Black Jews: The Roots of the Olive Tree

Over the course of the 20th century, a large number of groups in Sub-Saharan Africa spontaneously converted to Judaism and claimed Jewish identity. These communities respect the worship rituals and dietary restrictions of Judaism, which they often learn from the Internet, as well as through Jewish culture (including cuisines, music, and language). Laurence Gavron’s film gives an account of this black Judaism through an African community— that of Cameroon, with Serge Etélé as its spiritual leader. Featuring an interview with Rabbi Capers Funnye, Michelle Obama’s cousin and leader of the black Jewish community in the United States.

Screening with: 

The Dance of King David
Axel Baumann, USA, 2011, 32m
English and Amharic with English subtitles
In this documentary about the history and contemporary worship of the Ark of the Covenant, Axel Baumann examines the disappearance of the Ark from Israel and its reemergence in Ethiopia, and witnesses the “Dance of King David”—an ancient rite still performed by Jews and Ethiopians alike.