MJL promoting a piece by a BHI

MyJewishLearning published yesterday an article written by a Black Hebrew Israelite (BHI for short) - for those who are not familiar with them, they are an evangelical Christian movement that promotes antisemitic ideas.

“Feeling at Home Among 900 Black Jews at an Ethiopian-Israeli Wedding: As I look around the room, for the first time in my life I feel like I belong to the Jewish people.”

The author claims to suffer with racism from within the Jewish community, but the article reads in a very weird way. So I decided to check (and I’ve seen that a few others on Facebook did as well), and found her page on a BHI website: Celeste Jackson; and her mom, Mother Anna “Levy”. Their “synagogue” is a BHI church in Saint Albans, NY.

There is racism in the community, and pieces like these (be it by Celeste Jackson or Nylah Burton, et al) make it harder to address that because they provoke a growth of scepticism toward those who actually face racism in the Jewish community. The reference others have often is non-Jews faking being Jewish for the sake of identity politics (Nylah), or whatever BHIs are doing (Celeste). Which makes easier for detractors to claim that when Jews facing such issues come forward with complaints, they are lying, just look at these *points to the LARPers*.  

It is doubtful if Tali (the Ethiopian Jewish friend) is aware that Celeste is a BHI. Both in Israel and abroad, Ethiopian Jews do not buy into BHI claims, and there is at least one video available on YouTube of such confrontations.

Please be careful with what you share, since Jewish publications clearly have missed the mark big time and keep ignoring Jews who come forward with complaints. I wrote an email to MJL (about racism, my experiences within the community, the effects - on Jews actually facing racism - of publishing an article by this con artist), and would encourage anyone interested in writing to them write as well, the email is community@myjewishlearning.com

Wait, this is the first I’ve heard of Nylah not actually being Jewish.

It’s a thing I’ve seen a couple of times but that fact that it always comes up when people don’t want to listen to Nylah Burton makes me suspicious of its authenticity

OK, just did some reading - she’s patrilineal with a Christian mother, and she feels no need to convert to the Conservative or Orthodox movements.

I understand this is a touchy subject and halachically speaking she’s not actually Jewish by these communities’ standards, but that’s a far cry from being a total outsider to the Jewish community, sent to undermine us with false accusations.

She's not patrilineal. Both of her parents are non-Jews, and she comes from a fundamentalist Christian background - there is a claim that maybe one of her great-grandparents was Jewish (dad's side) but even that is a maybe. Once this was all uncovered (which you'd have known if you have contact with Jewish groups on Facebook, where plenty of this is available), she started claiming that she feels Jewish, she won't convert, etc. She also requested for money for Jewish events (from gullible people like the ones claiming that somehow I am wrong for saying that a non-Jew is a non-Jew), which she never held and just seems to have put in her pocket. 

What people like her is just cheapening what it means to be a visibly non-white Jew (black, mixed race, among others) and to face racism in the Jewish community. And that I will not accept. I have gone through too much scrutiny due to my looks/colour and racism from other Jews to ever be okay with someone coopting my struggles for her personal gain. If you prefer to ignore black and brown Jews telling you that, that's your problem and you are part of the problem. 

I believe in giving people a chance to redeem themselves. However, redemption involves repentance and Trayon White has failed that test. He made a good apology, but failed to walk the walk. This is disappointing. Clearly Louis Farrakhan remains a major force for antisemitism in the United States and anyone who downplays his significance is actively harming Jews. 

I agree with those on the left who say the right represents a greater threat to Jews, and yet, historically, a left that believes antisemitic canards will roll over and let us die when we are under threat. Too often those on the left will buy into myths of Jewish power to keep us out of their movements. That leaves us to fend for ourselves. Right now much of the left believes that Jews should be seen but not heard, that we have no right for self-advocacy and that we shouldn’t demand advocacy by anyone else. They want us to show up then shut up. They want us to be there as Jews but not to announce our Jewishness too loudly lest we disrupt their zero-sum worldviews and someone rob their of their voices by using our own. 

Enough is enough. Antisemitism is a genocidal form of oppression that has killed millions in living memory. Louis Farrakhan is poisoning Social Justice with his bigotry. It must be resisted. 

I’m…shocked that anyone believed his apology? Like when I read his statement about being at the holocaust museum not once did he mention Jewish people as….people? Lol. He kept calling us “Jews” much like how white people who don’t realize how racist they are call people “the blacks.” Its couched language. He would not be surprised if dude doesn’t believe that the holocaust didn’t happen at all. Honestly as a Black Jewish man I get to hear all types of antisemitic shit borne out of ignorance. But *shrug* lets be real, there is a great chasm between our peoples and those of us straddling the line in between are not fighting a winning battle.

We need to build stronger bridges and quickly. 

The Black and Jewish communities built those bridges in our combined efforts for civil rights first in the 10′s and 20′s during the factory labor protests and then in the 50′s and 60′s in the south.  Certain factions have been working tirelessly to separate Blacks from Jews since, as evidenced by Black social justice movements like BLM (first witnessed Hamas & Hezbollah flags being waved around in Ferguson) and Black adjacent social justice movements like The Women’s March, and Chicago Dyke March, incorporating “palestianian” issues into the very fabric of their organizations.  The Nation Of Islam has ALWAYS been antisemitic, this is nothing new, what they’re finding energizing now is again the incorporation of “palestinian” issues to bolster their hatred, and yes, it is in fact catching on.  What I see is the Dr. King’s inclusional nonviolence being replaced in left wing Black social justice politics by a more virulent black/islamic hybrid of Jewish exclusion zeroing in on Israel and more pointedly Jews to score points.  

It’s a very big problem.

Reblogging for others to contribute

I’m here for all of this EXCEPT the assertion that focusing on Palestinian issues is simply veiled anti-semetism. To ignore that Israel and its allies and continuously ignore treaties and land rights to expand their territory and erase Palestine from the map little by little is dangerous af. Israel is and has been committing atrocities and what they’re doing is the same thing the British and them did when th u colonized the world. They stake their claim to the land on THEIR religion. A religion that the Palestinians by and large don’t practice. Just the way Europeans used Christianity and Catholicism in their views of manifest destiny.

Wanting history not to repeat itself in Palestine is not anti-semetic, it’s common decency.

The focusing on Palestinian issues isn’t a problem. The way Palestinian issues are addressed is a problem. You said:

This ignores the fact that the majority of Israel’s population are refugees (mostly from the Holocaust, Middle Eastern and North African countries and the Soviet Union) and their descendants. They didn’t come to Israel to conquer it for the faith or a non-existent motherland. They came to survive. What is being done to the Palestinians is unconscionable, but there are important differences between Israel, the UK and other instances of colonization and erasing that from the conversation is erasing the various life-or-death refugee crises that created the Israeli population. The simple fact is that an enormous number of Jews owe their lives to Israel. Erasing that from the conversation and using excessive terms like “genocide” are unhelpful and actively alienate Jews. 

Yeah nope. You don’t get to push people off on the land their families have lived on and cultivated and developed for generations just because you’re fleeing other atrocities. You don’t get to sit comfortably in Israel while your newfound home CREATES refugees out of the original inhabitants

So should they have just stayed put and subject themselves to pogroms and Nazis? Because that was the alternative. Paths of immigration were famously barred for Jews fleeing Nazism in the 1930s and 1940s. When MENA countries kicked out their Jews and stole their belongings Israel was the only country that would take them in.

This history of how Israel was created is deeply messed up. But telling refugees to basically go jump off a cliff isn’t helpful. 

So in this whole entire world of places to go they only have Palestine as a choice? Oh okay

Silly me. And the 1940s wasn’t THAT long ago but it was at least 60/70 years ago you and your informed self know good and well the erasure of Palestine really amped up AFTER that.

Idk who the fuck is telling refugees jump off a cliff with your active ass imagination but it wasn’t me

Must super interesting and not lost on me though that you’re fine with the creation of Palestinian refugees for the sake of Jewish ones though. That’s super telling

Meanwhile back at the ranch

Man I say it all the time, fuck Israel. Carrying out it’s bullshit version of manifest destiny and then when anybody questions it they are anti Semitic. I do agree White was anti Semitic as hell and so is Farrakhan but what we won’t do is act like Jews aren’t as racist towards black people as everyone else and that black people are some how anti Semitic for siding with the oppressed in a situation.

☝️☝️

When our blackness isnt seen as antithesis….man I’ll never forget last year being verbally attacked by white Jews on here for daring to recognize the mass slaughter of black people. Alot of shit that’s going down is straight up creepy and violent . And can’t be hidden behind antisemitism.

This whole thread is a dumpster fire but can we take a moment to discuss this comment right here saying that BLM and “”“”“black adjacent”“”“” (two organizations having nothing to do with BLM or black folks) are antisemitic because boy HOWDY the antiblackness is something fierce and a lot of my Jewish friends follow OP but OP hasn’t addressed this at all… wtf

@ saturnineaqua No one should demonize anyone for recognizing violence against their people. Those white Jews you discussed above were wrong to do so.

@ neonnecropolis Fair enough. You’re right. A lot of that post is a mess. The comment about “Black/Islamic hybrid” is deeply problematic because Black People and Islamic people aren’t inherently antisemitic. There’s too much blaming black people in general for antisemitism, which I don’t agree with and is, frankly, racist. Also, I don’t know how CDM is “Black Adjacent.” 

Nation of Islam, however, is definitely an antisemitic group and they’re correct on that account. It being supported by Women’s March leaders is a big problem and alienates Jews. Asking us to tolerate someone who regularly demonizes Jews and spreads false propaganda against us is a very big ask.