Shalom,
The information attached to this letter
has been prepared with the first-time visitor in mind. It is comprehensive, so
we ask that you take it with you and read it carefully at your leisure.
We
realize that after spending a day with us, you may have more questions than you
came with. We also understand that sometimes questions occur to you after you leave
and that some visitors are reluctant to ask all the questions they have.
Therefore, I have addressed the most familiar questions in this pamplet. It will tell you about our history, our beliefs,
the services we offer, and the background of our leaders. Should questions
remain after you have read it, I want you to feel free to ask me personally.
Most
of all, however, I hope that your stay with us will be so interesting,
inspirational, and enjoyable, that you will return and worship with us again
soon.
With Torah Blessings,
Rabbi Sholomo Ben Levy
What
is Beth Elohim?
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eth
Elohim Hebrew Congregation is a family synagogue. It was founded in 1983 by
Chief Rabbi Levi Ben Levy, Rabbi Sholomo Ben Levy, and the Levy family. The synagogue exists as a place of worship
for all people of the Hebrew faith. True to our founding principals, the family
unit remains the model upon which all spiritual and secular activities take
place. We believe that our way of life promotes strong families and encourages the individuals of those families
to be responsible, respected, and productive members of society.
Beth Elohim is
an affiliate congregation of the International Israelite Board of Rabbis Inc.
and fully embraces the ideals of Resolution 801A, which was passed by the Board
in 1981. It affirms the brotherhood of all people who worship the God of
Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob without regard to race, tradition, or terminology
(for example: Black Jews, Hebrews, Israelites, Jews, etc.). However, when among
us, visitors are obliged to respect the customs and traditions followed by our
members.
Our particular
religious practices were formulated from several sources by our late Hon. Chief
Rabbi W.A. Matthew. He was the progenitor of our sect--formally called
"Black Jews." Many congregations throughout the
Today, many of
us prefer the term Hebrew or Israelite for the following reasons:
(A) These are the terms used in the
Torah (Holy Scroll) to refer to the "children of Israel"; (B), these
terms do not wrongly associate being Jewish with being white--which is the prevalent misconception of
the term; and (C), they avoid the changing nomenclatures of terms like Negro,
Black, Afro-American, and now, African American. Although some credible
scholars have attempted to determine the racial classification of the ancient
Israelites, we believe that whatever the historical truth was, the
present reality is that G-d is
spirit and those who worship Him must "worship Him in spirit" rather
than in pigmentation.
There are
approximately 5.4 million white Jews in
Our way of life
is practiced essentially as Rabbi Matthew established it. Though the standard
classifications of "Jews" along Orthodox, Conservative, and Reform
lines are extremely ambiguous, our set of minhagim (customs) closely resemble
those of the Modern Orthodox with clear Conservative and African-American
influences. For example, a layperson would notice that we maintain separate
seating for men and women in our sanctuary, but we believe in the complete
equality of women. We do not approve of travel on Shabbat—except for the
purpose of attending service. We strictly follow a biblical definition of kosher foods that prohibits the eating of pork
and certain kinds of sea food. We do not require the separation of all milk and
meat products because the Torah does not require it. [Those interested in this
rabbinic debate should read the biblical passages cited below.][3]
We observe all
high holy days such as Passover, Rosh
Hashanah, and Yom Kippur. We celebrate holidays such as Hanukkah, Tu-Be-Shavat,
and Purim. We have also instituted days of celebration to honor the mothers,
fathers, and children of the congregation, as well as special Shabbat services
to preserve the memory of the late Hon. Chief Rabbi W.A. Matthew and Dr. Martin
Luther King, Jr.
During the year
we have special seminars, lecture series, exercise classes, bus outings, a
summer street fair, game nights (chess tournament), and an annual Family Day
picnic. These events are usually published in our newsletter the Hakol and sent to those on our mailing
list.
Despite our small
size, Beth Elohim has a junior and senior choir. We have a staff of shamuses
(ushers) headed by Yitzak Ben Yehudah and we operate
two schools. The first is the
Our second
school is the Talmud Torah Hebrew School.
It offers classes in the Hebrew language
to adults and children after Sabbath service and on weekday evenings. We are
proud to have the first and only Israelite chapter of the Boy Scouts of America. Our troop, #180, was organized by Student
Rabbi
Since life is a
learning process, the more we learn the better we should be able to live. This
concept is reflected in our services and in the schools we operate. These values are nurtured in our children, molded and
encouraged by our members, and supported by the congregation. A love of
learning should extend from religious to secular topics and from learning about
ourselves to learning about others.
Beth Elohim
advocates no political philosophy. Though, Rabbi S.B. Levy and many of our
members, are very active in community affairs. In sum, we believe that a
person's faith is seen only through their actions toward other people. This
understanding allows us—and indeed compels us—to work whenever possible, with
any group or person who is interested in the betterment of humanity.
Membership in
Beth Elohim is achieved only after the successful completion of a probationary
period, with the recommendation of the Membership Committee, and the approval of
the spiritual leader. However, membership is not necessary for regular worship
with us; therefore, all are welcome to visit as often as they like provided
they do so in harmony. All rites of the faith (marriages, Bar Mitzvahs,
funerals, counseling, letters of reference, etc.) are reserved for members of the congregation exclusively.
Should you
require further information you may send you questions to:
Beth
Elohim Hebrew Congregation
Or, you may leave a message at
You can also email us at “rabbilevy@blackjews.org” or visit us on
the internet at http://members.aol.com/Blackjews/
For additional reading we recommend the following books, though the opinions of some authors may differ from our own.
Brotz,
Howard M. The Black Jews of
Hughley,
Ella J. The Truth About Hebrew-Israelites
Jochannan,
Yosef Ben We the Black Jews Vol. I and II
Rudolph
Windsor, From
Our Rabbi
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abbi Sholomo Ben Levy is the spiritual leader and president of Beth Elohim Inc. He is the eldest son of Chief Rabbi Levi Ben Levy and was forged in the tradition of our late Hon. Chief Rabbi W. A. Matthew. He is a capable, educated, and progressive individual with an inspiring vision of our future.
Rabbi Levy is
well traveled and has studied at many institutions around the world. In 1985,
he studied Hebrew, archeology, and history at Tel Aviv University in
While pursuing
the secular education mentioned above, our rabbi was trained for his current
role by the
Rabbi Levy
travels around the country speaking to groups and congregations about the
history of our community and the necessity of creating what Dr. Martin Luther
King called “the beloved community.” Over the years, our Rabbi has been very
involved in education reform, ending Apartheid in
Rabbi Sholomo
Ben Levy is interested in comparative religions, history, and finding answers
to the most pressing social ills of our time. He believes that the lessons of
the Hebrew prophets develop a character and spirit that can empower people of
good will to change the world!