Black Judaism
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Black Judaism is Judaism that is predominantly practiced by African communities, both on and outside the African continent (such as North America). It is theologically characterized by the selective acceptance of the Judaic faith (in some cases such selective acceptance has historical circumstances), and the belief system of Black Judaism is significantly different from the belief system which is adhered to by the mainstream sects of Judaism. In addition, although Black Judaic communities observe Judaic practices such as the celebration of Jewish holidays and the recitation of Jewish prayers, none of them are recognized as legitimately Jewish communities by mainstream Jewish societies.
Significant examples of Black Judaism include Judaism as it is practiced by African-American Jews in North America. Black Hebrew Israelites are religious groups whose members claim descent from the Tribes of Israel, but they are not recognized as Jewish groups by any Jewish community.
Judaism has been present in sub-Saharan Africa for centuries. Beginning in the fifteenth century, Jews who were fleeing persecution in Spain and Portugal founded small mixed communities down the west coast of Africa. There was also an identifiable Black Jewish community which was probably of Spanish origin in the west African Kingdom of Loango until the end of the nineteenth century.[1] Moreover, throughout Africa Jewish communities were generated as part of the interaction between colonialism, Christianity and African societies. The connection between colonialism and the development of Jewish identities in South Africa was first shown by the South African Religious Studies scholar David Chidester in 1996.[2] In 2002, Tudor Parfitt, a British historian, argued that the production of Judaic communities was part of the complex symbiosis between African societies, colonialism and Christianity and moreover, it was a product of western colonialism throughout the world, from New Zealand to the Americas. He produced many examples of Judaic manifestations which existed throughout sub-Saharan Africa both during and after the colonial period. His argument was that such manifestations of Judaism were often constructed as part of an Othering process by Europeans, and they were often internalized by African communities.[3]
Examples of Black Judaism
Ugandan Judaism
The Abayudaya are a group of Bagwere and Busoga people who collectively converted to Judaism in the early 20th century, under the leadership of Semei Kakungulu. Persecuted under the regime of Idi Amin, the community has since revitalized, with a current population of around 2,000 to 3,000 people.[4] Kulanu, an organization which is dedicated to Jewish outreach, has sent emissaries from Israel to help the Abayudaya practice mainstream Judaism and work to be recognized by the Chief Rabbinate of Israel.
Ghanaian Judaism
Nigerian Judaism
North American Black Judaism
Black Judaism in North America is an umbrella of religious movements that developed in North America, particularly the American South by Black slaves prior to and following the American Civil War. Most commonly associated with this group are the Hebrew Israelites, who claim descendance from the tribes of Israel, but otherwise are varied in their beliefs.[5] Due to this wide variation in the religious beliefs within the Hebrew Israelites and the complex development of these beliefs, scholars have disagreed on how to characterize this religion, arguing the extent to which the origin is a Jewish religious movement and to what extent it is a Black religious movement[6][7] Both politically and socially, members of this group are often not considered part of the larger Jewish group, their practices and interpretation often being seen as outside the realm of traditional Judaism.[8]
See also
References
- Landing, James E., Black Judaism: Story of An American Movement.
- Kay, Andre E., Toward a Typology of Black Hebrew Religious Thought and Practice, Journal of Africana Religions , Vol. 2, No. 1 (2014), pp. 31–66.
- ^ Parfitt, Tudor (2020) Hybrid Hate: Conflations of Anti-Black Racism and Anti-Semitism from the Renaissance to the Third Reich. New York: Oxford University Press pp.64-75
- ^ Chidester, David. Savage Systems: Colonialism and Comparative Religion in Southern Africa (Studies in Religion and Culture)Charlottesville and London. 1996.
- ^ Parfitt, Tudor (2002) The Lost Tribes of Israel: the History of a Myth. London: Weidenfeld and Nicolson;Parfitt, Tudor (2013) Black Jews in Africa and the Americas, Harvard University Press.
- ^ "We Are the Jews of Uganda. This is Our Story".
- ^ Miller, Michael T. (2019). "Black Judaism(s) and the Hebrew Israelites". Religion Compass. 13 (11): e12346. doi:10.1111/rec3.12346. ISSN 1749-8171.
- ^ Landing, James E (2002). Black Judaism: story of an American movement. Durham, N.C.: Carolina Academic Press. ISBN 978-0-89089-820-8. OCLC 1160671321.
- ^ Key, Andre E. (2014). "Toward a Typology of Black Hebrew Religious Thought and Practice". Journal of Africana Religions. 2 (1): 31–66. doi:10.5325/jafrireli.2.1.0031. ISSN 2165-5405.
- ^ Mokoko Gampiot, Aurélien (2017-07-01). "Black Judaism in France and the United States: An Example of the Intersection Between Religion and Race/Ethnicity". Contemporary Jewry. 37 (2): 309–331. doi:10.1007/s12397-017-9227-4. ISSN 1876-5165.