Israel’s “Black Hebrews” are getting their own kibbutz.
Dimona Mayor Meir Cohen, whose cramped Negev town has been home to the so-called Black Hebrews since their founders emigrated from the United States in the 1960s, announced this week that the community had been allotted a tract of nearby desert land on which to found a kibbutz.
The move will be another milestone in the Black Hebrews’ efforts to be recognized by the Jewish state.
Identifying itself as “African Hebrew Israelite,” the 3,000-member community claims descent from the Ten Lost Jewish Tribes, but this has long been rejected by rabbinical authorities as baseless.
The Black Hebrews are strict vegans and polygamists, and they practice some Jewish rites. They said their kibbutz will feature tourist attractions like a health spa and restaurant.
JTA has documented Jewish history in real-time for over a century. Keep our journalism strong by joining us in supporting independent, award-winning reporting.
