriptural Support Northampton Community College Prof. Sholomo B. Levy
All People in the Bible are White The Slaves of Egypt were European Black People Can Be Christian But Not Jewish Correcting Historical Images Moses and his Ethiopian Wife, Zipporah Hollywood's Egyptians Northampton Community College Prof. Sholomo B. Levy
Harlem Renaissance 1920s Black Migration North Caribbean Immigration to the USA Confluence of Events Northampton Community College Prof. Sholomo B. Levy
Commandment Keepers 1919 Northampton Community College Prof. Sholomo B. Levy
Commandment Keepers Northampton Community College Prof. Sholomo B. Levy
Black Rabbi in Chicago, c.1920sRabbi Lazaru, Reuban, Green Northampton Community College Prof. Sholomo B. Levy
Kohol Beth B’nai IsraelBronx, New York, 1940s Northampton Community College Prof. Sholomo B. Levy
Zion House of Israel, Barbados Northampton Community College Prof. Sholomo B. Levy
First Board of Black Rabbis Northampton Community College Prof. Sholomo B. Levy
Ethiopian Jews Lemba, South Africa Abayudaya, Uganda Black Jews of Cochin, India Marranos of Latin America Racial Diversity Judaism Worldwide Northampton Community College Prof. Sholomo B. Levy
Chart of Black Jews Northampton Community College Prof. Sholomo B. Levy
Thorough Review of All Secondary Material Immigration Records (Ship’s Passenger Manifests of those who arrived though Ellis Island, NY, Application for Citizenship. Grant from the New York State Records and Achieves Administration (Congregational Records, Sermons, photographs, Interviews, Birth & Death Certificates, Deeds, Wills, Leases, Contracts, Receipts.) Newspapers of the period Court Documents FBI Reports Papers of Incorporation State Department Records Sources, Documents, Research Northampton Community College Prof. Sholomo B. Levy
Archival Research Library of Congress, State Department FBI Records, Schomburg Center Court Documents Northampton Community College Prof. Sholomo B. Levy