The African Hebrew Israelites of Jerusalem: A Borderline Case

The African Hebrew Israelites of Jerusalem are an expatriate black American community who have since 1969 lived in Israel. They claim to be the authentic descendants of the biblical Israelites and live by Mosaic law. They constitute an important New Religious Movement with 3,000– 5,000 members in Israel and large satellite communities in America, Britain, Africa, and the Caribbean, and engage in development work in several African countries as well as pursu-ing peacebuilding and conflict resolution internationally. They are currently a well- liked and increasingly integrated part of Israeli society. Since their begin-ning though, Jewish reaction to them, both in America and in Israel, has been mixed. This essay will explore how the Israelis’ perception of them, and their response, has evolved over the last sixty years, as they have transitioned from oddity to malicious presence, and finally to model community. Their reception- history highlights some of the peculiarities of Israel’s treatment of the other, vis- à- vis its status as the Jewish state