African Judaism in context

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But still, why should that bother us? What is it our concern whether or not African Jews value their tribal heritage or not- isn't that their own decision to make? Should we not be honored that they have chosen us, rather than Christianity, now that they have since adopted the Biblical paradigm that we all share? With the dwindling of the Jewish birthrate worldwide, and attrition via assimilation, does adopting new members not strengthen us?

Still, Jewish tradition opposes proselytization. In that vein, I venture to say that yes, it is our concern whether Africans value their heritage or not. Don't we traditionally attempt to dissuade prospective converts, much as Naomi did to Ruth, by encouraging them to seek meaning and fulfillment in their own heritage?

There are those who claim that since the tradition against prosetylization arose as a result of centuries of anti semitism, it is outdated today. But that sentiment is not mainstream. On the contrary, centuries as targets of proselytization has made it even more distasteful to most Jews.

Kulanu itself claims that it does not proselytize, but only offers assistance to those who reach out to us (personal communication, 2000).

But is that correct? If bringing community members to America so that they can go back and teach their communities, or arranging holiday missions from other Jewish communities is not proselytization, it certainly skates perilously close. And offering financial assistance in my opinion certainly crosses that line. For Kulanu to

-fund a challa-cover-factory in sefwi,

-health care facilities, business cooperatives jewish day schools (open to non Abayudaya as well) in Uganda, offering a hebrew as well as a secular education,

-fundraise for free room and board for Igbo Remy Ilona to come study in Brandeis (the wildest dream of many an African student),

-channelling their assistance towards the general population THROUGH the abayudaya community,

creates a financial incentive for conversion, and will almost certainly promote ever more and newer devotees to "reclaim" their Jewish heritage. Individually, as a visitor in Africa, accorded celebrity status wherever I went, I felt lonely and objectified at the bevy of admirers following me, always waiting the inevitable turn in the discussion towards charity, fundraising, and somehow bringing them to the west. In the same way, on a collective level the association of my religion with material prosperity is a debasement, not an honor.

(I certainly do not oppose aid to Africa, as long as it is carried out on a non-sectarian basis in the manner of organizations such as AJWS, Ve'Ahavta and the like).

Moreover, the very visible fostering of connections between the communities with Western Jews, and the resultant status it accords them, sucks Judaism into the Christian missionary paradigm as an entry portal to the West and Westernism. Ironically, Judaism as a portal to Westernism is contrary to the motivation of liberal American Jews who reach out to the African communities specifically for the sake of multiculturalism and diversity.

(See for example http://bechollashon.jewishresearch.org/projects/research.php; this is only one of numerous sources that explicitly identify their motivations as such. This is obvious in a way; it is hard to imagine them engaging in such an enthusiastic response towards a hypothetical American Christian church that suddenly decided that it wanted to be Jewish, or bankrolling their development even if they came from rural Appalachia.)

But in reality, the practices of exporting American Jewish practice to non-Jewish communities, does not seem serve the purpose of multiculturalism but its opposite.

For example, Kulanu boutique sells Challa covers from Sefwi to assist the community. Jews who buy these may think they are purchasing authentic homemade traditional African Jewish art. I know I initially did, when during a visit to Sefwi 7 years ago, I was asked by a community leader to transport a batch of the factory-made items to the US for retail. But the leader's humorous mispronunciation of "tchalla" (with an anglicized ch as in witch) hinted that this was not his own original culture at all that he was commodifying and exporting. No- it was a foreign culture with a foreign name, that had been exported to him.

The claim that there is no proselytizing going on becomes even harder to defend, as African Judaism continues to take shape suspiciously like our own. Without detracting from their meaning and beauty, a ritualized challa cover, as well kippot so kindly donated by American Jews, are symbols specific to modern Ashkenazi Jewry. They are not biblical nor even rabbinic mitzvas. And why is Gershom Sizomu boasting (here) that "we feel we can not leave our women behind" by holding gender-egalitarian services, if not for the fact that this such a central issue in the Conservative Jewish movement which ordained him? An admireable sentiment,  but isn't it a bit disingenuous to claim that no proselytization is going one, when applied to a community that only recently, within this generation, still accepted polygamy?

Certainly, there is much work to be done in the field of Jewish multiculturalism. My generation has witness the end of the only indigenous African Jewish culture with the transplant of Ethiopian Jewry to Israel, and we are currently witnessing the end of the unique Yemeni Jewish culture as the last Jews flee anti-Semitism in Yemen.The past few generations have seen an unprecedent assimilation and dissappearance of innumerable Jewish cultures, that have melted into the dominant Ashkenaz or a watered down Israeli pan-Sephardi form of practice, to say nothing of the rapid assimilation of into American Western culture. Outside of the Hasidic world, how many American Jews today speak Yiddish? Ladino? Judaeo Arabic? How many synagogues incorporate liturgy from Persia or from Caucasus? Perhaps the Jewish outreach activists would do better to search in their own backyard to protect their dissappearing heritages. It is a curious parallel between the Jewish multiculturalists and their African friends that both seek to shore up their own flagging identities, seeking it outside, in the heritage of the other.

BUT IS IT GOOD FOR THE JEWS?

(continued here)

African Judaism in context

Intro:

There are at least three African groups, sponsored and assisted by the Kulanu organization, that appeared to have embraced modern Judaism. I do not include the Ethiopians who have a Jewish tradition going back centuries. I may compare and contrast to movements in the African Diaspora, such as the Hebrew Israelites. These the Abuyadaya in Uganda, Twi members of the Sefwi region, and members of the Nigerian Igbo.

Of these, the Abayudaya have the longest Jewish history, beginning as a small sect following a charismatic leader, who rejected Christianity following his political displacement by the Christian British colonial officials. (See this article for the story, as well as an detailed insight into the interection between religioni and colonial politics).

They attempted to follow Biblical Judaism as per their understanding of the Old Testament. In the 1990s they reached Kulanu, the organization largely responsible for raising awareness amongst American Jews about these African communities, with the hope of practicing normative "Rabbinic" Judaism and becoming part of the larger Jewish people.

The Sefwi residents, also previously Christian, go back to a leader in the 1970's (personal communication from a community member)who had a vision that he was an Israelite and that he should return to his roots. The Igbos are even more recent, although the first suggestion that they may be of Hebraic persuasion appeared in the 1970's as well (see the book The Igbo: Jews in Africa? by Igbo-Jewish activist Remy Ilona). Upon checking the Kulanu website the other day, I notice the Rwanda Tutsis appear to be jumping on the bandwagon as well. And during a trip to Masai territory in East Africa, I was told by a (Christian) community leader that the "Masai are the children of Israel".

American Jewish multicultural initiatives have embraced these as their own.

Members of the conservative movement in particular has been especially involved in outreach to the Abayudaya, sending a bet din to Uganda, arranging for halachic conversions and ordaining one of its members as a Rabbi. Beyond sending teachers, Kulanu has also engaged in financial sponsorship of the communities development, sometimes involving other communities in their development and income generation efforts which offers the Abayudaya a leadership role in the area. They are also engaged in a smaller income generation project in Sefwi.

(I've also read a bit about the same dynamic going on amongst the Bnei Menashe community of India, an indigenous Asian people originally proselytized to evangelical christianity. Since somebody had a vision in 1951, they been claiming Israelite roots. They made connections with the Amishav movement of Israel and were being converted and brought to Israel until the Indian government objected to the proselytization of its citizens).

Jewish visitors to some of these communities wax eloquent (many accounts included on the Kulanu website) on how devout and heartfelt, these communities Jewish practice is, how they are moved by the devotion, sincerity and sense of authenticity. They point excitedly to remnants of supposed "Hebrew" practices, no matter how farfetched, eg circumcision which is ubiqitious throughout Africa, or a history of animal sacrifices in pre-colonial times, and enthusiastically proclaim to have found their long lost brothers and point to a rosy future for an intercultural multiracial, new face of Judaism.

Yet for all these detailed reports about sabbath dinners and wedding ceremonies, the background context of these developments is sorely missing which is, of course, African Christianity, although it is very hard to ignore the tremendous influence of Christianity in shaping African communities. In fact, it is clear that the very introduction of Judaism arrived via Christian missionaries, yet Christianity is barely mentioned except as a historical bynote, not as an influential force and encompassing context for these developments.

The devout religiosity displayed by the African Jews, may be seem more authentically "Jewish" to those accustomed to the typical staid liberal American shul. But the devotion is hardly unique to Jews. Even a casual visitor like myself in Africa can not help but be struck by the devout, in-your-face influence of Christianity.

On Sundays, churches warble with African hymns to Jesus. Street signs and small shops contain the names of god and biblical phrases "God's Glory Convenience Store" or some such. The devotees can not always explain their fervor in logical terms- Many young man aspires to be a preacher, claiming himself "called." Men as well as women claim "he called me" as the reason for their adoption of Christianity. Tribal religions are largely displaced; practiced by a small minority. In places like Nigeria, Christianity has been around for generations, so much so that to many it is as essential even to their identity as Igbos (personal communication by Igbo friend). In other areas it is much more recent.

Regardless, the history of Christianity as introduced by missionaries has been one that has been opposed, for better or for worse, with local traditions, and has been strongly associated with colonial efforts. And while some African writers would wish to make the case that Christianity has BECOME an African religion, it seems to me (from my admittedly limited exposure) that Christianity is still very strongly associated with Westernism, modernity, health care, education and economic prosperity, in contradistinction to the old, "primitive" ways of living.

If you are a white person visiting Africa you will immediately be assumed a Christian. You will also immediately be assumed to have money, or if not, then at the very least you must be bosom buddies with people who are. You will be asked for money wherever you go. But beyond that, if you are befriended by one of these many up and coming wannabe pastors, you will surely at some point be asked to network for him with major American Christian fundraising organizations.

This is not to question the local religious sincerity; in fact in my opinion it enhances their credibility: Who would not love and worship the source of such blessing and prosperity? How easy it must be to choose it over the failed ways of the past. (The famous Indian chief Seattle himself converted to Christianity after witnessing his old world lost.... I visited the place where he is buried in a churchyard cemetery, having chosen the name "NOAH" for himself).

So regarding Africans (Or Asians for that matter) pursuing Judaism, On the one hand, I kind of respect this resistance to the Christian Western machine. But on the other, I feel it is the same dynamic as Christianity, just manifesting in a different form. Why is it necessary for a Masai or an Igbo to imagine to be descendants of Israelites? Why is it not enough for them to take pride in being Masai or Igbo, in a history of a rich, indigenous African culture?

 . (For a classic depiction of precolonial Igbo lifestyle, see the classic novel Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe.)

The Abayudaya, on the other hand, are honest and upfront about their status as converts. But why was it necessary for the Abayudaya to abandon their Old Testament practice which they adopted one hundred years ago, and adopt Rabbinic/ Conservative Jewish practice? Their Rabbi, Gershom Sizomu states (here) "The Christians don't accept us as christians, the Muslims don't accept us as muslims... and now the Jews don't accept us as Jews, so who are we???" But why is it not enough for him to be Abayudaya? Is Judaism a collective sweep up for all non-Christians?

But in a way, Sizomu has a point. Because after Christian colonialism, what roots can he return too?

The missionaries may have looked down at the Africans for their primitiveness, but they still valorized the primitive culture described the Old Testament. Judaism then, is the answer.

Judaism is the primary competition to Christianity- in the heart of hearts of many Christians, we remain the source, the mother religion, the chosen people. So, though cultural knowledge and pride has been stripped by Christianity and colonialism, Judaism offers an opportunity to assert an alternate identity, but in colonialist terms, within a Christian paradigm.

But still, why should that bother us? Should we not be flattered ....more