“Black Jews chanting ‘we are the real Jews’ is a dangerous anti-Semitic notion” (AJC)
Hundreds of followers of the Black Hebrew Israelite movement marched in New York on Monday in support of basketball player Kyrie Irving, who had just returned from suspension after sharing on social media a link to an anti-Semitic documentary defending Black Hebrew Israelite claims i blacks are the true Jews. “We are the real Jews, time to wake up,” they sang.
ESPN said the men were members of the Israel United in Christ organization. Another video shared by the NBA Central Twitter account showed purple-clad Black Hebrews lined up outside the stadium where Irving’s first game since his suspension was being played. “Kyrie Irving has a lot of support outside of Barclays Center today,” NBA Central tweeted.
“Black Jews chanting ‘we are the real Jews’ is a disturbing anti-Semitic concept with dangerous potential. We cannot allow this supremacist ideology to spread and be accepted. Claiming that Jews are not the real Jews helps fuel the anti-Semitism around the world,” said the American Jewish Committee (AJC).
“It is important not to generalize when it comes to Jewish Israelites. Radical Jewish Israelites cite anti-Semitic conspiracy theories to explain the slave trade and preach misogyny, transphobia, homophobia, xenophobia, and anti-Semitism, but not all Jewish Israelites are black and not all they are radical,” said Dov Wilker, director of black Jewish relations at the AJC.
