A glimpse into the diverse stories of Black Jews in the United States

What makes a Jew? This book traces the history of Jews of African descent in America and the counter-narratives they have put forward as they stake their claims to Jewishness.
The Soul of Judaism offers the first exploration of the full diversity of Black Jews, including bi-racial Jews of both matrilineal and patrilineal descent; adoptees; black converts to Judaism; and Black Hebrews and Israelites, who trace their Jewish roots to Africa and challenge the dominant western paradigm of Jews as white and of European descent.
Blending historical analysis and oral history, Haynes showcases the lives of Black Jews within the Orthodox, Conservative, Reconstruction and Reform movements, as well as the religious approaches that push the boundaries of the common forms of Judaism we know today. He illuminates how in the quest to claim whiteness, American Jews of European descent gained the freedom to express their identity fluidly while African Americans have continued to be seen as a fixed racial group. This book demonstrates that racial ascription has been shaping Jewish selfhood for centuries. Pushing us to reassess the boundaries between race and ethnicity, it offers insight into how Black Jewish individuals strive to assert their dual identities and find acceptance within their respective communities.
Putting to rest the simplistic notion that Jews are white and that Black Jews are therefore a contradiction, the volume argues that we can no longer pigeonhole Black Hebrews and Israelites as exotic, militant, and nationalistic sects outside the boundaries of mainstream Jewish thought and community life. The volume spurs us to consider the significance of the growing population of self-identified Black Jews and its implications for the future of American Jewry.

"Haynes...surveys an underreported aspect of contemporary American Judaism in an accessible book. [The author] provides detailed information about the origins, history, culture, and differences of discrete categories of black Jews. [A]good introduction to the subject." - Publishers Weekly

"In his new beautiful book,The Soul of Judaism,Bruce Haynes brings together his expertise in sociology, Jewish studies, and African-American studies to explore the history and situation of Jews of African descent in the United States. In doing so, he also adds to the large literature on the racialization of European-heritage Jews in the West." - Reading Religion

"In a highly readable and intellectually engaging book, Haynes examines, among other contentions, how the ‘whitening’ of Jewish identity continues to limit the claims of black Jews and black Hebrews, the formalized and strengthened factors that influence black Americans who convert to Judaism, and the approaches blacks and Jews use to navigate diverging interests of two stigmatized group identities." - Journal of American History

"The Soul of Judaism tells us as much about the ‘soul of America’ as it does about the interesting investments made over time by those seeking to deconstruct and bypass the hard-and-fast borders that often make it impossible for many of us to think of black identity and Jewish identity at one and the same time." - American Journal of Sociology

"The Soul of Judaism is the most comprehensive study of its kind to date… [it] should stand on the shelves of everyone who is interested in the shifting dynamics of religion, ethnicity and race in America." - Nova Religio