Afro-American Jews

Year 2022, Volume: 25 Issue: 62, 59 - 82, 15.06.2022

Şahin Kızılabdullah

https://doi.org/10.15745/da.1113407

Abstract

Judaism is one of the oldest surviving religious traditions in the world. The Jews, who base their history on Abraham and his son Isaac, began to be called religion with Moses. The Jews, who lived their golden age in and around Jerusalem during the David and Solomon periods, also built the Temple, which was at the center of their religious life. The Jews, who rebuilt the Temple during the Babylonian exile and subsequently Ezra's reign, lived in these lands until the destruction of the temple by the Romans in 70 AD. The statelessness that started after the destruction of the temple had an important place in the Jewish identity. The exile life, which continued for two thousand years, caused the Jews to go to different parts of the world and live there. In this period, which is expressed as the period of exile, Jews lived in many regions such as Africa, Anatolia, Europe and America. The arrival of the Jews in the Americas dates back to the Columbus era. Jews were present in South America and subsequently in the British colonies. Currently, most of the Jews in the world live in the USA. Among the Jews who went to the Americas, Ashkenazi and Sephardic Jews constitute the majority. However, in the Americas, Jews have formed different groups over time. These include groups such as Conservative, Orthodox, Reformist, and Reconstructionist. Jewish groups formed by African-Americans also have a special place among these formations. These African-American Jews in the USA, are discussed within the framework of this article. In the article, firstly, a piece of brief information about Judaism in America was given, and then the relations between Blacks and Jews were discussed. Afterward, the main features of these formations, which are of African origin and consider themselves the descendants of the Israelites, are emphasized. Finally, the Jewish groups established by Black Jews were contacted and if they had different practices and beliefs from the others, they were included. The research was carried out based on the literature review and information was given about the prominent black Jewish groups.

Keywords

Black, Negro, Afro-Americans, Jewish, Falasha.

Afro-Amerikalı Yahudiler

Abstract

Amerika kıtasına Yahudilerin ulaşması, Kolomb dönemine kadar götürülmektedir. Güney Amerika’da, akabinde de İngiliz kolonilerinde Yahudiler varlık göstermiştir. Hali hazırda dünya üzerindeki Yahudilerin büyük bir kısmı da ABD’de yaşamaktadır. ABD’deki Yahudi oluşumları içinde özel bir yere sahip olan Siyahi Yahudiler, bu makale çerçevesinde ele alınmış, Afrika kökenli ve kendilerini İsariloğullarının torunları kabul eden bu oluşumların temel özellikleri üzerinde durulmuştur. Makalede ilk olarak Amerika’da Yahudilik hakkında kısa bir bilgi verilmiş, akabinde ise Siyahiler ile Yahudiler arasındaki münasebetler ele alınmıştır. Daha sonra Siyahi Yahudiler tarafından kurulan Yahudi gruplar ele alınmış, bu grupların diğer Yahudilerden farklı uygulama ve inançlarına değinilmiştir. Araştırma literatür taramasına dayalı olarak gerçekleştirilmiştir.

Keywords

Siyahi, Zenci, Afro-Amerikalı, Yahudi, Falaşa

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