List of African-American Jews

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This is a list of African-American Jews.

NameLifespanNationalityOccupation
Eric Andre [1] born 1983United StatesActor and comedian
Dinah Abrahamson [2] 1954–2013United StatesAuthor and politician
Koby Altman [3] born 1982United States General manager of the Cleveland Cavaliers
Moses "Shyne" Barrow [4] born 1978United States
Belize		Rapper, politician
Darrin Bell [5] born 1975United States Cartoonist
Nissim Black [6] born 1986United States
Israel		Rapper and producer
David Blu [7] [8] born 1980United States
Israel		Basketball player
Lisa Bonet [9] born 1967United StatesActress
Nell Carter [10] 1948–2003United StatesSinger and actress
Danielia Cotton [11] born 1967United StatesSinger-songwriter and guitarist


Jordan Dangerfield [12] born 1990United StatesNFL safety for the Pittsburgh Steelers
Sammy Davis, Jr. [13] 1925–1990United StatesDancer and singer
Lacey Schwartz Delgado [14] born 1977United StatesFilmmaker and Second Lady of New York
Daveed Diggs [15] born 1982United StatesActor, rapper, singer
Jordan Farmar [16] born 1986United StatesBasketball player
Ada Fisher [17] 1947–2022United StatesPhysician and politician
Aaron Freeman [18] born 1956United StatesComedian
Capers C. Funnye Jr. [19] born 1952United States Rabbi
Alicia Garza [20] born 1981United StatesActivist
Lewis Gordon [21] born 1962United StatesPhilosopher
Kat Graham [22] born 1989United StatesActress
Ahuvah Gray [23] United States
Israel		Writer
Reuben Greenberg [24] 1943–2014United States Criminologist
Lani Guinier [25] 1950–2022United StatesLawyer and scholar
Tiffany Haddish [26] born 1979United States

Eritrea

Actress and comedienne
Ben Harper [27] born 1967United StatesMusician
Kali Hawk [22] born 1986United StatesActress
Carolivia Herron [28] born 1947United StatesWriter and scholar
Reese Hopkins [29] United States Radio talk show host
Ruby Johnson [30] 1936–1999United StatesSoul singer
Kidada Jones [31] born 1974United StatesActress
Rashida Jones [32] born 1976United StatesActress
Yaphet Kotto [33] 1939–2021United StatesActor
Lenny Kravitz [33] born 1964United StatesMusician
Zoe Kravitz [34] born 1988United StatesActress, singer, and model
Sandra Lawson [35] [36] [37] born 1969United States Rabbi
Julius Lester [38] 1939–2018United StatesAuthor
Karen Lewis 1953–2021United StatesAmerican educator and labor leader
Lauren London [39] born 1984United StatesActress and fashion model
Elliott Maddox [40] born 1947United StatesBaseball player
Saoul Mamby [41] 1947–2019United StatesBoxer
Taylor Mays [42] born 1988United States American football player
James McBride [43] born 1957United StatesWriter and musician
Yavilah McCoy [44] born 1972United StatesTeacher
Adah Isaacs Menken [45] 1835–1868United StatesActress and poet
"Magnificent" Montague [46] born 1928United StatesDisc jockey
Walter Mosley [47] born 1952United StatesNovelist
Joshua Nelson [48] United States Gospel singer
Aulcie Perry [49] born 1950United States
Israel		Basketball player
Rain Pryor [50] born 1969United StatesActress and comedian
Shais Rishon [51] [52]

born 1982

United StatesRabbi, writer
Joshua Redman [53] born 1969United StatesJazz saxophonist
Gloria Reuben [54] born 1964Canada
United States		Actress, jazz singer, and pianist
Tracee Ellis Ross [55] born 1972United StatesActress and model
Maya Rudolph [56] born 1972United StatesActress and comedian
Anthony Russell [57] born 1980United StatesSinger and musician
Willie "The Lion" Smith [58] 1897–1973United States Jazz pianist
Alysa Stanton [59] United StatesRabbi
Amar'e Stoudemire [60] born 1982United States

Israel

Basketball player
Khleo Thomas [61] born 1989United StatesActor
Andre Tippett [62] born 1959United StatesAmerican football player
Michael W. Twitty [63] born 1977United StatesWriter and culinary historian
Alex Tyus [64] born 1988United States
Israel		Basketball player
Rebecca Walker [65] born 1969United States Feminist and writer
Justin Warfield [66] born 1973United StatesRapper
Robin Washington [67] born 1956United StatesJournalist and filmmaker
Jamila Wideman [68] born 1975United StatesBasketball player
Andre Williams [69] 1936–2019United States R&B musician
Earl Williams [70] born 1951United States
Israel		Basketball player
Jackie Wilson [71] 1934–1984United StatesSinger
Y-Love [72] born 1978United States Hip hop artist
Drew Bundini Brown [73] 1928–1987United StatesBoxing cornerman and actor
Doja Cat [74] born 1995United StatesRapper, singer-songwriter, record producer, and actress
Drake [75] born 1986Canada
United States		Rapper, singer-songwriter, and actor
Aaron Samuels [76] Poet, cofounder of Blavity and Afrotech
Naomi Wadler [77] 2006United StatesStudent activist against gun violence
Bizu Riki Mullu [78] Activist
Helen Alefe [79] United StatesCook
Bulienne Rollins-Rishon [80] United StatesSpeaker, facilitator, writer, and founder of HypheNation
Yosef Webb-Cohen [81]


See also

References

  1. ↑ "Comedian Eric Andre's Most Iconic Jewish Moments". Alma. August 2, 2018. Retrieved February 2, 2021.
  2. ↑ Martin, Michel (July 4, 2008). "Black Family Bears Unique Jewish Distinction". Faith Matters. NPR . Retrieved August 22, 2016.
  3. ↑ McMenamin, Dave (January 2, 2018). "Koby Altman got his dream job -- and all the challenges it comes with". ESPN.com. Retrieved February 4, 2018. He's one of just four black GMs in a league comprised of a player pool that's more than 70 percent black, and is also one of a handful of GMs in the NBA who practices Judaism.
  4. ↑ Kraft, Dina (November 10, 2010). "Rapper Finds Order in Orthodox Judaism in Israel (Published 2010)". The New York Times. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved February 2, 2021.
  5. ↑ Jensen, Michael (June 1, 2007). "Two Bite Interview: Darrin Bell, One of America's Most Pro Gay Cartoonists". AfterElton.com. Archived from the original on June 4, 2007. Retrieved March 16, 2009.
  6. ↑ Alhadeff, Emily K. (September 17, 2013). "Rapper Nissim Black Has a Spiritual Message for the Hip-Hop World". Tablet . Retrieved August 22, 2016.
  7. ↑ Eskenazi, Joe (September 10, 2004). "Jewish shooting star aims to make his mark in NBA". J. The Jewish News of Northern California . Retrieved January 8, 2009.
  8. ↑ Art-Up. "David Bluthenthal has officially changed his name to David Blu, and took a new number to go with his new name: number 7". Maccabi.co.il. Retrieved February 1, 2011.
  9. ↑ Westbrook, Caroline (September 14, 2003). "Lisa Bonet". SomethingJewish. Retrieved July 4, 2008.
  10. ↑ Pfefferman, Naomi (January 31, 2003). "'Pop-soul belter' Nell Carter, 54, devoted convert to Judaism, dies". J. The Jewish News of Northern California . Retrieved October 11, 2010.
  11. ↑ "Danielia Cotton: A 'Rare Child'". National Public Radio. May 24, 2008. Retrieved March 16, 2009.
  12. ↑ Coen, Andrew (October 9, 2009). "Inside the Pride: Hofstra DB perseveres through tragedy". Inside the Pride. Retrieved October 1, 2016.
  13. ↑ Weiss, Beth. "Sammy Davis Jr. (1925–1990)". Jewish Virtual Library . Retrieved July 9, 2007.
  14. ↑ Dolsten, Josefin. "NY House candidate Antonio Delgado's wife opens up about couple's Jewish life". Times of Israel. Retrieved June 21, 2022.
  15. ↑ "Daveed Diggs on His Hebrew School Roots, Meeting Crazy Celebrities & Getting His Shot on Broadway in Hamilton". Broadway.com. Retrieved April 21, 2020.
  16. ↑ Bloom, Nate (January 16, 2007). "Interfaith Celebrities: The Jewish Mermaid". InterfaithFamily. Retrieved August 23, 2018.
  17. ↑ "Ada M. Fisher". The Washington Post . 2004. Retrieved March 16, 2009.
  18. ↑ Zohar, Gil (January 31, 2007). "The joke is on all of us". The Jerusalem Post . Retrieved July 21, 2007.[ permanent dead link ]
  19. ↑ Koppel, Niko (March 16, 2008). "Black Rabbi Reaches Out to Mainstream of His Faith". The New York Times . Retrieved March 16, 2008.
  20. ↑ "Organizers | Jewish Women's Archive". jwa.org. Retrieved June 13, 2020.
  21. ↑ Silverman, Rachel (January 25, 2007). "Temple Professor Works to Create Center on Afro-Jewish History". The Jewish Exponent . Retrieved March 16, 2009.
  22. 1 2 Benor, Sarah Bunin (2016). "Jews of Color: Performing Black Jewishness through the Creative Use of Two Ethnolinguistic Repertoires". In Alim, H. Samy; Rickford, John R.; Ball, Arnetha F. (eds.). Raciolinguistics: How Language Shapes Our Ideas about Race. New York: Oxford University Press. p. 178. ISBN   978-0-19-062572-6.
  23. ↑ Gruen, Judy (April 5, 2001). "From Baptist to Beshert". The Jewish Journal of Greater Los Angeles . Retrieved August 25, 2016.
  24. ↑ Leiden, Michael (August 18, 2005). "Hail to the Chief". National Review Online . Retrieved March 16, 2008.
  25. ↑ Garrow, David J. (September 1993). "Lani Guinier: 'I Was Nominated – And Then the Rules Were Changed'". The Progressive . Archived from the original on December 23, 2005. Retrieved April 8, 2010.
  26. ↑ Sone, Samara (February 21, 2024). "Comedian Tiffany Haddish's Jewish background". Unpacked. Retrieved August 25, 2025.
  27. ↑ Bronstein, Lynne (January–February 2007). "Ben Harper: Every Facet of the Diamond". ONE WAY Magazine. Archived from the original on May 17, 2008. Retrieved July 4, 2008.
  28. ↑ "Carolivia Herron – Jewish Africana". Carolivia.org. Archived from the original on May 26, 2011. Retrieved April 8, 2010.
  29. ↑ Kahn, Joseph P. (January 5, 2008). "A New Talk-Show Host Draws on Worlds of Experience". The Boston Globe . Retrieved April 8, 2010.
  30. ↑ Perrone, Pierre (September 9, 1999). "Obituary: Ruby Johnson" . The Independent. Archived from the original on June 14, 2022. Retrieved August 21, 2016.
  31. ↑ Bardin, Brantley (April 2008). "A Conversation with Rashida Jones". Women's Health. Retrieved July 4, 2008.
  32. ↑ Miller, Gerri (Spring 2003). "The Daughter of Q". American Jewish Life. Archived from the original on May 16, 2008. Retrieved June 24, 2008.
  33. 1 2 Gelbwasser, Michael (April 10, 1998). "Organization for black Jews claims 200,000 in U.S." J. The Jewish News of Northern California . Retrieved October 11, 2010.
  34. ↑ Skydell, Tamar (November 9, 2018). "Zoe Kravitz Opens Up About Feeling 'Like A Freak' As A Black, Jewish Teen". The Forward. Retrieved June 24, 2020.
  35. ↑ "Rabbi Sandra Lawson named associate chaplain for Jewish life, Jewish educator at Hillel". E-Net! Elon University News & Information. June 20, 2018. Retrieved September 12, 2018.
  36. ↑ Stern, Marissa (June 20, 2018). "Rabbi Meets Jews Where They Are Today - Jewish Exponent". Jewish Exponent. Retrieved September 12, 2018.
  37. ↑ "Rabbi is latest of many titles for Philly woman". WHYY. Retrieved September 12, 2018.
  38. ↑ Weinstein, Natalie (February 16, 1996). "Julius Lester: There's 'no magic formula' for blacks and Jews". J. The Jewish News of Northern California . Retrieved October 11, 2010.
  39. ↑ Scott, Damien (April–May 2009). "Lauren London". Complex . Archived from the original on May 2, 2009. Retrieved April 9, 2010.
  40. ↑ Muder, Craig (August 30, 2004). "Hall of Fame Celebrates Jewish Players". The Cincinnati Enquirer . Archived from the original on July 14, 2012. Retrieved April 9, 2010.
  41. ↑ Blady, Ken (1988). The Jewish Boxers' Hall of Fame: A Who's Who of Jewish Boxers. New York: Shapolsky Publishers. p. 297. ISBN   0-933503-87-3.
  42. ↑ Klein, Gary (December 29, 2006). "Coming of age". Los Angeles Times . Retrieved April 9, 2010.
  43. ↑ Kulman, Linda (February 26, 2008). "James McBride Blends Fact With Fiction in 'Song'". National Public Radio . Retrieved July 4, 2008.
  44. ↑ McCoy, Yavilah. "The Changing Face of Jewish Identity: Inside, Outside, and Other". Sh'ma, A Journal of Jewish Responsibility. Archived from the original on September 28, 2007. Retrieved April 9, 2010.
  45. ↑ "Adah Isaacs Menken (1835–1868)". Jewish Virtual Library . Retrieved July 9, 2007.
  46. ↑ Montague, Nathaniel (2003). Burn, Baby! BURN! The Autobiography of Magnificent Montague. Urbana, Ill.: University of Illinois Press. p. 81. ISBN   0-252-02873-2.
  47. ↑ Neuman, Johanna (September–October 2010). "The Curious Case of Walter Mosley". Moment . Archived from the original on July 26, 2011. Retrieved October 8, 2010.
  48. ↑ Campbell, Karen (November 7, 2004). "Gospel according to Joshua Nelson". The Boston Globe . Retrieved December 17, 2007.
  49. ↑ Wolff, Alexander (2002). Big Game, Small World: A Basketball Adventure . New York: Warner Books. pp.  207–209. ISBN   0-446-67989-5.
  50. ↑ Oland, Brandon (June 6, 2008). "Experience another Pryors' performance". Carroll County Times . Retrieved July 4, 2008.[ permanent dead link ]
  51. ↑ "Shais Rishon". www.schusterman.org. Retrieved April 21, 2020.
  52. ↑ "A black, Orthodox rabbi's novel addresses racism in the Jewish community". Jewish Telegraphic Agency. October 10, 2018. Retrieved April 21, 2020.
  53. ↑ "Saxophonist Joshua Redman". On Point . June 24, 2005. Retrieved July 4, 2008.
  54. ↑ "Reel Beach: Journey through Gloria Reuben's family history intriguing and fascinating". Beach Metro Community News . May 8, 2021. Retrieved May 12, 2024.
  55. ↑ Weintraub, Joanne (March 9, 2002). "Biracial stars find TV sees roles in black or white". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel . Archived from the original on November 4, 2012. Retrieved October 11, 2010.
  56. ↑ Kasriel, Alex (May 9, 2008). "Being a black Jew means ordered spontaneity". The Jewish Chronicle . Retrieved December 17, 2015.
  57. ↑ Ghert-Z, Renee. "Just your typical 6'1'' African-American Yiddish singer". The Times of Israel . ISSN   0040-7909 . Retrieved April 21, 2020.
  58. ↑ Gottlieb, William P. (1995) [1979]. The Golden Age of Jazz. Rohnert Park, Calif.: Pomegranate Communications. p. 5. ISBN   0-87654-355-7.
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  60. ↑ Selig, Abe; Sturm, Uriel (July 28, 2010). "NBA superstar Stoudemire is Jewish". The Jerusalem Post . Retrieved January 18, 2011.
  61. ↑ Pfefferman, Naomi (April 17, 2003). "Digging for Jews". The Jewish Journal of Greater Los Angeles . Retrieved July 4, 2008.
  62. ↑ Schickler, Eliot. "The Converted Linebacker". JewishSports.com. Archived from the original on October 14, 2008. Retrieved May 13, 2009.
  63. ↑ Eaton, Hillary (April 10, 2017). "Michael Twitty, the African American Jewish writer, is poised to give us a new way to think about Passover". Los Angeles Times . Retrieved February 22, 2018.
  64. ↑ "Alex Tyus: 'I want to win the Euroleague. I am honored to play for Maccabi.'". Maccabi Tel Aviv. September 3, 2013. Retrieved June 4, 2014.
  65. ↑ Frey, Jennifer (January 12, 2001). "The Parent Trap". The Washington Post . Retrieved July 9, 2007.[ dead link ]
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  68. ↑ Lee, Laura (August 12, 2001). "Changing Courts: Brother's Incarceration Shapes Player's Goals". The New York Times . Retrieved April 9, 2010.
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  72. ↑ Portwood, Jerry (May 15, 2012). "Y-Love is Ready for Love". Out . Retrieved September 28, 2012.
  73. ↑ Frommer, Frederic J. (February 16, 2023). "'You made me the greatest': Muhammad Ali's beloved cornerman was Jewish". The Forward. Retrieved August 25, 2025.
  74. ↑ "2021 NAACP Image Awards: The Jewish nominees, from Daveed Diggs to Doja Cat". Jewish Telegraphic Agency. February 3, 2021. Retrieved August 13, 2021.
  75. ↑ "Drake, a black Jew, is hip-hop's newest star, AZ Jewish Post".
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