[R. B.]

Why do so many Afrocentric jewelry merchants sell Jewish stars? Are they marketing to Jewish African Americans? Or do the stars mean something different in this context? Is there anything anti-Semitic going on?

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Name : R. B., Gender : F, Sexual Orientation : Lesbian, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Jewish, Age : 31, City : Washington, State : DC, Country : United States, Occupation : student, Education level : Over 4 Years of College, Social class : Middle class, 

[Joanna]

I could be mistaken, but I know there is an Afrocentric religious group known as the Israelites. According to the Israelites the true descendants of the Hebrew Israelites of the Bible are Africans and African-Americans. Since they believe they are the true descendents of the tribes of Israel, they have the right to wear the Star of David. To learn more about the Israelites go to http://www.12tribes.com Someone correct me if I am wrong, but I believe this could be the explanation.

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Name : Joanna, Gender : F, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Religion : Christian, Age : 26, City : Commack, State : NY, Country : United States, Occupation : social work, Education level : 4 Years of College, Social class : Lower middle class, 

[Jennifer R.]

Hi R., There are some subculture groups among the black diaspora in this country who consider themselves and all black people the lost tribes of Israel. They may wear the star for that reason. I don’t think there’s any anti-Semitism going on with that, as spurious as their claims may be. ______________________________

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Name : Jennifer R., Gender : F, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : Black/African American, Religion : Humanist, Age : 29, City : Saint Paul, State : MN, Country : United States, Occupation : Writer/Student, Education level : 4 Years of College, Social class : Middle class, 

[Floyd L.]

Well I presume you are talking about the symbol of intertwined equilateral triangles which is often referred to as the Star of David. The symbol is much older than Judaism, older even than history! It has long been acknowledged as the model for balance and wholeness. It is common in the Middle East and North Africa, and is thought to bring good luck. It appears occasionally in early Jewish artwork, but never as an exclusively Jewish symbol. As a model of balance and wholeness and a sign of good luck everybody should feel free to embrace it. It gained popularity as a symbol of Judaism when it was adopted by the Zionist movement in the late 19th century but continued to be controversial for many years afterward, with sometimes acrimonious debate over whether it would be used on the flag of present day Israel. While it is now recognized universally as a special symbol in Judiasm, it is not nor has it ever been unique to Judiasm. It truly taxes me to see how you could possibly deduce an inference of anti-semtism from the sale of this merchandise. It is as if you are saying it has to be anti-semitic if a black is having anything to do with it. That strikes me as being rather perverse.

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Name : Floyd L., Gender : M, Age : 59, City : Memphis, State : TN, Country : United States, 

[Joanna]

I have a friend who used to be a member of the Hebrew Israelites, an Afrocentric religion. According to the Israelites, Africans and African Americans are the true descendants of the original 12 tribes of Israel. They wear the Star of David to identify themselves as the true sons and daughters of Israel. For more information about the Israelites, you can see the web site http://www.12tribes.com. That site describes in detail the beliefs of the Israelites and provides scriptural passages to back up their beliefs. In addition, many Rastafarians wear the Star of David.

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Name : Joanna, Gender : F, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Religion : Christian, Age : 26, City : Commack, State : NY, Country : United States, Occupation : social work, Education level : 4 Years of College, Social class : Lower middle class, 

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