Israelite Church of God in Jesus Christ

Last updated

The Israelite Church of God in Jesus Christ (ICGJC), formerly known as the Israeli Church of Universal Practical Knowledge, is an American organization of Black Hebrew Israelites. [1] Its headquarters are in New York City, and in 2008 had churches in cities in 10 US states. They are not to be confused with Israel of God (IOG) or Israel The Church of Christ (ICOJ), Which are separate denominations of Black Hebrew Churches who believe in multicultural/multiethnic Messianic Judaism, and overall do not align

Contents

with zionism.  [2]  [3]  The ICGJC is the second largest Black Hebrew Israelite organization in the United States, the first being the Israel United in Christ.

Its leader (known as "Chief High Priest") until his death in April 2020 [4] was Tazadaqyah. [2] [5] The ICGJC has been described as openly antisemitic, racist, sexist and homophobic. [6] [7] [8] [9]

History

The group formerly had its headquarters at One West 125th Street in Harlem, then known as the Israeli School of Universal Practical Knowledge, [10] and its wider movement is known as the One West Camp, including offshoots such as the modern Israelite School of Universal Practical Knowledge.

Beliefs

The ICGJC teaches that the descendants of the Twelve Lost Tribes and true biblical Jews are the Black Americans, West Indians, and Native Americans of North and South America and those scattered throughout the whole planet, but not the Jewish people [11] The group shows the Holy Bible reveals that the "Israelites are the so- called Blacks, Hispanics and Native American people and they have divine favor and inspiration and are superior to all nations on earth according to Deuteronomy 7:6. They also hold strong apocalyptic views regarding the end of the world. [2] The ICGJC believes that Yahawashi (Jesus) is God's divine Son and Messiah, and the redeemer for the sins of the Israelites. the Old and New Testament and Apocrypha are inspired Scripture, but the group does not believe in the traditional doctrine of the Trinity. [12]

Poster outlining the Black Hebrew Israelite identification of the Twelve Tribes of Israel with modern peoples of color Poster of Tribes of Israel Black Hebrews.jpg
Poster outlining the Black Hebrew Israelite identification of the Twelve Tribes of Israel with modern peoples of color

Organization

Ranking system

Positions in the ICGJC which may only be filled by a high priest at the higher orders include Bishop, Chief Priest, Apostle, and/or Holy Apostle. These leaders are primarily responsible for the spiritual welfare of the members and the administration of local church units. However, they have also subservient positions that are filled by other men when they are "elevated by the spirit". Other positions are given the names ‘general’, ‘captain’ and ‘officer’.

Perhaps the most prominent leader of the organization was Tazadaqyah (Jermaine Grant), who rose in to power of the church in the late 1990s. Tazadaqyah was proclaimed by many of his followers to be the God-sent "Comforter" of the Nation of Israel.

The ICGJC and its various splinter groups can be loosely grouped together as sects, which advocate a Hebrew and Authorized King James Version-only approach to the Bible (i.e. they endorse only the Hebrew/Greek and AKJV versions of the Bible), and the idea that Caucasians are Edomites. [13]

Controversies

Lawsuit over doll prototype

In 2013, the ICGJC ordered action figures cast in the image of their leader (Chief High Priest Tazadaqyah) from a toymaker. When they received the dolls they sued the toymaker (Vicale Corp) because of the dolls complexion. The organization complained that the dolls did not look like Tazadaqyah and were not black enough, that the Connecticut toymaker put "pointed noses and faces" dolls; they also complained that half of them "were light brown" instead of "dark brown," according to the court papers. [5]

Perceived enemies

According to the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC), the group sees white people as enemies, as they “are descended from a race of red, hairy beings, known as Edomites, who were spawned by Esau, the twin brother of Jacob" (later known as Israel) in the Old Testament. Other enemies include "fraudulent" Jews (i.e., the people known to the world today as Jews), "the synagogue of Satan," Asians, promiscuous black women, abortionists, continental Africans (who, according to the ICGJC and other extremist Israelites, "sold the lost tribes of Israel, who were black, to European slave traders"), and sodomites, who "according to extremist Israelites should all be put to death". [2]

Allegations of black supremacy and racism

In late 2008, the SPLC described the ICGJC and other black supremacist Hebrew Israelite groups as "the extremist fringe" of the movement. It wrote that the members of such groups "believe that Jews are devilish impostors and ... openly condemn whites as evil personified, deserving only death or slavery". The SPLC also said that "most Hebrew Israelites are neither explicitly racist nor anti-Semitic and do not advocate violence". [2] In 2017, they listed the group as a black nationalist hate group. [14]

The Black Hebrew groups characterized as black supremacist by the SPLC include the Nation of Yahweh [15] and the ICGJC. [2] Also, the Anti-Defamation League has written that the "12 Tribes of Israel" website, maintained by a Black Hebrew group, promotes hatred and black supremacy. [16]

Fraud and tax evasion charges and death of Tazadaqyah

In April 2018, the organization’s leader Jermaine Grant, known as Tazadaqyah, and the treasurer, Lincoln Warrington, were arrested on fraud and tax charges. The United States Attorney for the District of New Jersey alleged the men "used their positions to divert millions of dollars for Grant’s personal use and benefit." [17] Grant and Warrington pleaded guilty to evading tax after using an entertainment company to divert funds from members, spending $5.3 million on a lavish lifestyle without declaring the money to the government.

In January 2020, Grant was sentenced to 18 months in federal prison while Warrington was sentenced to 12 months and a day. They were also to be under three years of supervised release. The federal prison system has no offer of parole. [18] Before he was to report to prison, Grant died on April 1, 2020, from complications of COVID-19. [19] Some former members described Grant as a cult leader who had gained complete influence of his follower’s lives through manipulation and belittlement. [20]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Southern Poverty Law Center</span> American civil rights NGO, founded 1971

The Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) is an American 501(c)(3) nonprofit legal advocacy organization specializing in civil rights and public interest litigation. Based in Montgomery, Alabama, it is known for its legal cases against white supremacist groups, for its classification of hate groups and other extremist organizations, and for promoting tolerance education programs. The SPLC was founded by Morris Dees, Joseph J. Levin Jr., and Julian Bond in 1971 as a civil rights law firm in Montgomery.

Black supremacy or black supremacism is a racial supremacist belief which maintains that black people are inherently superior to people of other races.

Christian Identity is an interpretation of Christianity which advocates the belief that only Celtic and Germanic peoples, such as the Anglo-Saxon, Nordic nations, or people of the Aryan race and people of kindred blood, are the descendants of the ancient Israelites and are therefore God's "chosen people". It is a racial interpretation of Christianity and is not an organized religion, nor is it affiliated with specific Christian denominations. It emerged from British Israelism in the 1920s and began to take shape during the 1940s-1970s. Today it is independently practiced by individuals, independent congregations, and some prison gangs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hate group</span> Collective united by hatred against others

A hate group is a social group that advocates and practices hatred, hostility, or violence towards members of a race, ethnicity, nation, religion, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, or any other designated sector of society. According to the United States Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), a hate group's "primary purpose is to promote animosity, hostility, and malice against persons belonging to a race, religion, disability, sexual orientation, or ethnicity/national origin which differs from that of the members of the organization."

VDARE is an American far-right website promoting opposition to immigration to the United States. It is associated with white supremacy, white nationalism, and the alt-right. Anti-Immigration in the United States: A Historical Encyclopedia describes VDARE as "one of the most prolific anti-immigration media outlets in the United States" and states that it is "broadly concerned with race issues in the United States". Established in 1999, the website's editor is Peter Brimelow, who once stated that "whites built American culture" and that "it is at risk from non-whites who would seek to change it".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">African Hebrew Israelites in Israel</span> African-American claimants of Israelite descent

The African Hebrew Israelites in Israel comprise a new religious movement that is now mainly based in Dimona. Officially self-identifying as the African Hebrew Israelite Nation of Jerusalem, they originate from African Americans who immigrated to the State of Israel in the late 1960s. The community claims Israelite descent in line with the philosophy of the Black Hebrew Israelites, who believe that Black people in the United States are descended from the Twelve Tribes of Israel and thus rightfully belong to the Land of Israel. As of 2012, their total population stood at about 5,000 people.

African-American Jews are people who are both African American and Jewish. African-American Jews may be either Jewish from birth or converts to Judaism. Many African-American Jews are of mixed heritage, having both non-Jewish African-American and non-Black Jewish ancestors. Many African-American Jews identify as Jews of color, but some do not. Black Jews from Africa, such as the Beta Israel from Ethiopia, may or may not identify as African-American Jews.

Black Hebrew Israelites are a new religious movement claiming that African Americans are descendants of the ancient Israelites. Some sub-groups believe that Native and Latin Americans are descendants of the Israelites as well. Black Hebrew Israelites combine elements to their teaching from a wide range of sources to varying degrees. Black Hebrew Israelites incorporate certain aspects of the religious beliefs and practices of both Christianity and Judaism, though they have created their own interpretation of the Bible, and other influences include Freemasonry and New Thought, for example. Many choose to identify as Hebrew Israelites or Black Hebrews rather than Jews in order to indicate their claimed historic connections.

The Nation of Yahweh is predominantly a Black Hebrew Israelite religious movement which was founded in 1979 in Miami by Hulon Mitchell Jr., who went by the name Yahweh ben Yahweh. Its goal is to move African Americans, who it believes are the original Israelites, to Israel. The group accepts Yahweh ben Yahweh as the Son of God. In this way, its beliefs are unique and distinct from those of other Black Hebrew Israelite groups.

The National Policy Institute (NPI) was a white supremacist think tank and lobbying group based in Alexandria, Virginia. It lobbied for white supremacists and the alt-right. Its president was Richard B. Spencer.

The Phineas Priesthood, also called Phineas Priests, are American domestic terrorists who adhere to the ideology which was set forth in the 1990 book Vigilantes of Christendom: The Story of the Phineas Priesthood by Richard Kelly Hoskins.

The Commandment Keepers Ethiopian Hebrew Congregation of the Living God Pillar & Ground of Truth, Inc. are a group of Black Hebrews, who believe that people of Ethiopian descent represent one of the lost tribes of Israel. They claim King Solomon and the Queen of Sheba as their ancestors, and believe the biblical patriarchs were black. They originated in Harlem, New York City, in 1919.

Stormfront is a neo-Nazi Internet forum, and the Web's first major racial hate site. The site is focused on propagating white nationalism, Nazism, antisemitism and Islamophobia, as well as anti-feminism, homophobia, transphobia, Holocaust denial, and white supremacy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Israelite School of Universal Practical Knowledge</span> Black supremacist sect based in Pennsylvania

Israelite School of Universal Practical Knowledge (ISUPK) is an American non-profit organization and black supremacist, extremist religious sect based in Upper Darby, Pennsylvania.

African Americans and Jewish Americans have interacted throughout much of the history of the United States. This relationship has included widely publicized cooperation and conflict, and—since the 1970s—it has been an area of significant academic research. Cooperation during the Civil Rights Movement was strategic and significant, culminating in the Civil Rights Act of 1964.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Traditionalist Worker Party</span> Defunct neo-Nazi and white nationalist American political party

The Traditionalist Worker Party (TWP) was a neo-Nazi political party active in the United States between 2013 and 2018, affiliated with the broader "alt-right" movement that became active within the U.S. during the 2010s. It was considered a hate group by the Southern Poverty Law Center's list.

Frank S Cherry was the founder and leader of one of the early Black Hebrew Israelite groups in the United States.

Black Jews in New York City comprise one of the largest communities of Black Jews in the United States. Black Jews have lived in New York City since colonial times, with organized Black-Jewish and Black Hebrew Israelite communities emerging during the early 20th century. Black Jewish and Black Hebrew Israelite communities have historically been centered in Harlem, Brooklyn, The Bronx, and Queens. The Commandment Keepers movement originated in Harlem, while the Black Orthodox Jewish community is centered in Brooklyn. New York City is home to four historically Black synagogues with roots in the Black Hebrew Israelite community. A small Beta Israel (Ethiopian-Jewish) community also exists in New York City, many of whom emigrated from Israel. Black Hebrew Israelites are not considered Jewish by the New York Board of Rabbis, an organization representing mainstream Rabbinic Judaism. However, some Black Hebrew Israelite individuals in New York City are recognized as Jewish due to converting through the Orthodox, Conservative, or other Jewish movements.

Mordecai Herman was a pioneering Black Hebrew Israelite religious leader in New York City who founded the Moorish Zionist temple at 127 West 134th Street in Harlem.

References

  1. Andone, Dakin (17 August 2017). "Here are all the active hate groups where you live". CNN. Retrieved 17 August 2017.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Racist Black Hebrew Israelites Becoming More Militant". Southern Poverty Law Center. August 29, 2008. Retrieved 6 August 2015.
  3. Zurowski, Cory (20 May 2015). "Minnesota's Eight Active Hate Groups Are Struggling". City Pages. Archived from the original on 28 July 2015. Retrieved 6 August 2015.
  4. Greene, Loenard (April 9, 2020). "Coronavirus suspected in death of Harlem 'cult' leader whose church required 20% tithes". New York Daily News. Retrieved July 13, 2020.
  5. 1 2 Ross, Barbara; Siemaszko, Corky (25 April 2013). "Harlem church sues toymaker Emil Vicale after talking doll in leader's likeness is not black enough". New York Daily News. Retrieved 6 August 2015.
  6. "'Antisemitic preachers' revealed to be Black Hebrew-inspired group". The JC. Retrieved 18 September 2019.
  7. Dakin Andone, CNN Design: Will Mullery (17 August 2017). "Southern Poverty Law Center's list of hate groups". CNN. Retrieved 2019-09-18.{{cite web}}: |author= has generic name (help)
  8. "Racist Black Hebrew Israelites Becoming More Militant". Southern Poverty Law Center. Retrieved 2019-09-18.
  9. Rugh, Peter. "The Black Israelites Think Whites Are Possessed by the Devil". Vice.
  10. Jewish Chronicle website
  11. Welch, Ben (11 Sep 2019). "preachers' revealed to be a Hebrew-inspired group, Inspired by the Holy Spirit of God The Father". www.thejc.com. The Jewish Chronicle . Retrieved 22 January 2020.
  12. Gospel Coalition article by Joe Carter (2017)
  13. Black Hebrew Israelites (BHI) Archived 2009-06-29 at the Portuguese Web Archive - Religious Tolerance. Retrieved 7 November 2011.
  14. "Church leader charged in $1M tax fraud scheme, feds say | Miami Herald". Miami Herald . Archived from the original on 2018-04-27.
  15. Potok, Mark (Winter 2001). "Popularity and Populism". Intelligence Report. Southern Poverty Law Center . Retrieved 16 November 2011.
  16. "Poisoning the Web: African-American Anti-Semitism". Anti-Defamation League. 2001. Archived from the original on 21 September 2002. Retrieved 22 November 2008.
  17. "Two New Jersey Men Arrested For Evading Taxes On $5.3 Million Taken From New York Religious Organization". United States Attorney for the District of New Jersey. 2018. Retrieved 29 April 2018.
  18. "Teaneck Church Treasurer, Preacher Headed To Fed Pen For Taking $5.3M From Religious Hate Group". Daily Voice. January 28, 2020.
  19. Coronavirus suspected in death of Harlem 'cult’ leader whose church required 20% tithes
  20. NJ.com, Joe Atmonavage | NJ Advance Media for (2020-04-13). "Controversial leader of Hebrew Israelite movement from N.J. dies of coronavirus, church says". nj. Retrieved 2021-01-28.