Black Jews may refer to a number of different religious and ethnic groups.

Mainstream Judaism / Beta Israel

• Black Jews may refer to Jews who are Black, whether Jewish by religious practice, conversion, or by ethnic identification (such as having a Jewish parent).

• Black Jews is sometimes used to refer to the Beta Israel, the ancient black Jewish community of Ethiopia, sometimes called Falashas, though they consider this term derogatory.

• The Jewish community of Kerala state in India is often differentiated into White Jews (also called Paradesi Jews), descendants of immigrants who arrived from the 15th century onward, and Black Jews, descendants of the already-then-extant Jewish community, which, according to tradition, dates back to the time of King Solomon. (See also Cochin Jews and Judæo-Malayalam)

Black Hebrews / Black Hebrew Israelites

• Black Jews could refer to those who do not consider semitic Jews to be true Jews and claim to be the "true" descendants of the Israelites of the Torah. Although cordial relationships exist between some of these groups and the mainstream Jewish community, they are not generally considered to be members of that community, since they have not formally converted, nor do they have Jewish parents. In one case, however, that of the Black Hebrews, a group was granted permanent resident status in Israel. See also Black Hebrew Israelites.

• Black Jews may refer to a number of African-American religious movements started in the 1800s, the first started by William Saunders Crowdy in 1896 (see Church of God and Saints of Christ). To many of these groups, the claiming of Jewish identity was a way to reject one of the most influential social institutions of their white oppressors, Christianity, similar to the later Black Islam movement. They generally do not practice mainstream Judaism, but rather a religion incorporating elements of different religious traditions.

List of Black Jews

The following is a list of some prominent Black Jews, fitting some of the definitions above:

• Josephine Baker, singer (Jewish father)
• Darrin Bell, cartoonist (Jewish mother)
• Lisa Bonet, actress (Jewish mother)
• Troy Beyer, actress (Jewish father)
• Drew Bundini Brown, Trainer of Muhammad Ali
• David Bluthenthal, basketball player with the Sacramento Kings
• Nell Carter, actress & singer (converted)
• Rabbi Jehu A. Crowdy, Jr., spiritual leader
• Craig David, singer (Jewish grandmother)
• Sammy Davis Jr., entertainer (converted)
• Anthony Ervin, Olympic swimming champion (Jewish mother)
• Jordan Farmar, Los Angeles Lakers point guard (Jewish mother, black father)
• Laïka Fatien, jazz singer (Jewish mother)
• Goapele Mohlabane, R&B singer (Jewish mother)
• Aneesa Ferreira, reality tv contestant (Jewish mother)
• Aaron Freeman, journalist & comedian (converted)
• Capers Funnye, rabbi (converted)
• Anais Granofsky, actress & director (Jewish father)
• Reuben Greenberg, police chief of Charleston, South Carolina
• Lani Guinier, law professor (Jewish mother)
• Rashida Jones, actress (Jewish mother)

• Yaphet Kotto, actor
• Jamaica Kincaid, author (converted)
• Oona King, former British MP for Bethnal Green and Bow. (Jewish mother)
• Lenny Kravitz, rock musician (Jewish father, Bahamian Mother)
• Julius Lester, children's writer and academic (converted)
• Saoul Mamby, WBC, light welterweight boxing champion
• James McBride, writer & composer (Jewish mother)
• Elliott Maddox, baseball player (converted)
• Abbie Mitchell, actress & singer (Jewish father)
• Walter Mosley, author (Jewish mother)
• Sophie Okonedo, Actress (Jewish mother)
• Marvin Pontiac, R&B singer (Jewish mother)
• Rain Pryor, actress (Jewish mother)
• Joshua Redman, saxophonist (Jewish mother)
• Tracee Ellis Ross, actress (Jewish father)
• Sirak M. Sabahat, actor (Ethiopian Jewish Parents)
• Rowetta Satchell, singer (Jewish mother)
• Willie "The Lion" Smith, jazz pianist (Jewish father)
• Frank Silvera, actor & teacher (Jewish father)
• Michelle Stein-Evers, educator (German Jewish mother, Ethiopian Jewish father)
• Khleo Thomas, actor (Jewish mother)
• Rebecca Walker, feminist writer (Jewish father)
• Robin Washington, journalist (Jewish mother)
• Jamila Wideman, basketball player with the Portland Fire (Jewish mother)
• Jackie Wilson, soul singer (converted)

Also of note is Mezz Mezzrow, a Jewish jazz player who self-identified as African-American.

Hannah Mathews Ward-Philanthropist and member pioneering founder of M.A.Y.A.

See also

• Jews of the Bilad el-Sudan (West Africa)
• African Jews

External links

• The Manifesto, a New York Grunge/Metalcore band that has a song entitled "Black Jews" in celebration of the Afro-Jewish community.

References

• Black Jews from The Religious Movements Homepage Project at The University of Virginia

Ethnicity | Jews | Чёрные евреи