As we celebrate Black History Month, below are a few of the many Black and Jewish individuals who have made lasting contributions to music, writing, visual arts, and film. Explore their stories, dive into their work, and discover the incredible people who bring the beauty of Judaism to life in so many inspiring ways.
Music
Willie “The Lion” Smith
Born November 23, 1893 in Goshen, New York "The Lion" originally went by William Henry Joseph Bonaparte Bertholf before his mother remarried and he took the last name Smith. His mother took in washing and on Saturdays Willie would deliver clothes to a prosperous Jewish family in Newark, New Jersey. He heard the Hebrew chanting during the children's lessons and was invited to join. According to his account this led to him becoming a bar mitzvah at 13. He discovered later in life that his father had Jewish heritage, which deepened the connections he felt for the Jewish people and faith established during his childhood.
After service in WWI, Willie became a part of the Harlem Jazz scene and is credited as a major influence on Duke Ellington.
https://www.npr.org/2008/06/11/91365108/willie-the-lion-smith-stride-piano-master
https://jweekly.com/2023/11/22/remembering-willie-the-lion-smith-one-of-jazzs-first-jewish-stars/
Lenny Kravitz
Born to actress Roxie Roker and TV producer Sy Kravits, Lenny Kravits grew up in many traditions, Russian Jewish on his father's side, Caribbean-American on his mother's side, and entertainment royalty on both. As he writes in his memoir, Let Love Rule, “I am deeply two-sided: Black and white, Jewish and Christian, Manhattanite and Brooklynite.”
https://www.jpost.com/diaspora/lenny-kravitz-talks-about-his-jewish-upbringing-643641
Sammy Davis Jr.
A member of The Rat Pack, along with Dean Martin and Frank Sinatra, Sammy Davis Jr. grew up on the Vaudeville circuit as part of the Will Mastin Trio with his father and godfather. More than just a singer, Sammy Davis Jr. was a performer who could dance, do impersonations, stand up comedy, and more. Davis Jr. converted to Judaism after a car crash that cost him one of his eyes.
https://www.youmustrememberthispodcast.com/episodes/2021/12/sammydinoarchive21
https://indianapublicmedia.org/afterglow/the-rat-pack-sammy-davis-jr.php
Jared Jackson
Philadelphia-based Jazz musician Jared Jackson not only plays the saxophone and flute, but is also the Founder and Executive Director of Jews in ALL Hues, an education and advocacy organization that builds a world where intersectional diversity and dignity are normative.
https://www.jewsinallhues.org/board-and-staff
https://www.heyalma.com/6-black-jewish-artists-you-need-to-know/
Louis Armstrong
Cared for by a neighboring Jewish family during a difficult childhood, Louis Armstrong wore a Star of David for most of his life. Armstrong penned a memoir of his time with the Karnofsky’s titled Louis Armstrong + the Jewish Family in New Orleans, La. The Year of 1907.
https://forward.com/schmooze/346884/the-secret-jewish-history-of-louis-armstrong/
Black Musicians Who Sang Jewish Songs
https://www.npr.org/2010/09/12/129779902/the-secret-musical-history-of-black-sabbath
https://idelsohnsociety.com/music/black-sabbath/
Books and Movies
Black, White and Jewish: Autobiography of a Shifting Self - Rebecca Walker, author
Rebecca Walker is a best-selling writer and producer who creates work around identity, power, and the evolution of the human family. She speaks widely, from conferences and literary festivals to corporate campuses and over four hundred universities.
https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/290952/black-white-and-jewish-by-rebecca-walker/
https://www.rebeccawalker.com/
Tiffany Haddish: Black Mitzvah - Tiffany Haddish, stand up comedian
Actress and comedian Tiffany Haddish didn't grow up knowing she was Jewish, but she did work for years as a "hype man" for b'nei mitzvah. Upon reconnecting with her estranged father when she was 27, she discovered he was an Eritrean Jew who grew up in Eritrea where being Jewish was illegal. She did a 23&Me DNA test to confirm her ancestry and became a bat mitzvah at 40 years old.
Watch her special: https://www.netflix.com/title/80221271
https://www.heyalma.com/tiffany-haddish-loves-being-jewish-we-talked-to-her-about-it/
https://jewishunpacked.com/comedian-tiffany-haddishs-trip-to-israel-and-jewish-background/
Aulcie - documentary about basketball player Aulcie Perry, directed by Dani Menkin
This film follows Aulcie Perry, a basketball player born in Newark, NJ, who was recruited in 1976 to play center for Israel's Maccabi Tel Aviv B.C. In Israel he became a star, helped his team win numerous Euroleague titles, converted to Judaism, and dated a supermodel before his life derailed due to drug addiction.
The documentary follows Perry as he reconnects with his daughter and tells the story of his complex and layered life.
https://vimeo.com/ondemand/aulcie/1045553798
Blewish - short animation by Ezra Edmond
The short film Blewish, written and directed by Ezra Edmond, premiered at the 2021 Chicago International Children's Film Festival and has been an official selection at numerous festivals.
Blewish is the story of a boy stuck in the middle and his journey to create a world where no child feels the pressure to choose between parts of themselves.
They Aint Ready for Me - documentary about Tamar Manasseh directed by Brad Rothschild
They Ain’t Ready for Me, is the feature-length documentary about Tamar Manasseh, an African American rabbinical student and mother of two, who is leading the fight against gun violence in her Chicago neighborhood. Tired of waiting, Manasseh sat down at the corner of 75th Street and South Stewart Avenue and hasn't left.
https://theyaintreadyforme.com/
https://www.kanopy.com/en/product/they-aint-ready-me
Tahara - written by Jess Zeidman, directed by Olivia Peace
In this microbudget film with a 97% on Rotten Tomatoes, two best friends attend the funeral of a Hebrew school classmate who died by suicide and end up damaging their friendship beyond repair.
Available to watch on Amazon Prime, Youtube, Google Play, Apple TV, and Fandango at home.
https://www.heyalma.com/this-queer-coming-of-age-film-nails-the-jewish-teen-experience/
https://www.filmmovement.com/tahara
Actors
Rashida Jones
The daughter of musician and producer Quincy Jones and actress Peggy Lipton, Rashida Jones was raised Jewish. She told American Jewish Life Magazine, "I really liked the cultural and the familial side of Judaism. It was always the most comfortable place for me, making time for family and community.” After attending Harvard, Jones went on to a full acting career, best known for her roll on Parks and Rec.
https://www.kveller.com/rashida-jones-reflects-on-her-black-jewish-identity/
Maya Rudolph
Born to Ashkenazi Jewish composer and producer Richard Rudolph and African American singer and songwriter Minnie Riperton, Rudolph lost her mother at the age of six. In an interview with the Independent, Maya talks about her relationship with her Jewish father, “We talk a lot on the phone about the medicines we’ve taken recently,” Rudolph said. “We talk a lot about what new medicines we might want to try."
https://forward.com/schmooze/330454/maya-rudolph-traces-her-roots-all-the-way-back-to-vilna/
Tracee Ellis-Ross
Daughter of the iconic Diana Ross and music business manager Robert Ellis Silberstein, Ellis-Ross identifies with both her heritages.
“I’ve always felt a connection to both,” she told 18doors. "We didn’t go to temple; my dad didn’t go to temple. He wasn’t particularly religious but he’s definitely Jewish. We would have a Christmas tree in the living room and a menorah in the kitchen. I actually have the menorah that his father gave to him when he was a child.”
https://18doors.org/tracee_ellis_ross_blackish_and_jewish/
Daveed Diggs
Born in Berkeley, California to his Jewish mother Barbara and African-American father, Dountes, Daveed told The Independent, “I am Jewish,” Diggs explains, “and I was raised as a more practicing Jew than I am now. But still, [it was] this particular Berkeley brand of Judaism that’s pretty lax!” Daveed also plays a Rabbi on the AppleTV+ show, Extrapolations, which premiered in 2023.
Eric André
Raised by an Afro-Haitian father and white Ashkenazi Jewish mom, André identifies as Black and Jewish, or, "Blewish." Though he's an atheist, André told Vice, “I’m actually pretty nervous.” He went on to say, “I’m like Larry David on the inside of this. You should see me on a [first] date… I’m swallowing involuntary… I’ll go to the bathroom every five minutes, I have napkins piled up because I’m drying my hands off, I’m reading the Torah, lighting a menorah…”
https://www.heyalma.com/18-things-to-know-about-eric-andre/
