Black Jews in New York City facts for kids

Black Jews in New York City are one of the biggest groups of Black Jews in the United States. Black Jews have lived in New York City since the time of the first colonies. Organized groups of Black Jews and Black Hebrew Israelites started appearing in the early 1900s. These communities have mostly been found in areas like Harlem, Brooklyn, The Bronx, and Queens. The Commandment Keepers movement began in Harlem. The Black Orthodox Jewish community is mainly in Brooklyn. New York City has four Black synagogues that are connected to the Black Hebrew Israelite movement. There is also a small group of Beta Israel (Ethiopian Jews) in New York City. Many of them came from Israel. It's important to know that the New York Board of Rabbis does not consider Black Hebrew Israelites to be Jewish. This board represents the main Jewish religious groups.

A Look at History

Early Times: 1600s and 1700s

Black Jews have been part of New York City since it was a colony. Many of them had roots in the Sephardic Jewish communities of the Caribbean. The oldest known paintings of Jews with African heritage are of Sarah Brandon Moses and Isaac Lopez Brandon. They were both born into slavery in Barbados and later lived in New York City.

The 1900s: New Communities Emerge

The Black Hebrew Israelites of Harlem started as a community in the early 1900s. By the 1930s, at least four groups of Black Hebrew Israelites were active in Harlem. The most important of these was the Commandment Keepers. This group was founded by Rabbi Wentworth Arthur Matthew. Rabbi Matthew believed that Black people were descendants of the ancient Israelites. He also thought that the "original Jews" were Black. The Black Hebrew Israelites in Harlem often had roots in Afro-Caribbean or Afro-Latino cultures. The Commandment Keepers were influenced by Orthodox Judaism. By the 1930s, they were celebrating all Jewish holidays and following kosher food rules.

Black Jews have sometimes been left out of stories about the Crown Heights riot in 1991. In 1991, more than a dozen Black Jewish families lived in Crown Heights. Black Jewish families connected to Chabad lived there. There were also Black Sephardi Jews. Akedah Fulcher-Eze, a Black Jew whose family has been Jewish for four generations, grew up in Crown Heights. She said the riot was not a "pogrom" (a violent attack on a group of people). She explained that some attackers had prejudiced ideas about Jews. However, she said that antisemitism was not the only reason for the riot.

Fulcher-Eze shared that during the riot, "Black Jews drove through Crown Heights, wearing their kippot, looking very Jewish. Meanwhile, Lubavitchers could not. So why weren't we attacked? Maybe because Black folk weren't concerned about our Judaism or our Torah observance that night...Lubavitchers, for better or worse, were seen as privileged community members. They had lots of money, strong political connections, and police protection at that time. Are these classic antisemitic ideas? Yes. But that doesn't mean there wasn't some truth to them or that people didn't believe them."

Today: The 21st Century

A Black Orthodox Jewish and Black Hasidic community exists in Brooklyn. This community has deep roots going back many generations. There isn't an exact count of Black Orthodox Jews in New York City. However, their numbers are small but growing. Many Black Orthodox Jews are connected to Chabad. The Chabad community in Brooklyn is mostly white. But a small and growing number of Chabad members are Black Jews or other Jews of color.

By 2009, at least 500 Ethiopian Jews lived in New York City. The Beta Israel community in New York City is represented by the Beta Israel of North America Cultural Foundation (BINA). BINA was started by Beejhy Barhany. She is an Ethiopian-born Jew who grew up in Israel and later moved to New York City. Ethiopian Jews are a small group in the United States. But New York City is a main center for the Ethiopian-Jewish American community.

Places of Worship: Synagogues

There are no Black synagogues in New York City that are part of mainstream Rabbinic Judaism. All Black synagogues in New York City are connected to the Black Hebrew Israelite movement.

The Beth Elohim Hebrew Congregation was started in 1983 in St. Albans, Queens. Chief Rabbi Levi Ben Levy, Rabbi Sholomo Ben Levy, and the Levy family founded it. The synagogue offers religious classes for children and adults. Beth Elohim is part of the International Israelite Board of Rabbis. The New York Board of Rabbis does not recognize this board. Black Hebrew Israelites are not considered Jewish by mainstream Jews. However, they have long sought recognition from the Jewish community.

Beth Shalom Hebrew Congregation is located on Willoughby Avenue in Bedford–Stuyvesant, Brooklyn. It is also part of the International Israelite Board of Rabbis. This building was once a white Orthodox Jewish synagogue called Young Israel of Williamsburg. In the 1960s, the white synagogue asked the Black Hebrew Israelites to share the space. Both groups held separate services. But some white Orthodox Jews started attending the Black services. As the white Orthodox Jewish population in the area got older and smaller, some older white Jewish members preferred their synagogue become a Black synagogue rather than a church.

Congregation Mount Horeb in The Bronx is a Black Hebrew Israelite congregation. Rabbi Albert Moses founded it in 1945. Rabbi Joseph Thomas reorganized the group in 1954. Mount Horeb is connected to the International Israelite Board of Rabbis.

B'nai Adath Kol Beth Yisroel in Brooklyn is a Black Hebrew Israelite congregation. Rabbi Yirmeyahu Ben Daniel Yisrael (formerly Rabbi Julius Wilkins) founded it in 1954. The current synagogue building was bought in the 1960s. It had been a synagogue before, and a church before that. This synagogue is also part of the International Israelite Board of Rabbis.

Culture and Traditions

Black-Jewish culture in New York City includes many African, Afro-Caribbean, and Afro-Latino influences. Black-Jewish cooking can be different from other Jewish cooking. Shais Rishon, a Black Orthodox Jew, has said he makes gefilte fish with Jamaican peppers and spices. Rishon writes that Black-Jewish food includes "molasses in the charoset for Seder because it was a slave crop. It also has habaneros in the gefilte fish because we cook with actual spices."

In Harlem, the Tsion Cafe serves Ethiopian-Jewish/Ethiopian-Israeli inspired food that is not kosher. A kosher vegan Ethiopian restaurant opened in Brooklyn in March 2020. It has a "Mason Jar K" hechsher (kosher certification) under Rabbi Sam Reinstein of Congregation Kol Israel.

Ethiopian Jews in New York City celebrate Sigd every year. This is a special Ethiopian-Jewish holiday. Ethiopian Jews in New York City often speak Amharic and Hebrew.

Facing Challenges: Discrimination

Black Jews in New York City can face both antisemitism (prejudice against Jews) and racism (prejudice against Black people). This can happen within both Black and Jewish communities. Black Jews have reported racism from white Jews and other non-Black Jews. For example, they might be called hurtful names or stared at in Jewish spaces. Black Jews also report facing antisemitism from non-Jewish Black people. These people might question Black Jews or see them as suspicious.

Well-Known Black Jews from New York City

• Koby Altman, who leads the Cleveland Cavaliers basketball team.
• Mykki Blanco, a rapper, artist, poet, and activist.
• Lisa Bonet, an actress from the 1980s and 1990s.
• Janicza Bravo, a film director, producer, and writer.
• Benjamin Bronfman, a business person and musician.
• Ros Gold-Onwude, an American-Nigerian sports reporter.
• Kali Hawk, an actress, comedian, model, and jewelry designer.
• Yaphet Kotto, an actor known for the TV show Homicide: Life on the Street.
• Jenny Lumet, an actress and writer for movies.
• Saoul Mamby, a professional boxer.
• James McBride, a writer and musician.
• Shais Rishon, also known as MaNishtana, is a Black Orthodox rabbi, activist, and writer.
• Jake Smollett, an actor and cooking personality.
• Jurnee Smollett, an actress.
• Jussie Smollett, an actor and singer.
• Rachel True, a film and TV actress and former model.
• Jamila Wideman, a lawyer, activist, and former basketball player.

Well-Known Black Hebrew Israelites from New York City

• Mordecai Herman, an early Black Hebrew Israelite religious leader who started the Moorish Zionist temple.
• Wentworth Arthur Matthew, an immigrant from the West Indies who founded the Commandment Keepers of the Living God.