Wednesday, June 18, 2008
It all follows when you think about it.
...At Congregation Shearith Israel, a conservative synagogue in Virginia-Highland, where Pamela Harris works as the senior nonclerical staff member, at least eight of the roughly 20 people learning about Judaism with Rabbi Hillel Norry are black.
At the Marcus Jewish Community Center in Dunwoody, roughly 20 percent of the nearly two dozen people enrolled in Steven Chervin's introduction to Judaism classes are black.
Although there are no sound statistics on the subject, anecdotal evidence suggests that, in the past 15 years, increasing numbers of black Americans are exploring Judaism, said Gary Tobin, president of the Institute for Jewish & Community Research in San Francisco.
"Ten years ago, it was almost unheard of that a black person would come in and want to convert," said Rabbi Ilan Feldman, who is working with the Harrises and two other black people pursuing conversion.
Until their conversion courses intensified last year, the Harrises led a weekly learning/support group in Decatur for about a dozen African-Americans interested in Judaism...
More.
Shalon, I am a African American that is currently going through the process of conversion to Judaism. I was raised as a Baptist but during the course of time have studied many religions faiths. It was during a contract at a Jewish institution that I was introduce or should say reintroduce to the tenets of Judaism and to my surprise I saw that many of these tenets were the same as the Old Testament religious thought of my youth. I to have found it difficult to discuss my conversion with my family and yes I also have recieved shares from some people in the synagoge since I am one of a extremely small number of Blacks that attend but it has been very gradifying to me that most people have welcomed me into the community with open arms and praise. I have also found it difficult to explain my conversion to my Christian friends but have found that like my family members that they to will get over it and will come to accept my decision as well. I feel that religiously I have finally come home. Peace. Samkou James Israel
Samuel, you would know better than me, but it is hard to be a black man in the US, and now you have become a Jew.
You must be a glutton for "punishment". ;-)
Shalom to you and those you love.
Hello brother man i am so happy to see that we have the same thought's in common! Man i am so proud of you to become Jew !!! I am becoming one also.I study every thing and !nothing make me happy more then going to this faith and a way of living.In fact i know in my heart and i can even tell you where to read in the bible that this faith and way of living is your and many black history! If you contact me and read it for your self that people in the bible in the old test is us it would make you cry with joy.Every thing that we went though was supposed to happen and it's not the white mans fault! The white man was doing Yahweh will because we were worshiping other God's so he gave us a lot of warnings and we did not listen so we got punish.And in fact i can prove that to you and me and you are not just african amer! that was a title giveing by the white amer.We are in fact the real jew's(tribe of Judah)english and Yahdah in hebrew.