The Black Hebrew Israelites: An Introduction

(This is an old essay from July 2020 in the Defender Times quarterly)

    There isn’t much to say about this group in light of the fact that not many books have been written to defend or critique the ideas of this false cult of racial tension and hatred. However, I will offer a basic introduction so that you may know the gist of what most of this group believes. A good portion of this goes to thanking Vocab Malone with his book, "Barack Obama vs The Black Hebrew Israelites". We will be using this book for the essay, so please refer to the page numbers cited if you are wishing to see the source of the info. Let’s see if we can make this work.

    “The “Hebrew Israelites” are a religious group growing in visibility, activity and influence in many urban areas” (p. 6). The fact is that most of these groups grow up in the rural and urban areas of places, trying to make racial minorities their targets of places to preach and witness at. This shouldn’t be a surprise in light of the birth of the movement coming from the same kind of environment with the purpose of just reaching there. Vocab Malone notes that the “modern landscape of US Hebrew Israelism has significant streams flowing out of these two metro areas: Harlem, New York and the South Side of Chicago” (p. 16). Elsewhere, we read of the origins of the name of “1West Israelites” and the roots of this movement: “The ideological descendants classified as 1Westers all have their beginnings in a religious school that was headquartered at 1 West 125th Street in Harlem. The school began in 1969. It was originally called the Israelite School of Torah and located on 5th Avenue in Harlem. The school was run by a man named Abba Bivens (later, it would be led by a group of leaders called “The Seven Heads”). It is said that Bivens was first told he was an “Israelite” by an ex-slave in the South. Bivens relocated to New York and joined the Commandment Keepers under Chief Rabbi Wentworth Arthur Matthews” (p. 23).

    So as you can tell, it was a man named Abba Bivens (also known as Ebar ban Yamin) who founded the main school of what we call the Hebrew Israelite movement today. It is in this man who would branch out to start his own movement to claim that Black people were the chosen people of God: The Israelites. It was there that he began teaching some of the beliefs we know today by this cult. However, it wouldn’t last long as eventually Bivens was murdered by Muslims he was talking to in debate format in New Jersey. It was there that his students would pick up the work.

    “Three of his students, Arieh, Mosheh, and Yakob (Ahrayah’s father) began a new school, right around the corner at 1 West 125th Street in Harlem. They changed the name to the Israelite School of Universal Practical Knowledge. Arieh, introduced a number of significant innovations: belief in the King James Bible, the 12 Tribes Chart and his own version of Hebrew (“Lashawan Qadash”). He later introduced the failed year 2000 prophecy (he predicted Christ would return in 2000). Arayah based this “prophecy” off of Hosea 6” (p. 23). I’m sure you’ve noticed that there is Arieh and then there is Ahrayah. Vocab notes this is to demonstrate how they used their own version of Hebrew to create their names.

    It is in this history that we see the origins of some of the basic beliefs we see. However, it would be Arayah who would create the rest of the foundational beliefs of modern fake “Israelites.” The ten basic beliefs of this movement from its roots are as follows:

1. African Amercians, Hispanics, and Native Americans are the true Israelites

2. Modern day Jews are fake impostors

3. KJV Onlyism with the Apocrypha (Some are OT Only)

4. White people are “Edomites” who will be judged by God

5. Salvation is procured by lawkeeping. Sabbath-observance, dietary

restrictions, and a certain outward appearance (beards and fringes) are marks

of spiritual understanding and holiness

6. Jesus was an African American man

7. Europeans, Arabs, Asians and Indians are not able to be saved. Some groups

think all can be saved if they adhere to the Torah laws

8. Both heaven and hell are merely “states of mind” or conditions. Neither are

metaphysical realities

9. God’s name is either “Yahuah” or “Ahayah” and that Jesus’ name is either

“Yahawashi” or “Yashayah”

10. They must preach to the “Jakes” (African Americans who haven’t realized

their heritage as Israelites) and get them convinced of “the truth”

    It is here we can see the clear distinct beliefs. By no means is this list exhaustive as doctrines change and others are present. For example, IUIC (Israel United in Christ) affirm a doctrine of reincarnation they call “Regeneration”, while ISUPK (Israelite School of Universal Practical Knowledge) is honest to actually call their doctrine reincarnation. Whatever beliefs you run into, you should at least be familiar with your Bible well enough to know how to refute their false claims.

    One doctrine to note, in case you run into them on the streets, is what is called the “Strong & Wrong” doctrine. A fellow Christian named J The Producer recalled his time in the training camps of IUIC where he was taught with others to engage quickly with conversations. They were not allowed to pause or stutter when engaging in these sessions, so even catch phrases being shouted in military unison, insults and going to different verses of the bible with a different topic is usually how these people would commit this doctrine to heart. So keep this in mind if you ever plan to evangelize to these people at their spots.

    This should serve as a pretty good and decent introduction to the movement, but I would hope that you get the chance to get the book that is quoted in this essay since Vocab Malone goes into more of the movement and offers a sound refutation of their doctrine while providing the details and lists of different sects of this cult.