Recently, I was reminded of Carter G. Woodson’s purpose for pioneering the tradition that has grown to be Black History Month.  Woodson wanted to stir national attention to the people and events in the history of the African Diaspora.  He wanted to thwart the negative propaganda of Blacks in the media, while alleviating the race prejudice plaguing the country.  He wanted to remove the veil that had left the people blind of any knowledge of their true history. And so, devoting his life to historical research, he studied the unstudied and documented the undocumented.

In the same spirit of sharing the hidden treasures of our history, I reflect upon the freedom fighters of our past, Harriet Tubman, Toussaint L’Ouverture, The Maroons, etc, searching for the story yet to be told.  I consider those who taught of love, unity, knowledge-of-self and self-sufficiency.  And finally I remember those who dared to believe the impossible – a return back to the land of our fathers, where peace, love and happiness were our possessions.  Vast colorful images of African people rich in spirit replace my current existence as I reflect upon these great thinkers, and I realize that this reality has been the prize of the African Diaspora since the captivity.

The message of self-sufficiency and self-determination has been the common thread of many past leaders, including William Saunders Crowdy, Marcus Garvey and Malcolm X.  They all proclaimed the need for a black nation/ community governed by their own laws and sustained their own institutions (schools, businesses, etc).  Some leaders sought this haven in the heart of America, while others spoke of journeying back to their homeland Africa , and still others deemed repatriation impossible.  Well, if the repatriation of Africans from the land of their captivity back to their homeland is impossible, then verily what the African Hebrew Israelites have achieved is nothing short of a miracle. 

In 1967 – empowered by the knowledge of their ancestors, the Biblical tribe of Judah and inspired by their spiritual leader Ben Ammi Ben Israel – four hundred African-Americans made a courageous exodus from America .  They settled in rural Liberia , West Africa to purge themselves of the negative psycho-social conditions acquired in the captivity.  Then 2 1/2 years later, they made the last of their journey home, returning to Israel in 1969. Once in Israel , they stripped themselves of their given identity, African-American, and reclaimed their lost identity as Hebrew Israelites.  They then established what leaders in the Diaspora have been advocating for four hundred years – a free and redemptive nation of self governance.  The community in Dimona, Israel is renowned for its innovative approaches to education, diet, healthcare, music, family, and race relations; and its unique spiritual development.

Today, 40 years later, the Hebrew Israelites are a remarkable testament to the richness of African History and the fulfillment of the Diaspora’s hope for a place where Africans can live healthy and progressive lives.  Their community, known as the Village of Peace , is the largest organized settlement of African-Americans outside of America , and quickly developing into kibbutz Shomrei Hashalom (Guardians of Peace), one of the largest urban kibbutzim in Israel .  They maintain Redemptive Sustainability through many institutions, including a soy foods product factory, a worldwide chain of vegan restaurants and a cultural clothing line made from natural fibers. 

The Hebrew Israelites also lead in regenerative, earth-friendly efforts and preventative health care.  Their health practices, which include a vegan diet (eating no meat, eggs, dairy products or foods with additives), exercise, and regular full-body massages, have been the focus of international attention.  U.S. Medical researchers studying the community found that conditions usually common in African-American populations, such as hypertension, obesity and high cholesterol, were much lower than average (VegNews Feb 2008).  The environmental benefits of their dietary standards were confirmed by the 2006 University of Chicago study, which states that the food people eat is just as important as what kind of cars they drive when it comes to creating the greenhouse-gas emissions linked to global warming.  As Animal Rights Activist Paul McCartney puts it, “If anyone wants to save the planet, all they have to do is just stop eating meat… Vegetarianism takes care of so many things in one shot: ecology, famine, cruelty."

This remarkable community also joined hands with the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC), the civil rights organization established by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., to establish the Dr. Martin Luther King/SCLC – Ben Ammi Institute for a New Humanity.  In memory of King’s peaceful fight for human rights, the conflict resolution center teaches holistic non-violence and reconciliation to families, communities, faiths and nations.  

Today the Hebrew Israelites celebrate the first approval for Israelis citizenship in their community and the promise for more citizenship approvals to come, a victory that will further solidify their presence in the holy land.  With so many accomplishments, it’s no wonder why they have been coined as the Blossom in the Desert (Dimona, is in the desert of southern Israel ).  Starting as small as a mustard seed, the Hebrew Israelites have blossomed into a beautiful nation and respected prototype for social-spiritual progress.

The Historical Connection

Prior to the excavation of the Suez Canal (1859-69), the entire Arabian Peninsula and what is known today as the Middle East were physically connected with the African continent.  African people lived and moved freely throughout this region of the world.  Later, after the invasion of the Romans in 70 C.E., remnants of the Hebrew Israelites were driven out of Jerusalem and for more than 1,000 years many of them migrated across the continent, eventually reaching West Africa .  They were then carried to the Americas where they became victims of the most cruel and inhumane slavery in recorded history. However, according to the word of God, they would eventually be led back to their homeland (Israel) to fulfill their prophetic destiny.

The many biblical references of various interactions between the ancient Israelites and African peoples and places, further support the connection between African-Americans and the Holy Land (e.g. King Solomon and the Queen of Sheba, migration to and enslavement in Egypt ). Thus, it is not hard to see that Hebrew Israelites were among the one hundred million taken from Africa during the trans-Atlantic slave trade.  Not to mention, the remnants of their Hebraic heritage laced in the lyrics of slave songs or spirituals, such as “Canaan’s Land where my possessions lie...,” the adopted colloquial language and much more.  They never stopped praising the God of Israel nor turned their eyes from Zion . (www.kingdomofyah.com).  

The Hebrew Israelites

The African Hebrew Israelites of Jerusalem is a spiritual community of over 3,000 men, women and children living in southern Israel and thousands living in Africa, Europe, the Caribbean and the United States . They maintain a vibrant culture of communal living, a vegan diet, preventive health care and high moral standards – a holistic approach to life. Their goal is be the core of the establishment of God’s Kingdom on Earth as revealed in the Holy Bible.