Black Hebrew Israelites: Anti-Semitic Extremists in the Movement
Black Hebrew Israelites believe that black people are the real “Jews.” They claim they are the “Israelites” who descended from the biblical patriarch Jacob and his sons, known as the “12 tribes of Israel.”
A number of the groups in the movement are extremists and virulently anti-Semitic.
Israel United in Christ (IUIC) is the largest of the extremist Black Hebrew Israelite groups.
IUIC’s most recent event was a mass rally in New York City in November 2022. The rally was held in support of Brooklyn Nets NBA star Kyrie Irving who was temporarily suspended for tweeting out a link to an anti-Semitic Black Hebrew Israelite film.
Marching through Brooklyn in matching purple shirts, the group chanted, “Hey, Jacob, it’s time to wake up,” referring to the group’s belief that Blacks are the biological descendants of the biblical Jacob. This was followed by, “We’ve got some good news. We are the real Jews.”
After the rally, a group of IUIC members as well as another Black Hebrew Israelite group called Sicarii gathered outside the Barclay Center, the Nets’ home venue. They detailed their belief that Jews are imposters and the "synagogue of Satan. Some expressed their avid support for Hitler. Others made the common claim that Jews will become their slaves when the “real Jews wake up.”