The Black Hebrews / Black Israelites ... returning to the Holy Land
"...It's been a long, a long time coming but I know a change gonna come, oh yes it will..." Sam Cooke
"Yes, we can. Yes, we can change. Yes, we can." President Barack Obama
The Change Has Come!
The terms Black Hebrews and Black Israelites refer as a categorical whole to several independent sub-sects whose unifying
characteristic is that their members are of black African descent who claim Hebrew / Israelite ancestry.
Members of The Original African Hebrew Israelite Nation of Jerusalem (or, the African Israelites for short) believe that following
the Roman expulsion of the Jews from the land of Israel, many Jews migrated to West Africa. From there their descendants were
transported by slave ship to the United States.
"We, who are the descendants of slave parents, did not choose to come to America, but were forcibly brought here in chains
against our will to fulfill a greater purpose and promise in our prophetic journey and return to Almighty God. This is the
truest and highest meaning of the expression of returning to the Holy Land. The Holy Land means to be in the Divine Presence
of God in His Divine Unity anywhere and everywhere we go on the Planet Earth and in the exploration of our Universe and environment
in space."
Black Hebrews adhere in varying degrees to the religious beliefs and practices of mainstream Judaism. They are generally
not accepted as Jews by the greater Jewish community, and many Black Hebrews consider themselves and not mainstream Jews
to be the only authentic Jews. Many choose to self-identify as Hebrew Israelites or Black Hebrews rather than as Jews.
Dozens of Black Hebrew groups were founded during the late 19th and the early 20th centuries. In the mid-1980s, the number
of Black Hebrews in the United States was between 25,000 and 40,000. 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.
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While Black Christians traditionally have identified themselves with the Children of Israel, they never claimed to be descendants
of the Israelites. However, in the late 19th century among some African-Americans, an identification with the ancient Hebrews
developed into an identification as ancient Hebrews. One of the first groups of Black Hebrews, the Church of God and Saints
of Christ, was founded in 1896.
"But I want you to know tonight, that we, as a people will get to the promised land." I See the Promised Land
- Martin Luther King, Jr.'s last speech
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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. 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. In addition, there are Hebrew Israelite communities
in several major American cities, including Chicago, St. Louis, and Washington, D.C.
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The Israeli government ruled in 1973 that the group did not qualify for automatic citizenship, and the Black Hebrews
were denied work permits and state benefits. However, in 2003 the agreement was revised, and the Black Hebrews were granted
permanent resident status.
The Black Hebrews have become well-known for their gospel choir, which tours throughout Israel and the United States. The
group owns restaurants in several Israeli cities. In 2003 the Black Hebrews garnered much public attention when singer Whitney
Houston visited them in Dimona. In 2006, Eddie Butler, a Black Hebrew, was chosen by the Israeli public to represent Israel
in the Eurovision Song Contest.
In 1998, doctors visited the community in Israel and found that only 6% of the members suffered from high blood pressure,
compared to 30% of African Americans. Furthermore only 5% of their members were obese, compared to 32% of black men and half
of black women in America. The doctors concluded, "These changes in lifestyle might prevent chronic disease in American blacks,
but would be hard to achieve without the unifying power of community and spirituality."
The group maintains a vegan diet, citing Genesis 1:29, "And God said, Behold, I have given you every herb bearing seed, which
is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree, in the which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed; to you it shall be for
meat." They practice abstinence from alcohol, other than wine that they make themselves, and both illegal and pharmaceutical
drugs, so as to stay within the cycles of life. The group also owns and operates a chain of vegetarian restaurants throughout
the country. Adult members exercise three times a week, and are advised to have at least one full-body massage each month
for its health benefits.
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