RABBI

WENTWORTH ARTHUR MATTHEW

The Black Jews of Harlem are a minority ethnic group in New York who first appeared in the early 1900s. By 1930 there were at least four groups of Black Jews in Harlem. The most important of these groups was The Commandment Keepers Holy Church of the Living God. Commandment Keepers' founder, Rabbi Matthew, described the natural link between people of African descent and Judaism which he claimed extended from Abraham through King Solomon of Israel and Queen Sheba of Ethiopia who founded the line of kings who ruled Ethiopia. He affirmed that the original Jews were black people, or at least people of non-European descent who inhabited northeastern Africa and the Arabian peninsula. Yet, the Black Jews of Harlem were typically West Indian, East African, or South American in origin. The specific origins of the Jewish faith among the blacks are obscure. Some observers trace it to West Africa where a number of ethnic groups have customs so similar to Judaism that an ancient connection may have been established. More recently Jewish slaveholders in the Carribbean may have influenced their bondspeople and in isolated situations such as intermarriage or conversions, thus introducing the faith to black West Indians. These Black Jews and their descendants gradually embraced the Orthodox religious and cultural traditions most Jews see as common practice today. By the 1930s Commandment Keepers observed all Jewish holidays, ate only kosher foods, performed bar mitzvahs and circumcisions, and separated mens and womens seats at the synagogue with a mechitza. Rabbi Matthew,

who recognized that many Jewish traditions were European in origin, tried to incorporate African, Caribbean, and other American traditions into his community with little success. The existence of the Black Jews of Harlem challenged prevailing ideas about race and religion during this period in which most observers considered blacks and Jews as separate racial categories. Moreover, although most Jews had historically described themselves as a race, by the 1930s, many of the descendants of the 19th Century immigrants from Europe were beginning to claim "white status" and thus refused to accept "black" Jews. White Jews in Harlem often argued that being a Jew had many social and economic challenges of its own without the perceived potential challenge of being associated with black people in a society which embraced white supremacy.

Rabbi Matthew Holding Torah

The Commandment Keepers were founded in 1919 by Wentworth Arthur Matthew, who believed that Black Jews had direct lineage from the ancient Hebrews and Israelites and that ancient biblical figures were black. By 1940, the Harlem congregation numbered above 500. They followed traditional Jewish practice and observed Jewish holidays, such as Simchat Torah, pictured above.

In conjunction with the synagogue, Rabbi Matthew ran a school where children learned Hebrew and Jewish History and received religious training.

At the time Alland photographed the Commandment Keepers, their synagogue was located above a drugstore at 128th Street and Lenox Avenue. In 1962, the Commandment Keepers moved into the former residence of Arm & Hammer Baking Soda baron John Dwight, located at 1 West 123rd Street. A neo-Renaissance brownstone designed by architect Frank H. Smith, the building was later given landmark status. Matthews death in 1973 led to internecine battles over who would succeed him as spiritual leader, which culminated in 2007 with one faction selling the historic building for 1.26 million dollars. A lawsuit contesting the sale was brought by the other faction and the issue remains unresolved.

-R: Rabbi Levi Ben Levy, Rabbi A. Jona, Rabbi D. Small, Chief Rabbi W.A. Matthew, Rabbi M. Stephens, Rabbi E. Grey. Harlem, NY 1967.

RABBI WENTWORTH A. MATTHEW

Wentworth A. Matthew was 16 years old when William S. Crowdy died. At age 27, he founded the Commandment Keepers Congregation in Harlem, New York. Over the next 50 years, many of the Master Teachers (i.e. Rabbi) he trained went on to establish synagogues of their own throughout the United States and the Caribbean. Rabbi Matthew was also a close associate of Rabbi Arnold J. Ford. At the age of 81, Rabbi Matthew died in 1973.