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THE JOURNAL OF THE NORTH SHORE JEWISH COMMUNITY/PAGE 3 [[line]] -Community Highlights- Black is Beautiful . . . and Jewish, Too [[image - black & white photograph of Rabbis Pikelny and Dore next to each other]] [[caption]] Rabbi Dov Pikelny (of Temple Shalom, Salem, left) and Rabbi David Matthew Dore of the Ethiopian Hebrew Congregation of New York City, right. (Photo Credit: Barbara Abrams)[[/caption]] By Rachel Rome SALEM - The Slim, black boy stood quietly before the Ark, waiting to begin his Torah section. On his head perched a blue yarmulka; around his shoulders, a white fringed shawl contrasted brightly with his dark skin. The congregation - also black - waited and watched, and then prayed with the boy, in Hebrew. This scene is a common one at the Ethiopian Hebrew Congregation at 1 W. 123 Street, New York City, in Harlem, where young Rabbi David Matthew Dore leads the 300 members of the congregation in daily and holiday worship. Dore spoke recently at the Temple Shalom's annual installation service and brought a message of brotherhood, Judaism, and love of the Torah to the 250 people who jammed the basement room of the Temple. At first, the audience listened, skeptically trying to decide if the so-called rabbi, the only black one most had ever seen (or, even heard of) was reality - or fantasy. Soon, disbelief turned to belief, and by the end of the talk, the 22-year old rabbi had convinced the die-hards that yes, he was really Jewish (or, Hebrew, as he preferred); yes, his congregation observed Kashruth, Yom Kippur, Passover, minyan requirements, Hebrew education, and Talmud-Torah. Rabbi Dore spoke at length about the 1923 founding of the New York City synagogue (in the midst of Harlem); about his grandfather, Rabbi Wentworth Matthew, founder of the synagogue and spiritual leader until his death in 1973; and about the customs and ancestry of the Ethiopian, or Falashian, Hebrews. Throughout his talk (which he illustrated with slides) Dore's associate, Lloyd Yearwood, sat beside Dore timing his speech and encouraging his presentation. Dore was unsure whether he would be "accepted" or, even understood, he explained, and he considered it very important for other Jewish congregations to understand the Black Hebrews. Dore just graduated from Yeshiva College, with a B.A. degree in Hebraic Studies and Political Science, and will enter law school at either Cornell University or Boston University next fall. He was ordained as a rabbi at the age of 16, and attended Jewish Day Schools from elementary through high school. He and his congregation are legitimately recognized," said Rabbi Pikelney, spiritual advisor to Temple Shalom. "My grandfather, Rabbi Wentworth Matthew, was born in Africa, in 1892, and he received his smicha (ordination) in Ethiopia," said Dore. In Ethiopia, his grandfather was a member of an ancient sect of Ethiopian Hebrews who had lived in the back hills of the African country for centuries. There, they had adhered strictly to the Hebrew customs and beliefs, though their numbers were diminished because of the activities of slave traders and zealous Christian missionaries. Yet,"we refuse to go away," proclaimed Dore, as he retraced his congregation's history. "When my grandfather came to America in 1914, he saw a need for a school to train Ethiopian Hebrews, and he founded the Ethiopian Hebrew Rabinical College, which is chartered by the city and state," said Dore. "Rabbi Matthew stressed the importance of living our lives in accordance with Torah. He said we must never forsake these laws." In Africa, "We Africans practiced Judaism as a way of life; our circumcision rites, festivals, property laws, and the calendar are based on Jewish law. It was only after our ancestors were forced to convert to Christianity that we ceased practicing these ways. That is why we do not say that we have 'converted' to Judaism, unlike some Black groups," said Dore emphatically. Standing with a royal blue crocheted yarmulka covering his dark curly hair, Rabbi Dore persuasively continued for more than one hour, as a hushed, attentive crowd leaned forward to catch every syllable, every nuance of expression on his intense face. "We feel that we comprised various tribes of Israel, not just Judea," said Dore, who noted that years ago Israel passed a law that stated the Ethiopian Hebrews were included under the Law of Return which gives automatic Israeli citizenship to all Jews. (Unfortunately, he added, not all countries and communities are as educated as Israel, and have given some Ethiopian Hebrews a difficult time. Often the children are not accepted as "Jews.") "Gerut, the ritual conversion from one religion to another, has "plagued us for years because there is a belief that black Judaism is a fallacy, that it is not authentic. We hope that someday that will be overcome," said Dore. "We are a people with a history and a culture like yourselves; our Hebrew tradition is similar to your own, in Torah principle and customs, and we know we all possess a rich and glorious past and future," he added. The patriarch of the Harlem congregation is Dore's maternal grandfather, Rabbi Wentworth, who founded the synagogue in 1923 and served it loyally until his death in 1973, when young Dore was called upon to assume the leadership of the congregation. "No one else was trained to take over," said Dore, who plans to become a lawyer, and simultaneously serve his congretation - "an old Jewish tradition," [[s]]aid Rabbi Pikelny. In the slide presentation, it was apparent that the congregation consisted of solemn, devoted, practicing black Jews who observed the traditions of Judaism. Women sit separately from men; during High Holy Days, they wear white and cover their heads with long shawls. Taschich is observed by the entire congregation, which marches, en masse, through the streets of Harlem, to empty their pockets in the river and blow the ram's horn. "The black community never bothers us; they respect us and our efforts, and treat us with dignity," said Dore proudly. The interior of the synagogue has been hand-painted in places by my "grandfather, who brought the art of window-painting over from Ethiopia," said Dore. The traditional vestments worn on the holidays are beautifully designed, and the Holy Ark contains three elegant scrolls, donated by various members of the congregation. "One was a gift of an Ashenazic member who fled here from Nazi Germany and joined our congregation many years ago," said the young rabbi. Weekly prayer is conducted at the synagogue, at the break of dawn, and tefillim are worn, as are prayer shawls and yarmulkas. On Passover, it has long been traditional to hold congregational seders, to instruct the congregation in the meaning of the holiday and the order of the service. "Many of our members are too poor to hold their own seders," said Dore, as he pointed to a slide that showed his grandfather holding up the symbolic egg during a seder. "Our boys and girls study Hebrew and Bible from the time they are very young, and although we don't have a Bat Mitzvah ceremony, once a boy reaches the age of 13, he is called to the Torah," he said. The congregation is not wealthy; all the work is done by the members, with devotion and pride. At times, they converse in Hebrew. (Obviously, Yiddush never became a language "of the people" among the Ethiopians.) There are now 410,000 Ethiopian Hebrews in the country, said Dore, but, there are not enough synagogues to serve them. This is one reason his congregation never lacks members, nor do other black congregations in Brooklyn, Queens, Newark, and Philadelphia. The Harlem community is a complete one, with ritual observances, devotion to its Elders, a belief in the laws of Judaism, a dignity that comes with being part of one of the most ancient of all religions and peoples. Of course, there are ethnic dishes, African delicacies cooked with Kashruth laws in mind. One of Dore's favorites is "coo-coo," a dish made from okra, corn-meal and codfish. "We are Hebrews in every way and we are proud of our heritage," he added. [[line]] Rachel Rome writes for the Beverly Times. [[line]] [[label]] L. Yearwood 862-6543 25 West 132nd Street New York, N.Y. 10037 [[/label]]
