African-American Jews

Rain Pryor with daughter Lotus, named for her great-grandmother, Mama. (Courtesy)

July 31, 2019, 4:18 am

Is there anything Jewish mama Rain Pryor — Richard’s daughter — can’t do?

The singer, actress, author and comedian who has carved a space of her own in the entertainment industry announces that she is dipping her toes into another pool: politics

By Arielle Kaplan

Jamaica Kincaid listens during a panel on migration at the National Library of Israel's Global Forum, March 18, 2019. (Yonatan Kelberman)

March 31, 2019, 10:24 pm

Jamaica Kincaid is black and Jewish — but she’s through talking about identity

Speaking with The Times of Israel on the sidelines of the National Library of Israel’s Global Forum, the acclaimed author shares her thoughts on migration and religion

By Yaakov Schwartz

Rabbi Capers Funnye, left, and Martha Leah Williams, at the Jewish Africa Conference in New York, January 29, 2019. (Josefin Dolsten)

February 2, 2019, 9:23 am

African Jewish communities get more recognition after years on the margins

Largely ignored by the mainstream community and Israel, Jews in Africa are focus of first conference that’s not exclusively for academics

By Josefin Dolsten

Shais Rishon’s latest book, 'Ariel Samson: Freelance Rabbi,' tells the story of a 20-something black spiritual leader. (Courtesy of Rishon/via JTA)

October 13, 2018, 12:15 am

A black, Orthodox rabbi’s novel addresses racism in the Jewish community

‘We’re invisible,’ says Rabbi Shais Rishon, 36, about Jews of color struggling to reconcile their identities and feel accepted among other Jews

By Josefin Dolsten

Rabbi Georgette Kennebrae grew up in a military family that moved between Japan and Oklahoma. (Josefin Dolsten)

July 23, 2018, 3:15 am

Gay, African-American rabbi wants to burst stereotypes of what a Jew looks like

Head of congregation Georgette Kennebrae is sometimes mistaken for a custodian, so she’s made it a mission to gain acceptance for the 11% of US Jews who do not identify as white

By Josefin Dolsten

Rabbi Isaiah Rothstein wants people of all backgrounds to feel welcome in his Brooklyn community. (Josefin Dolsten/JTA)

July 1, 2018, 2:02 am

Multiracial Orthodox rabbi uses his background to create unique community in NYC

Isaiah Rothstein knows what it’s like not to fit in, so he founded the Union Street Sanctuary, a religious social organization in Brooklyn that welcomes all comers with open arms

By Josefin Dolsten

Yehuda Webster speaks at the Juneteenth seder put on by JFREJ, held alongside the East River in New York City on June 14, 2018. (Rafael Shimunov)

June 19, 2018, 3:57 am

Emancipation congregation: Slaves’ exodus celebrated with NYC Juneteenth seder

Complete with ceremonial food and a unique hagaddah, hundreds gather to fuse two familiar stories of freedom into a brand new ritual organized by the Jews of Color caucus

By Steven Davidson

Julius Lester after receiving his Samuel Minot Jones Award for Local Literary Achievement, April 16, 2015. (CC BY 2.0 Flikr/Jones Library)

January 19, 2018, 4:47 am

Julius Lester, African-American scholar who converted to Judaism, dies at 78

Award-winning author embraced his Jewish identity in 1982 when he learned his maternal great-grandfather had been a German Jewish immigrant married to a freed slave

By JTA

David Litt, center, with President Obama and actor Keegan-Michael Key in the White House. (Courtesy of Litt/via JTA)

September 22, 2017, 1:43 am

Why Obama’s former speechwriter calls him the most Jewish president ever

Now a writer on ‘Funny or Die,’ David Litt says Obama’s way of seeing the world — ‘always asking questions,’ with a ‘real capacity for doubt’ — makes him an honorary MOT

By Gabe Friedman

Rabbi Tiferet Berenbaum, head of Temple Har Zion in Mt. Holly, New Jersey (Courtesy)

August 18, 2017, 4:29 pm

Who better than a black female rabbi to talk race, bigotry and healing today?

At her New Jersey pulpit, trans-denominational Rabbi Tiferet Berenbaum takes on the idea of ‘comforting the afflicted and afflicting the comfortable’

By Cathryn J. Prince

A banner made by one of the petitioners at the vigil for slain Seattle mother Charleena Lyles, right. (Rainer Waldman Adkins)

June 27, 2017, 3:24 am

Police shooting, protests prompt Seattle Jewish Federation to halt annual award

A ceremony recognizing Seattle’s finest for ‘repairing the world’ is on hold after a pregnant mother of four was shot in her home when she called in a burglary

By Gregory Gutterman Scruggs

President Barack Obama holding up Kylie Schmitter, 4, to light a menorah as Kylie’s sister, Lainey, looks on during a Hanukkah reception at the White House, December 5, 2013. (Alex Wong/Getty Images)

January 14, 2017, 3:10 am

For black Jews, Obama represented an America of multiple identities

Jewish Americans have long grappled with the significance of their dual identities. For African-American Jews, that struggle contains yet another dimension

By Ben Sales

Tamar Manasseh is pursuing her rabbinical ordination from the Israelite Academy. (Courtesy/ via JTA)

October 24, 2016, 3:46 am

Black rabbinical student leads ‘Army of Moms’ in fighting Chicago gun violence

Tamar Manasseh is working to curb street shootings one corner at a time — but would like to see more local Jews stand up alongside her

By Ben Sales

Chef Michael Twitty, left, studies the history of African-American foodways and African-American influence on Southern food. (Jacob W. Dillow/ Courtesy)

August 28, 2016, 11:28 pm

In black Jew’s Yiddish gumbo, the secret ingredient is diversity

Chef Michael Twitty is gay, Jewish, and African-American — not necessarily in that order — serving up delectable fusion cuisine with a side of social justice

By Cathryn J. Prince

2016 Repair the World Fellows in front of their Crown Heights headquarters. (Repair the World/ via JTA)

August 17, 2016, 6:17 pm

A changing Crown Heights marks 25 years since Brooklyn ‘pogrom’

Gentrification and an influx of Modern Orthodox Jews mitigate lingering inequality and underlying misunderstanding between communities

By Debra Nussbaum Cohen