![]() Ben’s pre-Islamic legacy has been frozen in time, much like his friend and contemporary, Malcolm X, who only practiced the religion of Islam as taught by Prophet Muhammad ibn Abdullah (peace be upon him) for the last 11 months of his life.ĭr. Yet, after embracing Islam in the twilight of his life, Dr. His influence on generations of Afro-Centrists is undeniable. Yusef Ben-Jochannan was one of the most prolific authors and lecturers on African history throughout the Diaspora of the 20th century and the first decade of the 21st century. Yosef Ben-Jochannan’s Journey: From Afrocentrism to IslamĮditor’s Note: Dr. ![]() Therefore, we who call our Jews must trace our ancestry back to these Black Africans. Ben who meticulously and courageously made two irrefutable points: Egypt is in Africa and African people are Black. What we do know is that through all of his transitions he remained a man with a keen intellect and a loving heart.Īs millions of Jews around the world prepare to celebrate the Passover, a commemoration of our Exodus from Egypt, we celebrate the life and work of Dr. At one point, he reached the conclusion in his own mind that “God is not a reality.” We do not know whether this view grew out of the frustration of fighting religious battles for so many decades or from an academic position that demands logic according to human understanding and does not allow for faith, mystery, or the divine. Ben startled many of his supporters when he began to distinguish his ancestry as a Jew with his skepticism about the existence of God. Ben never asserted that all Jews are Black-in fact on many occasions and in much of his writings he refers to Jewish communities all over the world. It is important to remember-as Dr Ben so frequently emphasized-“Judaism is not a race.” He expressed a pride in the fact that the first Jews would be considered Black if they lived in our radicalized world. Ben faced came from those who attempted to deny this connection and to remake Judaism into a White European creation. The greatest criticism and opposition that Dr. As Black Jews we have always been comfortable with acknowledging our ancient and modern connections with Africa. Zipporah, the wife of Moses, was born in Ethiopia, like Dr. He demonstrated that the Torah and archaeological evidence both supported the claim that All the Hebrews who settled the biblical land of Israel-including Moses, Aaron, Miriam, and Joshua-were born in African and raised in Egypt. ![]() Ben explained that he was attempting to put our identity as Black Jews into its proper historical context as a people and religion that literally came out of Africa. When asked about this shift in academic focus, Dr. Ben’s work expanded to explore the Egyptian origins of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. Ben maintain a close relationship with the Black Jewish community throughout his life.ĭr. In that photograph you see him flanked by most of the Black rabbis in New York City including Chief Rabbi Levi Ben Levy and his dear friend from Ethiopia, Rabbi Hailu Paris, who was the leader of Mt. Ben accepted an honorary faculty position with the Israelite Rabbinical Academy at Beth Shalom Ethiopian Hebrew Congregation in Brooklyn, New York. He was a frequent visitor to many Black synagogues. Ben dedicated the second volume of We The Black Jews to Rabbi Matthew. Matthew, leader of the Commandment Keepers Ethiopian Hebrew Congregation in Harlem. Long before his reputation commanded attention on the international stage, he was embraced by Chief Rabbi W.A. Ben, as he was affectionately known, was our scholar and our champion. His magnum opus, We The Black Jews, was the first major historical work written by us, about us, and primarily for us. He received a Bar Mitzvah and during his adolescence moved to the Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico before immigrating to the United States. In fact, his name is Hebrew and means Joseph the son of Jonathan. ![]() His father was a member of this community and he was named after his grandfather Jochannan. He was born in Ethiopia and raised in the village of Gondar according to the customs of the African Jews in that region who are known as Beta Israel. The Israelite community mourns the passing of our beloved elder Dr.
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