Wentworth Arthur Matthew

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Rabbi Wentworth Arthur Matthew holding a Torah scroll.
Rabbi Wentworth Arthur Matthew holding a Torah scroll.

Wentworth Arthur Matthew was born in Lagos in 1892 ,and died in 1973. He is the founder of the Commandment Keepers.[1][2][3]

In 1919, Wentworth Arthur Matthew, founded the Commandment Keepers Congregation in Harlem. He was heavily influenced by the white Jews he met, and when he learned about the Beta Israel, he began to identify with them.[2] Matthew trained rabbis, who set up synagogues throughout the United States and the Caribbean. When, interviewed, many of the older members of this community recall memories of their parents observing Jewish dietary laws, such as abstaining from pork or salting their meat. The group was heavily influenced by the philosophy of Marcus Garvey. Wentworth Matthew believed that black Jews were the original Jews, but white Jews had kept and preserved Judaism. Matthew, however, never denied the legitimacy of the white Jews. He eventually concluded that black Jews would not be accepted by the white Jewish community.[1]

Wentworth Matthew's teachings are followed today by many Black Hebrew Israelites. Matthew believed that blacks who convert to Judaism were not converting, but rather returning to Judaism.[4]

Matthew applied and was rejected twice to become a member of the New York Board of Rabbis. After his death in 1973, his Jewish orientation was taken on by Capers Funnye, who is now a rabbi at the Beth Shalom B'nai Zaken Ethiopian Hebrew Congregation in Chicago,[5] which he founded in 1985.[6]

[edit] References

  1. ^ a b Ben Levy, Sholomo. The Black Jewish or Hebrew Israelite Community. Retrieved on 2007-12-15.
  2. ^ a b Holzinger, Kay. Black Jews. Retrieved on 2007-12-16.
  3. ^ The Manhattan African-American History and Culture Guide, Museum of the City of New York
  4. ^ Bahrampour, Tara. "They're Jewish, With a Gospel Accent", New York Times, June 26, 2000. Retrieved on 2008-01-19. 
  5. ^ Angell, Stephen W. (2001). The North Star. Florida A & M University. Retrieved on 2008-02-09.
  6. ^ Chireau, Yvonne (2000). "Black Culture and Black Zion: African American Religious Encounters with Judaism, 1790–1930, an Overview", in Yvonne Patricia Chireau, Nathaniel Deutsch, eds.: Black Zion: African American Religious Encounters with Judaism. New York: Oxford University Press, 18. ISBN 0195112571.  p. 48

[edit] External links