The African American community claiming descent from a lost tribe of Israel

Cultures · Published 1 October 2026 Swipe more like this →

In short: In 1969, a group of African Americans arrived in Israel, seeking a return to their ancestral roots. Today, they live in the Negev, practicing a unique way of life that challenges traditional definitions of Jewish identity and has sparked decades of intense political debate.

The Black Hebrew Israelites movement is a non-homogenous religious community that identifies as the descendants of a lost tribe of Israel. While the movement's roots trace back to the late 19th century—with figures like Frank Cherry establishing a church in 1886 and William Saunders Crowdy founding another in 1896—the specific community living in Israel began its journey in Chicago in 1967. Led by Ben Ammi Ben Israel, formerly known as Ben Carter, the group moved through Liberia before settling in Israel.

The community's lifestyle is defined by strict veganism, avoiding meat, dairy, eggs, and sugar. Their practices also include the use of Hebrew names to distance themselves from the legacy of slavery, and they permit polygamy while forbidding birth control. Despite their deep connection to Hebrew identity, the Israeli Chief Rabbinate has ruled that they are not Jewish, as they cannot provide evidence of lineage through established criteria like matrilineal descent, nor have they undergone formal conversion.

This lack of recognized Jewish status has created a complex legal existence. For decades, the group lived on temporary visas, denied the citizenship, tax exemptions, and free education afforded to Jewish immigrants. While the Israeli government provided loans and eventually helped establish a permanent organic farming village in the Negev, the group's status remained a point of friction. This frustration led some members to adopt anti-Semitic rhetoric, labeling white Jews as frauds. Conversely, the community has received support from the U.S. Congress, which provided funds for their children's schooling, and has resisted deportation attempts through hunger strikes.

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