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Who are the African Hebrew Israelites?

I remember hearing about this group in Israel—how they strictly kept the Sabbath laws, wore fringes on the corners of their garments, circumcised their boys on the eighth day after birth and even observed the ancient custom of separating men and women during a woman's menstrual cycle.

I heard they considered themselves descendents of the Ten Lost Tribes of Israel and didn't believe in the use of birth control. They taught their children Hebrew and served in the army. They congregated in Mitzpe Ramon, Arad, and in the largest numbers, Dimona—a small town in southern Israel.

They sounded mostly like typical religious Israeli Jews to me. Yet this group of about 2,000 men, women and children, who call themselves the African Hebrew Israelites, are not considered Jewish by many Israelis and the Chief Rabbinate of Israel has even ruled that they are not Jewish by Jewish law.

So who are these African Hebrew Israelites?

Also called the “Black Hebrews,” the African Hebrew Israelites originated in Chicago where their leader Ben Ammi Ben Yisrael, once a steel worker named Ben Carter, had a vision in 1966. In his vision, the Archangel Gabriel revealed to him that all African-Americans descended from the lost tribe of Judah. He believed that in 70 C.E., when the Israelites were exiled from Jerusalem by the Romans, they actually ended up in West Africa where they were later transported to America as slaves.

After the vision, Ben Ammi felt he had to return to life in Israel in order to fulfill the prophecy to create what the Israelites call a “Kingdom of Yah” or “God on earth.” He and 30 followers headed to Israel by way of Liberia, because the prophecies said they would return the same way they came.

After a two and a half year stop in Liberia, they entered Israel in 1969. But the desert town of Dimona was definitely not their first choice of settlement. The town of 30,000, established in 1955, was created to house an influx of new immigrants. Not yet citizens of the country, the Israelites found that Dimona was the only place that would take them in.

Since then, the community has increased more than 60 times over and is recognized for their famed 40-person professional choir, R&B singing troupes, and delicious vegan restaurants throughout the country. In 2006, an African Hebrew Israelite named Eddie Butler was even chosen to represent Israel in the popular Eurovision Contest, an international song competition where countries around the world submit a song and perform it live.

When I first encountered these Israelites on a tour of their community in Dimona, they appeared as bright bursts of color in the middle of the dry, arid desert. The men and women were dressed in beautiful, airy all-natural fabrics in African prints of gold, blue, yellow and red.

While the African Hebrew Israelites stick to much of Jewish tradition, they also keep some customs rather foreign to the average Jew. Instead of eating hearty meals on Shabbat, they fast every Friday night to Saturday night for 25 hours straight. They maintain a strict vegan diet because they believe God wants all Jews to maintain the diet first mentioned in Genesis, which consisted exclusively of fruits and vegetables. They won't eat meat because they believe meat is “tearing of the flesh” and only became a common practice during the time of Noah when sin was abundant. They also believe exercise is a crucial part of survival and are required to exercise at least three times a week. They do not allow drugs, drink alcohol only in moderation and allow the practice of polygamy.

A hospital in Israel is called a Beit Cholim (House of the Sick), but the African Hebrews' hospital is called the Beit Chayim (House of Life.) They are staffed by dedicated practitioners of preventative medicine and will not use pharmaceutical drugs unless absolutely necessary. They also keep their homes spotlessly clean, hoping this will help members of the community to live longer.

These rituals which seem to counter Israeli custom have caused many Israeli residents to question whether the African Hebrew Israelites are really, in fact, Jews.

The Israeli government has refused to allow the African Hebrews citizenship because they believe they do not qualify under Israel's Law of Return. This law states that one can acquire citizenship in Israel if they were born Jewish, have converted to Judaism, or have a Jewish parent, grandparent or spouse. The Israelites have not converted to Judaism because they believe this would go against their belief that they are already Jews.

But the Israeli government has granted them permanent residency, which means they are allowed to vote in elections and volunteer in the IDF—which many do proudly.

I overheard one proud African Hebrew Israelite woman talking to others on the tour. “I went back to America in 2005 for my sister's wedding. I was looking around and I was like, ‘Whoa, I am not American. I am Israeli.’”

Born to Russian parents who thought senior prom was a sports event, Simona Kogan graduated with a degree in journalism from Rutgers University. Becoming shomer Shabbat and kosher didn't stop her from churning out celeb gossip for several years as an intern for US Weekly and writer for Life & Style. In Israel, she now interns for a promising Israeli news website among other journalism endeavors.
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