Henry Bens

Bens is affiliated with Black Hebrew Israelites (BHI), a movement that claims black people are the true descendants of the ancient biblical Hebrews.

In February 2023, the Mt. Eden High School (MEHS) in California reportedly placed Bens on “administrative leave” for handing out anti-Semitic reading material to his tenth-grade students and performing the Nazi salute on multiple occasions.

As of April 2023, Bens’s LinkedIn page said he had been an “Education Consultant” at the Hayward Unified School District (HUSD) in California since 2010. His Facebook page said he has been an “English Language Arts Teacher” at MEHS, part of HUSD, since March 3, 2020.

As of February 2023, Bens referred to himself as “Pastor Henry Bens” at the Congregation Rehoboth, a church in Alameda, California. His LinkedIn page said he had been a pastor at the church, which he described as a “prison ministry,” since 2008.

As of February 2023, his Facebook page said he was located in Hayward, California.

As of the same date, Bens went by the username “Henry Bens Jr.” on Facebook and Instagram. He also used the handle “@Biblesvoice” on Facebook, Instagram and YouTube.

Spreading Anti-Semitism

According to a February 23, 2023 article in the San Francisco Chronicle, Bens reportedly taught “antisemitic conspiracy theories” and handed out photocopies of a fabricated pamphlet called “The Hidden Tyranny” to his students.

The pamphlet featured a purported interview with Harold Wallace Rosenthal, former senior Aide to United States Senator Jacob K. Javits (R-NY), where Rosenthal supposedly revealed a plan by American Jews to take over the world, and implement schemes laid out in the Protocols of the Elders of Zion.

The Protocols of the Elders of Zion is an anti-Semitic fabricated text that depicts wealthy Jews conspiring to take over the world. 

According to a February 23, 2023 article, Bens was reportedly recorded saying: “If I was alive during Hitler’s time, I would have an interview with him… I would let him share his views.”

On February 15, 2023, during HUSD’s online “Board of Education Meeting,” a senior member of MEHS’ school site council stated [02:09:25] that on December 13, 2022, the school’s administration was “made aware” of Bens’s actions.

She also informed [02:09:49] the board that: “in just one-week multiple students have come forward to share that they are in a learning space in which their teacher [Henry Bens] performs the Hitler salute.”

In a February 23, 2023 article, other students reportedly claimed that Bens’s behavior has “persisted for several years.” HUSD announced that Bens has been placed on “leave of absence.” Lauren McDermott, the head of communications for the HUSD, said she “did not know if or when Bens will return to Mt. Eden.”

Anti-Semitic Conspiracy Theories

On November 8, 2022, Bens spoke during a Bible class where he stated: “There’s no such thing in the Bible as Jewish religion” and claimed that Jewish people are “acting like” Jews “but are not, in fact, Jews.”

On November 7, 2022, Bens promoted the film “Hebrews to Negroes” on his Facebook page and commented on the post: “...We showed this at our congregation February 2018, but it’s all good! Better late than never…lol.”

The 2018 anti-Semitic film, “Hebrews to Negroes: Wake Up Black America” classified the death of six million Jews during the Holocaust as one of five fundamental lies invented by the Jews.

On November 6, 2022, Bens posted to Facebook: “What is a Holocaust? The definition of this experience will determine if Kyrie, Ye, or anyone else are correct!

In October 2022, NBA player Kyrie Irving of the Brooklyn Nets promoted on Twitter the anti-Semitic film, “Hebrews to Negroes: Wake Up Black America.” In November 2022, the Nets suspended Irving for several weeks and in December 2022, Nike terminated its sponsorship deal with Irving.

In the fall of 2022, influential American rapper Ye, formerly known as Kanye West, sparked controversy for spreading [00:01:02, 00:04:37] anti-Semitic conspiracy theories and threatening Jews online. Videos of Ye proclaiming [00:00:25] his admiration for Hitler and engaging [00:02:42, 00:03:37] in Holocaust denial went viral. Following his comments, several brands and companies terminated their contracts with him.

Bens continued his November 6, 2022 post by promoting a variation of an anti-Semitic myth. He wrote: “If 6 million converted Jewish people, whose ancestral origins are in southern Russia, then surely 12.5 million so called Africans or Israelites would be considered a greater Holocaust, deserving greater widespread respect and honor!”

The “Khazar myth” refers to the assertion that Ashkenazi Jews are not descended from the ancient Israelites but instead from the Khazar people, whose ruling class was said to have converted to Judaism. Ashkenazi Jews originate from an ancient Jewish community in the Middle East, whose descendants settled in Europe. The Khazar myth is used [00:02:16] to deny Jews’ connection to the Land of Israel.

The claim that “Jew-ISH [or Je-wish] people” are white Europeans who come from the Khazar People is a tactic employed by the BHIs to deny Jewish heritage and any historical ties to Israel. According to the largest genetic analysis of Jewish communities from around the world, including Jews from Iran, Iraq, Italy, Greece, Turkey, Syria and eastern Europe, they all share a common "genetic thread."  

On October 26, 2022, Bens posted to Facebook: “... Balenciaga has stopped working with Kanye…- His bank cut ties with him …- His new lawyer has dropped him… - No access to post on social media platforms… All these happened because Kanye made truth claims about the so called Jewish people…”

In October 2022, Bens commented on his Facebook post and wrote: “...I think many people are angry about HOW he's [Ye] bringing forth this uncomfortable truth! I'm referring to his comments about, ‘so called Jewish people!’”

In the same thread, Bens shared a screenshot of a book titled: “The Thirteenth Tribe,” which promotes the “Khazar myth.”

On October 7, 2020, Bens posted to Facebook: “The Khazars, Converts to Judaism, are not are not from any of the 12Tribes of Israel, because they are not of the seed of Abraham nor Jacob!”

The Facebook post implied that Ashkenazi Jews are not Semites, the descendants of Noah’s son Shem in the Bible. Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob are known as the Patriarchs of the Jewish people and were all descendants of Shem.

On May 22, 2015, Bens posted to Facebook: “Are current European leaders/inhabitants in Israel the PEOPLE the bible says we should pray for?”

Instagram 2:https://www.instagram.com/biblesvoice1/ [Private]

LinkedIn:https://www.linkedin.com/in/henry-bens-bb5a9234

YouTube:https://www.youtube.com/@biblesvoice

Pinterest:https://www.pinterest.com/biblesvoice/