This is a list of African-American Jews.
Name | Lifespan | Nationality | Occupation |
---|---|---|---|
Eric Andre [1] | born 1983 | United States | Actor and comedian |
Dinah Abrahamson [2] | 1954–2013 | United States | Author and politician |
Koby Altman [3] | born 1982 | United States | General manager of the Cleveland Cavaliers |
Moses "Shyne" Barrow [4] | born 1978 | United States Belize | Rapper, politician |
Darrin Bell [5] | born 1975 | United States | Cartoonist |
Nissim Black [6] | born 1986 | United States Israel | Rapper and producer |
David Blu [7] [8] | born 1980 | United States Israel | Basketball player |
Lisa Bonet [9] | born 1967 | United States | Actress |
Nell Carter [10] | 1948–2003 | United States | Singer and actress |
Danielia Cotton [11] | born 1967 | United States | Singer, songwriter and guitarist |
Jordan Dangerfield [12] | born 1990 | United States | NFL safety for the Pittsburgh Steelers |
Sammy Davis, Jr. [13] | 1925–1990 | United States | Dancer and singer |
Lacey Schwartz Delgado [14] | born 1977 | United States | Filmmaker and Second Lady of New York |
Daveed Diggs [15] | born 1982 | United States | Actor, rapper, singer |
Jordan Farmar [16] | born 1986 | United States | Basketball player |
Ada Fisher [17] | 1947–2022 | United States | Physician and politician |
Aaron Freeman [18] | born 1956 | United States | Comedian |
Capers C. Funnye Jr. [19] | born 1952 | United States | Rabbi |
Alicia Garza [20] | born 1981 | United States | Activist |
Lewis Gordon [21] | born 1962 | United States | Philosopher |
Kat Graham [22] | born 1989 | United States | Actress |
Ahuvah Gray [23] | United States Israel | Writer | |
Reuben Greenberg [24] | 1943–2014 | United States | Criminologist |
Lani Guinier [25] | 1950–2022 | United States | Lawyer and scholar |
Tiffany Haddish | born 1979 | United States Eritrea | Actress and comedienne |
Ben Harper [26] | born 1967 | United States | Musician |
Kali Hawk [22] | born 1986 | United States | Actress |
Carolivia Herron [27] | born 1947 | United States | Writer and scholar |
Reese Hopkins [28] | United States | Radio talk show host | |
Ruby Johnson [29] | 1936–1999 | United States | Soul singer |
Kidada Jones [30] | born 1974 | United States | Actress |
Rashida Jones [31] | born 1976 | United States | Actress |
Yaphet Kotto [32] | 1939–2021 | United States | Actor |
Lenny Kravitz [32] | born 1964 | United States | Musician |
Zoe Kravitz [33] | born 1988 | United States | Actress, singer, and model |
Sandra Lawson [34] [35] [36] | born 1969 | United States | Rabbi |
Julius Lester [37] | 1939–2018 | United States | Author |
Karen Lewis | 1953–2021 | United States | American educator and labor leader |
Lauren London [38] | born 1984 | United States | Actress and fashion model |
Elliott Maddox [39] | born 1947 | United States | Baseball player |
Saoul Mamby [40] | 1947–2019 | United States | Boxer |
Taylor Mays [41] | born 1988 | United States | American football player |
James McBride [42] | born 1957 | United States | Writer and musician |
Yavilah McCoy [43] | born 1972 | United States | Teacher |
Adah Isaacs Menken [44] | 1835–1868 | United States | Actress and poet |
"Magnificent" Montague [45] | born 1928 | United States | Disc jockey |
Walter Mosley [46] | born 1952 | United States | Novelist |
Joshua Nelson [47] | United States | Gospel singer | |
Aulcie Perry [48] | born 1950 | United States Israel | Basketball player |
Rain Pryor [49] | born 1969 | United States | Actress and comedian |
Shais Rishon [50] [51] | born 1982 | United States | Rabbi, writer |
Joshua Redman [52] | born 1969 | United States | Jazz saxophonist |
Tracee Ellis Ross [53] | born 1972 | United States | Actress and model |
Maya Rudolph [54] | born 1972 | United States | Actress and comedian |
Anthony Russell [55] | born 1980 | United States | Singer and musician |
Willie "The Lion" Smith [56] | 1897–1973 | United States | Jazz pianist |
Alysa Stanton [57] | United States | Rabbi | |
Amar'e Stoudemire [58] | born 1982 | United States Israel | Basketball player |
Khleo Thomas [59] | born 1989 | United States | Actor |
Andre Tippett [60] | born 1959 | United States | American football player |
Michael W. Twitty [61] | born 1977 | United States | Writer and culinary historian |
Alex Tyus [62] | born 1988 | United States Israel | Basketball player |
Rebecca Walker [63] | born 1969 | United States | Feminist and writer |
Justin Warfield [64] | born 1973 | United States | Rapper |
Robin Washington [65] | born 1956 | United States | Journalist and filmmaker |
Jamila Wideman [66] | born 1975 | United States | Basketball player |
Andre Williams [67] | 1936–2019 | United States | R&B musician |
Earl Williams [68] | born 1951 | United States Israel | Basketball player |
Jackie Wilson [69] | 1934–1984 | United States | Singer |
Y-Love [70] | born 1978 | United States | Hip hop artist |
Drew Bundini Brown | 1928–1987 | United States | Boxing cornerman and actor |
Doja Cat [71] | born 1995 | United States | Rapper, singer, songwriter, record producer, and actress |
Drake [72] | born 1986 | Canada United States | Rapper, singer, songwriter, and actor |
Judaism is an Abrahamic, monotheistic, and ethnic religion comprising the collective religious, cultural, and legal tradition and civilization of the Jewish people. It has its roots as an organized religion in the Middle East during the Bronze Age. Modern Judaism evolved from Yahwism, the religion of ancient Israel and Judah, by the late 6th century BCE, and is thus considered to be one of the oldest monotheistic religions. Judaism is considered by religious Jews to be the expression of the covenant that God established with the Israelites, their ancestors. It encompasses a wide body of texts, practices, theological positions, and forms of organization.
Haredi Judaism consists of groups within Orthodox Judaism that are characterized by their strict adherence to halakha and traditions, in opposition to modern values and practices. Its members are usually referred to as ultra-Orthodox in English; however, the term "ultra-Orthodox" is considered pejorative by many of its adherents, who prefer terms like strictly Orthodox or Haredi. Haredi Jews regard themselves as the most religiously authentic group of Jews, although other movements of Judaism disagree.
Messianic Judaism is a modernist and syncretic movement of Protestant Christianity that incorporates some elements of Judaism and other Jewish traditions into evangelicalism.
Conversion to Judaism is the process by which non-Jews adopt the Jewish religion and become members of the Jewish ethnoreligious community. It thus resembles both conversion to other religions and naturalization. The procedure and requirements for conversion depend on the sponsoring denomination. Furthermore, a conversion done in accordance with one Jewish denomination is not a guarantee of recognition by another denomination. Normally, though not always, the conversions performed by more stringent denominations are recognized by less stringent ones, but not the other way around. A formal conversion is also sometimes undertaken by individuals whose Jewish ancestry is questioned or uncertain, even if they were raised Jewish, but may not actually be considered Jews according to traditional Jewish law.
"Who is a Jew?" is a basic question about Jewish identity and considerations of Jewish self-identification. The question pertains to ideas about Jewish personhood, which have cultural, ethnic, religious, political, genealogical, and personal dimensions. Orthodox Judaism and Conservative Judaism follow Jewish law (Halakha), deeming people to be Jewish if their mothers are Jewish or if they underwent a halakhic conversion. Reform Judaism and Reconstructionist Judaism accept both matrilineal and patrilineal descent as well as conversion. Karaite Judaism predominantly follows patrilineal descent as well as conversion.
Jonathan Henry Sacks, Baron Sacks was an English Orthodox rabbi, philosopher, theologian, and author. Sacks served as the Chief Rabbi of the United Hebrew Congregations of the Commonwealth from 1991 to 2013. As the spiritual head of the United Synagogue, the largest synagogue body in the United Kingdom, he was the Chief Rabbi of those Orthodox synagogues but was not recognized as the religious authority for the Haredi Union of Orthodox Hebrew Congregations or for the progressive movements such as Masorti, Reform, and Liberal Judaism. As Chief Rabbi, he formally carried the title of Av Beit Din (head) of the London Beth Din. At the time of his death, he was the Emeritus Chief Rabbi.
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 African-American gentile and non-black Jewish ancestors. Some African-American Jews may identify as Jews of Color.
JFS is a Jewish mixed comprehensive school in Kenton, North London, England and was founded in 1732. Amongst its early supporters was the writer and philanthropist Charlotte Montefiore. At one time it was the largest Jewish school in the world, with more than 4,000 pupils.
Open Orthodox Judaism is a Jewish religious movement with increased emphasis on intellectual openness and a more expansive role for women. The term was coined in 1997 by Avi Weiss, who views halakha as permitting more flexibility than the normal practices of Orthodox Judaism.
Wentworth Arthur Matthew, a West Indian immigrant to New York City, was the founder in 1919 of the Commandment Keepers of the Living God, a Black Hebrew congregation. It was influenced by the pan-Africanism and black nationalism of Marcus Garvey from Jamaica. Matthew developed his congregation along Jewish lines of observance and the theory that they were returning to Judaism as the true Hebrews. He incorporated in 1930 and moved the congregation to Brooklyn. There he founded the Israelite Rabbinical Academy, teaching and ordaining African-American rabbis. His theory of Black Hebrews is not accepted by Jews.
Capers C. Funnye Jr. is an African-American Conservative rabbi, who leads the 200-member Beth Shalom B'nai Zaken Ethiopian Hebrew Congregation of Chicago, Illinois, assisted by rabbis Avraham Ben Israel and Joshua V. Salter.
Jill Jacobs is an American Conservative rabbi who serves as the executive director of T'ruah: The Rabbinic Call for Human Rights, formerly Rabbis for Human Rights-North America. She is the author of Where Justice Dwells: A Hands-On Guide to Doing Social Justice in Your Jewish Community and There Shall be No Needy: Pursuing Social Justice through Jewish Law and Tradition. This book includes chapters on tzedakah, poverty, health care, housing, labor, criminal justice, and environmental justice in America, seen through a Jewish viewpoint. She has served as the Rabbi in Residence of Jewish Funds for Justice and as the Director of Outreach and Education for Jewish Council on Urban Affairs.
The first openly lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender clergy in Judaism were ordained as rabbis and/or cantors in the second half of the 20th century.
Laura Naomi Janner-Klausner is a British rabbi and an inclusion and development coach who served as the inaugural Senior Rabbi to Reform Judaism from 2011 until 2020. Janner-Klausner grew up in London before studying theology at the University of Cambridge and moving to Israel in 1985, living in Jerusalem for 15 years. She returned to Britain in 1999 and was ordained at Leo Baeck College, serving as rabbi at Alyth Synagogue until 2011. She has been serving as Rabbi at Bromley Reform Synagogue in south-east London since April 2022.
Sybil Ann Sheridan is a writer and British Reform rabbi. She was chair of the Assembly of Reform Rabbis UK at the Movement for Reform Judaism from 2013 to 2015 and was Rabbi at Wimbledon and District Synagogue in south west London. As of 2020 she is part-time rabbi at Newcastle Reform Synagogue.
Danny Rich is a Labour councillor in the London Borough of Barnet. He was, until 2020, the Senior Rabbi and Chief Executive of Liberal Judaism in the United Kingdom.
This is a timeline of women rabbis:
This is a timeline of LGBT Jewish history, which consists of events at the intersection of Judaism and queer people.
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.