The Hebrew Israelite community from Dimona in southern Israel, or the African Hebrew Israelites in Israel as they are often officially termed, currently numbers more than 5,000 people. Most of its members live in a cooperative community in the city of Dimona, but there are also small Hebrew Israelite communities in Arad, Tiberias and Mitzpeh Ramon.
The Hebrew Israelite community from Dimona is a unique and fascinating group within Israel's overall social fabric, with a complex history and deep roots of faith, culture and aspirations for the final redemption. The community is composed of the descendants of Afro-Americans who emigrated to Israel from Chicago, US, during the 1960's.
The majority of its members currently live in a cooperative community in a suburban neighborhood of single-family homes in the Negev desert city of Dimona. The members of the Hebrew Israelite community practice polygamous marriage (one man can marry several wives), and their way of life is characterized by a strong sense of community and considerable mutual support among the families.
Their way of life combines values of strong faith, manual labor, natural health and a vegan diet. Members of the community strictly adhere to a unique style of life such as vegetarian food. They avoiding eating any meat, dairy products and industrially processed food, and seek to nurture a healthy way of living based on the principles of following a simple and natural life.
The Hebrew Israelites dress in traditional garb, mainly white and crimson in color, which is a clear expression of purity and spirituality. The main language they use for conversing is English; though, many of them are also fluent Hebrew speakers. They are strict observers of a strong community life, with particular emphasis on education, family values and a spiritual life.
The community operates a number of local businesses, it works in diverse fields such as agriculture, the manufacture of clothing, music and community services. They play an active part in social activities, including collaboration with local youth movements and schools.
They regard themselves to be the descendants of the Biblical Israelites, who were exiled to Africa following the destruction of the Second Temple. Over the course of history, they ended up in America where they suffered from slavery and oppression. According to their belief, they are part of the lost Tribe of Judah, and their return to Israel is part of the divine plan for redemption.
They base their way of life on the Torah and the New Testament, and they do not accept the Jewish Rabbinic tradition, rejecting Rabbinic Judaism and the Talmud. They oppose conversion to Judaism and opt not to accept the Jewish halakhic laws. As vegans they also own a chain of restaurants serving vegan food. The community members also established a clothing factory.
The members of the community first came to Israel in 1969. The background leading to the establishment of the group was the feeling of identity felt by devout Afro-American Christians with the story of the Exodus from Egypt, as they too were slaves in North America.
The first group of pioneers, who came over to test the waters, was made up of six families who took up residence in the city of Arad on the border of the Negev and Judean deserts. The authorities in Israel decided to grant them temporary visas and the Ministry of Immigrant Absorption at the time provided them with ten apartments for the new immigrants settling in Dimona.
In March 1970, an additional group of 49 people arrived. The community's leader, Ben Ammi Ben-Israel, informed the authorities in Israel that they have no intention of undergoing a process of conversion to Judaism. That decision caused the authorities in Israel to cease helping the community members and to stop enabling them to settle in Israel. However, the real problem facing the community was that their visas had expired and in view of their refusal to convert to Judaism, the Ministry of the Interior then refused to renew their visas. Most of the community members who were then identified on arriving at the airport in Israel were duly sent back to the US, while some did succeed in entering the country and in settling in the community in Dimona.
Permanent residency status
The state refused to recognize the community as it defines itself, "Israelites", and questioned their Jewishness. In response, the Israelites decided to take a dramatic step by destroying their papers from the US and some of them waived their American citizenship.
Following the establishment of a Knesset committee that looked into the issue of the Hebrew Israelites from Dimona and the question of granting them permanent residency status in Israel, in addition to the establishment of a special settlement for them, Dimona's abandoned absorption center was rented out to the members of the group then who renovated it, and many of the community members moved to take up residence there.
In 1991, the group members were granted the status of temporary residents for a period of five years, which was then renewed every few years. In 2002, the Israel Land Administration issued a tender for the construction of a neighborhood for the group members in the eastern part of Dimona. The Ministry of the Interior granted each member of the group permanent residency status and the community's residential accommodation in Dimona was declared to be an urban kibbutz.
They ran their own schools and community life without any intervention from the authorities. According to the Israeli authorities' estimate, some of them have been involved in extensive criminal activity: drug trafficking, acts of violence, extortion, and counterfeiting visa documents from the authorities both in the US and Israel.
The turning point occurred in 2004 when some of the young people in the community decided to join the IDF. Many of them opted to serve in combat positions. In 2014, the then Minister of the Interior, Gideon Sa'ar, decided that those Hebrew Israelites who decided to serve in the IDF would be entitled to Israeli citizenship along with their families on completion of their military service, and this led to a high rate of military recruitment among the community.
