Israel Grants Resident Status to Black Hebrews
- Share via
JERUSALEM — Israel granted the Black Hebrews group temporary resident status Thursday, the first step to citizenship for the controversial 1,300-member community.
“We’re very happy with the news,” said Black Hebrew spokeswoman Yadah Baht-Israel, reached by phone at the group’s center in the Negev desert town of Dimona.
The Black Hebrews movement was founded in Chicago, and the group arrived in Israel in the early 1970s, claiming to be the true descendants of the biblical tribes of Israel.
The Black Hebrews entered Israel on tourist visas and renounced their American citizenship in an effort to be accepted under Israel’s Law of Return, which grants automatic citizenship to Jews and recognized converts to Judaism.
Israel does not recognize the Black Hebrews as Jews. The Interior Ministry has consistently refused to grant them citizenship, saying they entered the country under false pretenses. There was no immediate explanation for the change of mind.
Sign up for Essential California
The most important California stories and recommendations in your inbox every morning.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
