Who is a Jew? Defining spiritual and cultural identities

By DEBORAH GRENN-SCOTT/Dissertation Excerpt

Wanting to ask the question, "Who is a Jew?" also came out of my own desire to look at the range of Judaisms existing, though not always co-existing today. How could it be that some of the most fiercely Jewish people I know, like Kaye Schuman and Lucia Brandon, do not believe in God, and some of the most religious people I know do not practice what I consider to be basic Jewish values?

I hope in showing commonalities and not just differences between

European-American and Lemba women, two discrete groups of Jewish ancestry, to encourage the reader to appreciate the range of Judaisms that exist but do not necessarily co-exist today. Observant, Reform, Orthodox, Conservative, Renewal, Pagan, Goddess, Secular or Humanist and Reconstructionist Jews would probably all have different answers to the same question. For example, does one have to be able to read Hebrew extensively, or to follow Jewish law, halakha to be considered Jewish? Are either of these prerequisites to Judaism? I do not think so, though they can greatly enrich one’s experience of Judaism. Yet time after time the Lemba have been asked, as the questioner seeks either to understand or to cast doubt on their identity, whether they read Hebrew, whether they own a Torah. These elements do not define my Judaism, and yet theirs is cast under sharp scrutiny or disbelief because their answer to both these questions has, for most, been ‘no’. A number of Lemba are studying Hebrew; some already speak. Congregations which are too poor to buy a Torah read from the bible. Jews the world over, including some Lemba, myself and several of the American women interviewed here identify as culturally Jewish and believe their Judaism to be in no way less valuable to them, nor, I believe, do any of us feel ‘less authentic’ as Jews.

Who is a Jew? I tried to answer this question for the first time on September 26, 2001, on the eve of the holiest Jewish day of the year, the Day of Atonement—a word I cannot bear, except when translated as At-one-ment—Yom Kippur. To me, a Jew is someone who cares about her or his universe, who contributes daily to making the world a better place, who is ethical, just and honest. Many Jews I know embody these traits. As I hope for humanity, I would hope more Jews would try to be kind, open-minded beings, to have open hearts towards those we often ‘other’. Having been discriminated against, I would hope we would not exercise those same traits but rather that we would have learned to be conscious and conscientious enough not to discriminate.

The desire to address the question "Who is a Jew?" emerged out of a lifetime of my own experience and in response to the diversity of responses to news of the Lemba nation’s Jewish ancestry. The Lemba nation, whose Jewish roots are believed to trace back to 6^th Century BCE Judea², share a number of customs with the ancient Hebrews, as discussed by Magdel le Roux , customs that remain in practice by many Jews today. These include living according to the precepts of the Hebrew Bible: not eating pork, kosher-killing animals they eat, practicing endogamy and circumcising male children as a tribal, covenantal rite³. Some skeptics who termed the Lemba’s self-identification as Jews mere ‘claims’ were satisfied by the discovery in 1999 of a strong DNA link to the ancient Hebrew priesthood, or kohanim. For me, their self-identification as descendants of the ancient Hebrews, combined with their oral tradition, a strong faith in one God and the fact that they practice Jewish customs was sufficient.

Rudo and I shared the same reaction to the skepticism the Lemba have had to deal with regarding their authenticity as Jews.

Who is a Jew and what does it mean to be Jewish today? Although I was told the subject had been covered many times I began examining this question during my second year of doctoral coursework. Fully realizing how many rabbis, ‘sages’ and philosophers have expounded on this historical and contemporary question over the past twenty centuries, and aware that we are still far from having a satisfactory answer, I decided to tackle it anyway. My decision was reinforced by several things: I have repeatedly found myself standing outside the borders of Judaism even when I proudly identified as Jewish; b) most recognized writings and opinions on the subject had come only from men until the 1970s, when women’s voices started to be heard, and I wanted to bring in a contemporary Jewish feminist spirituality perspective; and c) while the question is not fully answerable I hope my inquiry can serve to broaden the discussion, and that it will be a useful consciousness-raising tool among both Jews and non-Jews.

When I first decided to tackle the question, I also met strong objections and skepticism from some family and friends, who thought I was taking on far too lofty and impossible a task. It was not a question I had planned to address as I entered the topic, but as I started my research I could not overlook the racism embedded in the media stories and correspondence surrounding the Lemba.

The first thing I noticed was the way a CBS reporter spoke to the Lemba people she was interviewing, in the very first segment I viewed about them. Then came the interested, yet almost always skeptical reaction of people to whom I said that my work revolved around a ‘newly-discovered’ group of black African Jews. In both correspondence and conversations with others in the Jewish community this attitude was apparent, as it is among some anthropologists. Perhaps it is only right that academic observers, especially participant observers maintain a ‘healthy’ skepticism. Unfortunately, I too often found this skepticism accompanied by intolerance and racism.

I read other reports that implied that the Lemba were ‘inventing’ claims to a Jewish ancestry for some gain in material wealth or status, often imagined by the writer. Israeli officials and a number of citizens viewed the whole development with suspicion, as mentioned in the section on matrilineality in Chapter 4.

Some scholars and a number of clergy do not believe that the Lemba are Jewish descendants; in many cases I saw them putting the Lemba under a microscope to determine if Lemba claims to their Jewish ancestry were ‘legitimate’. I knew this kind of scrutiny would probably not be applied to a white group that claimed to be Jewish, while practicing circumcision and observing Jewish dietary laws and holidays. It became clear to me that many scholars and clergy had preconceived notions of what constituted a Jew, and that one’s relationship with deity seemed to be the least of the considerations.

It will be interesting to see if people change their minds once there is a fourth layer of research and scholarship. The first source of information on the Lemba, which provided hints of the Lemba’s Semitic origin came primarily through South African government ethnologists, historians and missionaries during the 19^th and 20^th Centuries, some of whom incorporated an occasional first-hand account from a Lemba person. Then two key works were written by the Lemba themselves in 1948 and 1992 These were the works of Lemba elders M.E.R. Mathivha [Mathivha, 1992 #24] and Wilfred Phophi [Phophi, 1948 #332]. This was followed by a third wave of scholarship, which brought the Lemba worldwide attention. This attention came from articles and speeches by Professor Mathivha, Dr. Rudo Mathivha, Samuel Moeti, executive mayor of Thohoyandou, Northern Province; in groundbreaking research by anthropologist Tudor Parfitt of University of London’s School of Oriental and African Studies and biblical scholar Magdel Le Roux of University of South Africa . Various accounts were also provided by those who spent time with the Lemba including Rabbi Leo Abrami, Yaacov Levi of Kulanu, Shmuel Wapnick, an independent Jewish missionary and other visitors from Israel, the United States and elsewhere.

The interview with Ani Mander (See Chapter 3, Section C) touched on many key issues that arise when one discusses the issue of who is Jewish—definitions of Judaism, the question of who is in a position to judge someone’s ‘real’ or ‘true’ ethnicity or identity, as mentioned earlier; circumcision and the always-present and unpleasant issues of anti-Semitism and racism, both within the ‘tribe’ and outside of it, directed towards us and generated by us. I found her experience different from and yet often the same as mine—and not typical of someone within a ‘rabbinical family’, in that she was able to do critical thinking without having dogma imposed upon her.

What Is Jewish Enough?

It had become increasingly apparent to me over the past few years that many of the things that make me Jewish are not considered acceptable or ‘Jewish enough’ by many so-called mainstream Jews, both men and women, so on at least a subconscious level I related to these reactions to the Lemba. While some would say I stand outside the ‘accepted’ boundaries of Judaism, I am happy to see a growing number of women—and men--who share my openness, my willingness to wrestle with Jewish traditions while still observing the holidays, my mutual embrace with and ongoing textual search for the Sacred Feminine. I hope that in the near future these explorations—which are taking place across the United States, if not around the world—will allow Judaism to become more inclusive of different forms of belief, and of Jews of every nationality.

I don’t believe one group is 'more Jewish' than another. I came back convinced the real test is in one's individual values and character. The way people in the Northern Province seemed to care for each other, feed and take care of each other--with no one homeless, and no one starving--made a great impression on me. That is the essence of Judaism or any other religion that professes an ethical code of living/conduct. If we say we are good Jews or Christians, and don't take care of our fellow and sister human beings as a matter of course, we are hypocrites.

Having the Israeli Chief Rabbinate serve as the sole arbiter of who is ‘truly’ Jewish continues to be problematic. I felt great discomfort at the start of this project at the idea of being disloyal by accusing "my own people" of racism. That discomfort has largely disappeared. My misgivings started to fade after my trip to Israel in 1999, when I saw the ways in which ultra-orthodox Jews contribute to the problem of demonizing " their own" – other white Jews, women and black Jews. I became more convinced than ever at that point to add my voice to those critiquing Judaism’s exclusionary practices. I recognize pointing out racism as part of the work I do to unify women, to bridge traditions, to bring together women of different spiritual practices.

Effect On The Participants: Lifeforce And Self

If one believes that humans came out of the earth, the adamah, the red clay, that the Earth is our mother who created and sustains us, then both men and women are embodiments and reflections of God. Nowhere have I felt a more powerful connection to earth and Earth than in the Northern Province –

Journal entry, Spring 2002

 How does God manifest in our worship, whether we lay on the earth, sit in Temple or dance in circle? How do place, gesture, body movement affect our connection, our ability to be moved, to feel divinity? These questions are beyond the scope of this inquiry but I continue to examine the many ways we worship—in public or private, in solitude or community, with joy or solemnity. The goals and intentions of the Lemba women feel to me much the same as those of Jewish women in the U.S. Forms of prayer and worship may differ, but I believe the results are the same: prayer brings comfort, peace, refuge from a confusing, often frightening world. Group worship or prayerful meditation—held while sitting, walking, cooking or doing call and response—can at times answer life’s questions, solidify relationships, renew the self, provide connection, to self, community and God.

Do the ways the Lemba worship differ from the ways Jewish women in the U.S. pray? Not really. In terms of costume, location, language, yes. In substance, no. Women prayed for what mattered most to them, they prayed with focus and purpose, and I believe with sincerity and full heart.

During this study I did occasionally see a woman praying in rote fashion but not nearly as often as one does when attending formal church or synagogue services.

I believe this work has and will continue to stimulate greater awareness among the Lemba of Jewish practices, as well as some of their earlier traditions which have been lost, or which have not been exchanged between city dwellers and those living in urban areas.

Masindi Sadiki was interested in learning about her Jewish roots, as am I. I found out in the course of this inquiry how little I know about my own religion. In a separate, one-on-one conversation with Masindi a few days after the Hamangilaci meeting, I found many of my own attitudes reflected: a mixture of love for humanity, cynicism re: certain church/temple congregants’ behavior, etc. and a strong belief in the importance of faith and care of one’s community.

The Lemba I spoke with often expressed delight that someone is studying their traditions, as they were by the earlier work of both Magdel Le Roux, University of South Africa and Tudor Parfitt, University of London. Masotsha Mathivha, one of Rudo’s brothers, said when I told him this work was nearing completion, "That is good. It’s going to mean a lot to us as well".

I hope this work will inspire readers to look at their own embedded racial assumptions. I agree with bell hooks when she says "I really think that people can empower themselves where they are; that no matter where you are, you can begin the process of change and transformation’ [hooks, 2001 #213]