James E. Landing’s chapter, “Black Judaism in Harlem, New York City, 1896-1930,” gives a brief history of the establishment of black Judaism in New York. In the late-1890s through the early-1900s, evidence of black jews and Jewish families began to appear, and black preachers, such as Prophet Crowdy, took to the streets of Harlem to spread the word of Judaism. Landing continues to describe the establishment of foundations such as the Universal Negro Improvement Association (UNIA), the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), and the movement sparked by Warien Roberson, an evangelist, who began what became known as “Roberson’s movement.” Roberson’s followers were taught the doctrine, “we who are black worship Christ; Christ was a Jew; therefore we are Black Jews” (Landing 122). The chapter goes on to mention several other influential black rabbis such as Arnold Josiah Ford, Wentworth Arthur Matthew, and Mordecai Herman and their impact on the black Jewish community in New York City and elsewhere. 

One strength of the chapter is Landing’s use of a summary at the end of the section. He covers a lot of dense factual information throughout the chapter, and the addition of a summary effectively consolidated the chapter in an accessible page and a half long section. Another strength featured in Landing’s piece is describing the important interconnections between each rabbi mentioned in the article. This highlights the universal efforts it took to create congregations, gather followers, and come together to fight oppression in other countries. While Landing effectively examined many influential participants of the black Jewish movement that began in New York City in the early-1900s, the formatting of the chapter was arguably disjointed, and the amount of detail placed on each rabbi is unequal. Another weakness of Landing’s chapter is that it is challenging to parse what his exact argument is until the conclusion of the chapter. In the main sections, he describes the life and work of each black rabbi and mentions their connection with one another but does not detail a tangible thesis. After the chapter concludes, readers then understand the Landing’s purpose is to emphasize the various strategies for black rabbis in New York City to popularize and spread Judaism.

Landing, James E., Black Judaism in Harlem, New York City, 1896-1930, Black Judaism: story of an American movement, Carolina Academic Press, (2002): pp. 119-157.