Wentworth Arthur Matthew
Black Hebrew Israelites |
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Wentworth Arthur Matthew (June 23, 1892
According to Matthew, he was born in
Early life and education
Wentworth Arthur Matthew was born in 1892 on Saint Kitts, British West Indies. He married his wife Florence (August 29, 1893[1]—July 1980),[3] who was also from the British West Indies. They had at least four children together, recorded as follows in their 1927 naturalization records in the United States:
- Arthur (July 12, 1917[1] —June 1987)[3]
- Florence, born March 25, 1920[1]
- Samuel E. (February 20, 1923[1]—June 1987)[3]
- Joseph, born August 24, 1926[1]
In later years, Matthew sometimes said that he came from Lagos, Nigeria. But, in his 1927 petition for naturalization, Matthew lists his place of birth as Spooner's Village, British West Indies.[1] When he registered in 1942 with the US Selective Service during World War II, he listed his place of birth as St. Christopher, British West Indies.[2]
Immigration to the United States
Matthew immigrated to New York City and arranged for his family to join him. In 1919, he founded the
Matthew and his congregation were also strongly influenced by the pan-African philosophy of
In his theory of Black Hebrews, Matthew believed that
Matthew's congregation followed traditional Jewish law with selective variations. Men and women were seated separately, standard Orthodox Jewish prayer books were used, and the laws concerning Shabbat and kashrut were observed.[6] Matthew incorporated his congregation in 1930, and it eventually moved to Brooklyn.[8] There he established the Israelite Rabbinical Academy, where he taught and ordained rabbis in his movement.[8][9]
Wentworth Matthew's teachings are followed today by many
Matthew applied and was rejected twice to become a member of the New York Board of Rabbis, as he did not satisfy their rules of Jewish descent or conversion by recognized Orthodox or Conservative courts. They resisted his introducing African, Caribbean or African-American practices into Jewish worship. According to a 2002 article by Rabbi Sholomo Ben Levy, also a Black Hebrew, after Matthew's death in 1973, there was little connection between Black Jews and white congregations in New York and elsewhere.[4]
Legacy
Rabbis ordained from the Israelite Rabbinical Academy in Brooklyn have become spiritual leaders of Black Hebrews in numerous cities. For instance,
Shais Rishon, a Black Orthodox Jewish writer and activist, has claimed that Matthew was "a non-Jew who never belonged nor converted to any branch of Judaism."[13]
References
- ^ a b c d e f g "Selected U.S. Naturalization Records - Original Documents, 1790-1974 [database on-line]". United States: The Generations Network. 1927-05-26. Retrieved 2009-04-30.
- ^ a b "U.S. World War II Draft Registration Cards, 1942 [database on-line]". United States: The Generations Network. 1942. Retrieved 2009-04-30.
- ^ a b c d "Social Security Death Index [database on-line]". United States: The Generations Network. Retrieved 2009-04-30.
- ^ a b c d Rabbi Sholomo Ben Levy, "The Black Jewish or Hebrew Israelite Community", Black-Jewish Relations, Virtual Jewish Library, accessed 12 April 2014
- ^ The Manhattan African-American History and Culture Guide, Museum of the City of New York
- ^ a b c d e f Zev Chafets, "Obama’s Rabbi," The New York Times, April 5, 2009.
- ^ Holzinger, Kay. "Black Jews". Retrieved 2007-12-16.
- ^ a b Anthony B. Pinn, The African American Religious Experience in America (Google eBook), Greenwood Publishing Group, 2006, p. 84
- ^ Wright, Abbi (February 27, 2002). "Black Hebrews try to find their place in the world". Medill News Service, University of Chicago.
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(help) - New York Times. Retrieved 2008-01-19.
- ^ Angell, Stephen W. (Spring 2001). "Review: Yvonne Chireau and Nathaniel Deutsch, eds., 'Black Zion: African American Religious Encounters with Judaism'". The North Star: A Journal of African-American Religious History. Retrieved 2008-02-09.
- ISBN 0-19-511257-1. p. 48
- ^ "A Case of Mistaken Identity: Black Jews & Hebrew Israelites". TribeHerald.com. 16 August 2020. Retrieved 2022-04-24.
External links
- Black Jews at the Wayback Machine (archived March 10, 2007), Religious Movements, Library, University of Virginia
- Rabbi Wentworth Arthur Matthew at the Wayback Machine (archived June 29, 2008), BlackJews.org