On being Black and Jewish
June 28, 2020
SAN DIEGO — Being of mixed racial background and also Jewish often feels like no matter what group you are with, you are perceived as the “other,” sometimes prompting doubts if there is any group with which you truly belong. Such was the thrust of comments made by Jessica Lemoine and Jenni Asher during an Internet forum on Sunday sponsored by the San Diego Outreach Synagogue and moderated by Rabbi/ Cantor Cheri Weiss and her husband Dan Weiss.
Asher, a musician with a degree from the Royal Academy of Music in London, is now studying for the cantorate at the Academy of Jewish Religion in California, the same institution at which Rabbi/Cantor Weiss was ordained. Married to a Jew whose family fled Egypt, Asher decided to convert to Judaism first in a Conservative ceremony and later in an Orthodox one. When her 2-year-old daughter grows up, she explained, should she want to marry a religious Jew, she doesn’t want anyone to question the authenticity of her mother’s conversion.
Prior to Asher’s decision to become a Jew by choice, she had been a member of the fundamentalist Worldwide Church of God, whose members often styled themselves as inheritors of Biblical Judaism. She said she decided to search out “real Jews” and began attending synagogue in London, then continued her exploration of Judaism and eventual conversion in the United States. At first, she said, she welcomed explanations of synagogue rituals from members of the congregations she attended, but after she learned her way through the rituals, she was bothered that people still assumed that she had to be instructed — that because of her skin color, she must not be Jewish. “To be seen as the other, comes as a surprise, when you don’t think of yourself as the other,” she said.
Asher recalled playing violin at a Friday night service, and being asked afterwards by a female congregant, who was White, whether it was true that she was Jewish. The mother explained that her daughter is half-Mexican and considers herself to be, like Asher, a “Jew of Color.” Asher said anyone who looked at the girl would consider her to be White, no matter her Mexican heritage. “I had to grapple with my feelings: ‘This girl passes, what problems does she have?’ At that point, Asher added, “I realized that I’m as racist as anyone else.” Difficult conversations among people of different race are needed “to recognize these feelings exist.”
Asked if she had ever experienced anti-Semitism, she said she had been challenged by people of her former church, but that the opposition she felt was “different” from the kind of negativity she experiences as a Black person.
9 comments:
Well, she's going to hell for denying Jesus.
(kidding guys)
I just learned of Crypto Jews from (for example) El Paso. Descendants of Sefardic jews who fled the inquisition in spain and portugal after 1492. After 4 centuries of hiding behind a catholic facade grandmothers still transferred (jewish) customs, like burning candles friday nights, whilst nobody knew the origin of said customs.
Jamaica has many (black) (christian) crypto jews, like many former spanish colonies from south america to california.
Nck
I remember the great enetertainer Sammy Davis Jr. being both Jewish and Black, and being proud of both.
Wow, she does indeed allude to the fact that her Igbo ancestry might include "conversos".
But I would suspect jewishness through her mexican line also.
I would recommend this documentary
https://childrenoftheinquisition.com/introduction/
Which claims 25 percent of caribean black people with jewish anncestry.
It would explain some of the draw to wcg as it seems transfer of culture works in mysterious ways.
Nck
Sammy Davis Jr.
People of mixed ancestry are really never accepted by the people on either side of their heritage. This is a factor that has to be considered in mixed marriages. This is even true on the national level. Mexicans are not regarded as Native Americans by Native Americans. And they are not regarded as Spanish by the Spanish.
Sammy Davis Jr. was a Jew by conversion. When he appeared in Las Vegas, he had to nevertheless stay in a hotel that permitted Afro-Americans. In my opinion, someone who is Jewish and Afro-American bears a double burden. I wish this woman had written more of her experience in the WCG. That had to be interesting.
I made some interesting comments that did not make it through cyberspace.
The gist of my comments were about a documentary
https://childrenoftheinquisition.com/
discussing modern day descendants of "conversos."
"Christianized" Jews who fled the Spanish and Portuguese Inquisition in 1492. And who kept some traditions alive until today some 500 years later, whist nobody of mexican descent actually knew why grandma lighted a candle at friday nights.
25 percent of caribean blacks seems to have jewish ancestry from those jews aswell.
I made the comments since the lady in the article alluded to her jewishness through her Igbo heritage. But I would rather surmize that the allure to wcg might have been through her mexican (converso) or indeed her later black heritage since the caribean transport before final transport to the USA.
Indeed a most interesting history and I would recommend the documentary.
My personal interest is specifically about the " attraction" jewishness held for the people after 500 years of deliberately forgetting their sephardic heritage albeit transferring customs that would later draw to return people from El Paso to Jewish ness and in this particular case I would insert wcg too although that is just a personal theory after the documentary.
nck
Well HWA did visit "the lion of judah" who was a blackman despite claiming descendancy from Solomon.
This COG contact was not a unique thing.
Since in the early 1900's the prince of Ethiopia had already visited the Churches of God in the United States.
nck
Yes, and of course HWA had to claim he was of the "house of David" too in the process. I dont know, maybe it was just conversational, but it sounds to me like HWA felt a bit inadequate in Selassie's presence.
RSK
Essentially HWA genuinely said to a black man "Hi CUZ".........
I guess antifa would have accused HWA of cultural apropriation if HWA had introduced the Steuben with a High Five and a loud and genuine "Hey Bro!"
I'm sure "the Lion" would have replied the latter with a serene smile, nodding his head,...."Yes indeed, He Brew!"
nck
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