Book Review / Comptes rendu: The Soul of Judaism: Jews of African Descent in America

Abstract

Bruce D. Haynes' latest book, The Soul of Judaism, "traces the history of Jews of African descent in America and the counternarratives they have put forward as they stake their claims to Jewishness" (2). In light of the voices of Jews of African descent, he proves one of his main points: "to argue for a more fluid relationship between race and ethnicity than has generally been appreciated" (10). Using the scholarly construct of "racial projects," Haynes shows how these racial projects in the religious context "can also serve as a vehicle for claiming resources that are far less tangible, such as social recognition, religious legitimacy, or a new narrative framework" (22). This is to say, as Haynes explores the history and experiences of Jews of African descent in America, he adds to broader conversations about the intersection of race, ethnicity, and religion in America. With these opening points in mind, The Soul of Judaism will be relevant to those who study Jews and Judaism, American religion, African diaspora religions, and race and religion.Haynes conducted his fieldwork in the late 1990s to mid-2000s, interviewing twentyfive participants from a variety of backgrounds and experiences. His interlocutors included Jews of African descent with roots in the Caribbean; Jews in the United States who emigrated more recently from Africa; black converts to European-heritage Jewish traditions, such as Orthodox, Conservative, or Reform Judaism; biracial Jews; and, in a rather genius move, key figures in Jewish nonprofits who actively encourage Jewish diversity and support Jews of color.The first three chapters are primarily historical, followed by four ethnographic chapters. Chapter One charts the emergence of "racial" and "ethnic" distinctions in the United States. With a gradually solidifying color line in the early twentieth century, Jews eventually benefitted from "becoming" white. Haynes importantly notes that America's "oppositional framing of racial ascription and ethnic fluidity" means that "Jews" are still commonly associated with "European descent" (45). Biological and racial associations do still resonate with many American Jews today and also reflect the assumptions of the wider American society. Chapter Two focuses especially on the Beta Israel, or Ethiopians of Israelite heritage. In this chapter, Haynes suggests that "'fixed' racial categories are in fact continuously destabilized, renegotiated, and reimagined in the West" (46). For example, as Europeans "discovered" once vast and advanced empires, they associated some Africans, like Ethiopians (and thus the Beta Israel), with so-called Semitic peoples, a supposedly higher racial category than that of most black Africans (though still definitely not on a par with Europeans in their minds). Chapter Three, meanwhile, describes how the Caribbean was a place of early black-Jewish encounter in the New World.The first ethnographic chapter, Chapter Four, accounts for the terminologies of "Jew," "Hebrew," and "Israelite." Haynes suggests that individuals and comm...