Rabbi Capers Funnye, a prominent African-American rabbi from Chicago who is also the cousin of first lady Michelle Obama, delivered a message to the predominately white congregation at Temple of the Arts Shabbat services in Beverly Hills, California.
Why would a black/Jewish rapper adopt the pug-nosed Polish slang of a Bill Swerski Super Fan?
In the third floor beit midrash at the University of Pennsylvania Hillel, Emery “Eliezer” Williams gazed straight ahead while the students around him bowed over prayerbooks, swaying back and forth to the rhythm of their silent worship. His stance was not the only thing that set him apart. At 47 years of age, Williams has a distinct seniority in this crowd — as long as university administrators or clergy aren’t around. Oh, and he’s black. And blind.
The rapper Shyne in now an Orthodox Jew. The Sean Combs protégé served almost nine years in New York prisons for opening fire in a nightclub in 1999 during an evening out with Mr. Combs and his girlfriend at the time, Jennifer Lopez. His legal name is now Moses Levi.
The Interior Ministry’s controversial Oz immigration police unit has been accused of beating and verbally abusing members of an African-American family from Kansas City whose members converted to Judaism several years ago, and are living in Ashkelon pending a decision on their citizenship request.
Jewish educator, activist and performer Yavilah McCoy will be presenting her original theatrical creation, “The Colors of Water: An African-American Jewish Journey,” on the evening of Monday, October 11th, in Newton, Massachusetts, as part of the Mayyim Hayyim Gathering The Waters International Mikveh Conference.
What do Billie Holiday, Cab Calloway, Johnny Mathis and Nina Simone all have in common? Besides stellar voices, they were among many black American artists who sang Jewish songs. This rarely told American story is chronicled on a new compilation called Black Sabbath: The Secret Musical History of Black-Jewish Relations, which uses music to connect these two seemingly disparate groups.
African-American Orthodox Jews are a rare cross-cultural hybrid that seems quintessentially Brooklyn. It received little notice until last week, after Yoseph Robinson, a Jamaican-born convert, was killed during a robbery attempt at the kosher liquor store where he worked.