Black Hebrew Israelites, also called Hebrew Israelites or Black Hebrews, are religious communities found mainly in the United States and elsewhere in the African diaspora. Many teach that people of African or Indigenous American descent have an ancestral relationship to the ancient Israelites. The movement is not institutionally uniform, and beliefs, worship, scriptural interpretation and community practice vary considerably.
Some groups are Christian or messianic in orientation; others emphasize forms of Judaism or Israelite observance without accepting Christian theology. Some communities stress communal living, dietary practice and biblical law, while others focus on preaching, study or public education.
Reading with care
Claims about ancestry, ancient migration and the identity of biblical peoples are religious interpretations rather than settled historical conclusions. This page presents them as beliefs held by particular communities, not as verified facts about whole populations.
Historical development
African American and Caribbean religious life has long used the Exodus story and other Hebrew Bible narratives to interpret enslavement, displacement and hopes for liberation. During the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, some religious leaders and congregations developed more direct identifications with ancient Israelites. Later organizations formed distinct teachings, names and structures.
Because the movement developed in different places and periods, a description of one congregation should not automatically be applied to every Hebrew Israelite community.
Beliefs and practice
Common themes may include close reading of the Hebrew Bible, observance of selected commandments, interest in Israelite tribal traditions, dietary discipline and expectations of collective restoration. The meaning given to these themes differs among groups. Some also use the New Testament and identify Jesus within their theology; others do not.