Abstract
This paper will look at the way the African Hebrew Israelites of Jerusalem have utilised the theological narrative of marginalisation in their quest for identity and self-determination. The African Hebrew Israelites of Jerusalem are an expatriate black American group who have lived in Israel since 1969, when their spiritual leader, Detroit-born Ben Ammi, received a vision commanding him to take his people back to the Promised Land. Drawing on a long tradition in the African American community that self-identified as the biblical Israelites, the African Hebrew Israelites are marginalised in their status as Americans, as Jews, and as Israelis. We will examine the writings of Ben Ammi in order to demonstrate that this biblically based motif of marginalisation was a key part of his theology, and one which enabled his movement to grow and sustain itself; yet, in comparison with other contemporaneous theological movements, Ben Ammi utilised a specific variant of this motif. Rejecting the more common emphasis on liberation, Ammi argued for an eschatological reorientation around the marginalised. This article will conclude that Ben Ammi’s theology is key to understanding how the community has oriented itself and how it has proved successful in lasting 50 years against both internal disputes and external attacks.
Highlights
IntroductionThe African Hebrew Israelites of Jerusalem (hereafter AHIJ) are a community based in Dimona, Israel, where they have lived since 1969
African American Judaism, the Hebrew Israelites, and Academic TypologiesThe African Hebrew Israelites of Jerusalem are a community based in Dimona, Israel, where they have lived since 1969
Landing offers the following typology: “Black Judaism is . . . a form of institutionalized religious expression in which black persons identify themselves as Jews, Israelites, or Hebrews in a manner that seems unacceptable to the “whites” of the world’s Jewish community, primarily because Jews take issue with the various justifications set forth by Black Jews in establishing this identity
Summary
The African Hebrew Israelites of Jerusalem (hereafter AHIJ) are a community based in Dimona, Israel, where they have lived since 1969. Americans today is still far from ideal; but under the leadership of Ben Ammi the AHIJ took the radical step of migration and established a semi-autonomous society within another state where they could form their own rules and prioritise themselves.5 This decision to leave the United States, Landing calls “The single most important factor to confront Black Judaism following World War II”6 Landing marks them as a unique venture in African American history, all previous attempts at betterment having “lacked any such religious underpinning as this” and, because of their apparent success, “Their ability to take a more meaningful role in their own future has been enhanced considerably.”.
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