The Black Jews of Africa: History, Religion, Identity (review)

Edith Bruder's study of Black African Jews deserves critical acclaim for focusing on a topic in African history that has been woefully neglected as a primary topic of discourse. Until now, few scholars have delved into the study of Jews within the larger context of Africa's past. When the subject has been a source of scholarship it has more often than not been from the perspective of other distinct African groups, such as (but not exclusive to) Muslim leaders and/or traders negotiating with Jews as outsiders and subordinates under shari'a law. Recognizing this gap, Bruder's work begins what promises to be a fruitful dialogue about the long historical presence of Jews in Africa, as well as what it means to be a Black African Jew—whether by birth or conversion. Her research is especially engaging when considering the ramifications of two separate diasporas merging in an entirely new arena.

Bruder traces a trend that began in the early twentieth century (and continues today) that shows Africans and African Americans seeking Judaism as a form of personal emancipation from colonial subordination and the effects of neocolonialism. Such a perspective suggests that Judaism acts as a powerful antidote to cultural injustices by offering a connection to an ancient and mythical past. By detailing how and why black Africans would claim roots in Judaism, she also explores the cultural complexities that emerged as they appropriated a religion and an ethnicity that, in turn, formed an entirely new religious identity. In addition, she illustrates how Western notions of Jews and Africans contributed to the perpetuation of prejudice against both groups, arguing that this bigotry served to ally them in a shared experience of oppression. Finally, she considers the adoption of Judaic beliefs by black Africans as a form of liberation from Anglo-Christian authority.

This book is divided into three parts, each chronicling a different aspect of the origins of African Judaism. The first looks to the antecedents of an African Judaic ideology by considering the many myths created by Western imagination—including the Lost Tribes of Israel, the Solomon and Sheba legends, the biblical children of Kush, and the symbolism of Ethiopia and Africa. The second part of the book exposes the many ways in which Jews and blacks have historically interacted in the New World and in Africa, and how this exchange was interpreted by both the colonizers and colonized. The final part explores the historical background of a Jewish existence in Africa and the influence this had on black Africans. It might also have been interesting to explore what impact African traditional religions might have had on Judaism as it was practiced in Africa.

One further aspect of Bruder's work bears mentioning. Although the dynamics between Jews and Africans as well as Jews and African Americans has garnered past research, what is markedly different here is the recognition of a new cultural identity to emerge as a result of two distinct ethnic/racial groups integrating on ideological grounds. Bruder contends that "by exploring the ways in which Africans have identified with Jews ethnically and/or religiously, this book challenges the existing Western racial ideas on what constitutes Jewish identity and ethnicity" (5). Equally significant are the critical questions it raises about Western racial ideas on what constitutes "African" identity and ethnicity as well.

The Black Jews of Africa explores the ways in which Africans have interacted with Jews and co-opted Judaic beliefs, resulting in the manifestation of a sui generis Black Jewish identity. In her introduction, Bruder humbly states that she hopes this book will stimulate further debate. Her goal has been more than satisfied, and the book should be recognized in the historiography as the work that permanently widened Africa's historical lens.