Israhell snubs Black Americans who convert to judaism, even by President's rabbi

[yankeedoodle]

We have here a story of a Black American who's mother converted to judaism, and he thinks he's a jew, but Israhell won't accept either his mother or him.  So, he got President Biden's rabbi to do the conversion, and Israhell still won't accept him.  Which shows the contempt Israhell has for Black Americans, and even for the President of the United States.

Basketball player who converted to Judaism over Zoom denied Israeli citizenship
https://forward.com/fast-forward/482225/basketball-player-who-converted-to-judaism-zoom-denied-israeli-citizenship/

A U.S. basketball player, who converted to Judaism through "Biden's rabbi," was notified on Wednesday that his application for Israeli citizenship had been rejected because of problems with the conversion.

Originally from Philadelphia, Jared Armstrong had planned to immigrate to Israel so that he could play point guard for Hapoel Haifa, a team in the Israeli Basketball Premier League.

Rabbi Michael Beals, the spiritual leader of Beth Shalom in Wilmington, Delaware – a congregation affiliated with the Conservative movement – oversaw his conversion. One of the main reasons the conversion was rejected, according to a letter sent to Armstrong by the Interior Ministry, was that the classes were held on Zoom.

"It makes me crazy," Beals, who has been called "my rabbi" by President Biden, said in a telephone conversation. "Hasn't Israel experienced COVID as well? I mean this decision shows so much disconnect."

Armstrong, 24, grew up in a family active in an African-American synagogue in Philadelphia. His father was not Jewish, and his mother had converted to Judaism through the synagogue. Because Congregation Temple Beth'El is not affiliated with any of the main Jewish denominations, however, Armstrong was told that his mother's conversion was not recognized. Therefore, if he wanted to immigrate to Israel, he would have to undergo a conversion through one of the recognized movements.

Beals described the decision to reject Armstrong's application for citizenship as "racist" and an "insult to the Conservative movement."

"I think the founders of Israel would be turning in their graves if they saw how their values have been upended by the Interior Ministry," said the rabbi. "I can tell you that Jared spent more hours in a synagogue as a young kid than I did."

Beals, who was asked to deliver a special pre-inauguration blessing to Biden last year, said he has known the U.S. president for 16 years. They met at the shiva of one of his congregants who had donated $18 to each and every one of Biden's political campaigns.

Armstrong had signed a multi-year contract with Hapoel Haifa on the assumption that he would be able to become an Israeli citizen through the Law of Return, which allows converts to immigrate and become citizens immediately. Israeli basketball teams are limited in the number of foreign players they can recruit, and therefore, prefer recruiting Jews who can immigrate under the Law of Return and obtain automatic citizenship.

Armstrong arrived in Israel last summer on Birthright, the program which provides free trips to Israel for young Jewish adults. He stayed on and continued playing for Hapoel Haifa, while applying for citizenship. His initial application was rejected a few months ago, and he decided to appeal the decision. On Wednesday, he was notified that his appeal had been rejected as well. He will, therefore, no longer be allowed to play for the team.

The Interior Ministry said in its rejection letter that it was convinced that the only reason that Armstrong had converted was so that he could play basketball in Israel. The letter also noted that Armstrong had not been active in a Jewish congregation for a period of at least nine months following his conversion, as required under the Law of Return.

"This feels like the end of the world for me," said Armstrong. "I am simply heartbroken."




Congregation Temple Beth'El
http://www.bethel-ph.org/about.html

​Rabbi L. E. Dailey, z''l

Rabbi L. E. Dailey, Founder
Congregation Temple Beth'EL

​The life of our late founder Rabbi Louise Elizabeth Dailey, z''l, began in Annapolis, MD.  She came from a religious family, her father was an orthodox Baptist minister, and was the founder of the Second Baptist Church.  He was, however, unorthodox in that he would gather the men of the community, and have Bible study on "Saturdays."  Reverend Spencer also had a strange habit of wearing his hat at all times.  Rabbi Dailey could not remember seeing him without it.  The family salted their meats before cooking it, and they covered the mirrors when there was a death in the family, sitting quietly in darkened rooms for seven days.  The Spencer family were strict about "Sabbath" worship, which for them was Sunday. The family was not allowed to do any work, play in the streets, go to the theater, or have any other pleasures on that day, in honor of the directive in the Commandments.  Rabbi Dailey later referred to it as "misdirected devotion."  Reverend Spencer did believe in the power of prayer, and he encouraged his family to utilize it.  It was this religious background that led Rabbi Dailey to become the great leader of the Jewish faith among communities of Color.

Rabbi Dailey, z''l, who was referred to as "Mother Dailey" by most people who knew her, left Annapolis in the 1940s and relocated to Philadelphia, PA.  Once here, she worked as a domestic in a Jewish home.  While there she had an epiphany; there were so many things that the family did which were familiar.  They were traditions that mirrored those of her family in Annapolis.  She felt that this was more than a coincidence, and it was then that she began to pray for guidance and asked if The Most High would teach her "the ways of the Hebrews" with whom she so identified.

Change began immediately.  She began to observe the Sabbath on Saturday, and to keep a kosher home.  She also began a prayer group in her living room; people heard about it and came to pray and to hear this speaker with the indomitable spirit.  The group grew by word of mouth, and soon she had a group too large for he living room to accommodate.  This was in fact the early beginning of Congregation Temple Bethel.  Over time, it became a formal entity, and Rabbi Dailey purchased three additional buildings in an attempt to accommodate her growing membership.  Once settled at the present location on Lowber Avenue in West Oak Lane, she realized that what she needed was a Synagogue that would allow her community to worship The Most High as Jews should.  She presented the idea to the congregants, and they joined in the building project which resulted in our current edifice.

Just as the Children of Israel journeyed through the Wilderness of old, so have we journeyed through a modern-day wilderness full of obstacles intended to deter us from the "Promised Land."  Under the leadership of Rabbi Dailey, we trudged on and continue to do so.  Our community continues to grow as our children, who have grown up knowing only Judaism, carry on the traditions taught to us by our leader, and as others hear the story, and begin the process of Teshuva (Return).

Rabbi Dailey, z''l, was the birth mother of five children, and the adoptive mother of many more.  She departed this life on March 27, 2001 (Nissan 3rd), but she remains alive in our hearts.

[yankeedoodle]

After months of delays, Israel permits American basketball player to live in the country — but only temporarily
https://www.jta.org/2022/05/09/israel/after-months-of-delays-israel-permits-american-basketball-player-to-live-in-the-country-but-only-temporarily

Israel has granted a temporary residency to American basketball player Jared Armstrong, ending for now a months-long saga of multiple rejections, accusations of racism and petitions by influential people including an American investor and a rabbi with close ties to President Joe Biden.

Israel's Interior Ministry, which handles citizenship applications, told the Jewish Telegraphic Agency of its decision Sunday, three weeks after Armstrong's tourist visa expired and one week after the ministry announced it would be granting citizenship to Portuguese soccer player Miguel Vitor.

The decision by Interior Minister Ayelet Shaked to recognize Vitor as a citizen, allowing him to play for Israel's national soccer team with the backing of the Israeli soccer federation and the ministry of culture and sports, had proven controversial.

Israeli media questioned why one athlete had received preferential treatment while Armstrong, who was raised Jewish and underwent a formal conversion as part of his citizenship bid, had seen his case drag on with no resolution.

Armstrong had appeared on Israeli television last week the day before Yom Hazikaron, Israel's Memorial Day, to press a case he had advanced any way he could over the preceding months. He told JTA Monday that he remains optimistic about securing citizenship in the future.

"It's been very stressful, a complete rollercoaster," Armstrong said. "But I feel OK that I'm one step closer to receiving citizenship."

Armstrong's rabbi, the Wilmington, Delaware-based Michael Beals, had a more pessimistic view of the situation, lambasting Shaked for failing to grant his charge full citizenship.

"I'm afraid the minister's temporary residence decision makes Jared dependent on the state for welfare and support as the basketball teams who want him cannot employ him," Beals told JTA. "I'm appalled — not grateful! I fear there is no accountability in Israeli political governance."

Beals said that Shaked "must do teshuva [repentance] now and grant Jared the full Israeli citizenship his case deserves. Immediately."

For now, temporary residency will allow Armstrong, a Philadelphia native and former college ball player for Slippery Rock University, to live and work legally in Israel. Temporary residency in Israel is valid for three years, with the option to renew for an additional two.

But whether Armstrong will be able to accept an offer to play for the Israeli club basketball team Hapoel Haifa is unclear.

Local rules strictly limit the number of non-Israeli players that teams can include on their rosters. So foreign athletes often apply for citizenship — and, because Israel's immigration policy demands proof of Jewish ancestry or a recognized conversion process for citizenship, many convert to Judaism as part of the process.

Armstrong's conversion has not been recognized by Israeli authorities. As recently as May 1, the same day Vitor's conversion was accepted, Shaked's office told JTA, "Armstrong's conversion does not meet the criteria in Israel."

Armstrong was raised Jewish by a mother whose conversion is not recognized by any of the major Jewish denominations, so he underwent a formal conversion as part of his bid to move to Israel.

In denying his citizenship bid, the Interior Ministry claimed he was only trying to convert so that he could play basketball — a charge that Armstrong emphatically denied in a JTA op-ed.

"Not for once did I ever think someone doubted my identity among the Jewish people. My mom and community taught and raised me as a Jew," he wrote. "Instead of treating me like a Jew wanting to come home, they [the ministry] regard me as an infiltrator trying to take part in something that I have no right to."

One wrinkle in Armstrong's conversion was that Beals is affiliated with the Conservative movement. Israel's Supreme Court has ruled that Israel is required to grant citizenship to non-Orthodox Jewish converts, but the country's religious leadership has resisted that ruling.

Israel also challenged the conversion in part because Armstrong had studied online during the pandemic.

Beals, who is often referred to as "Joe Biden's rabbi" because of his close connections to the president, had accused the Israeli government of being "racist" in its handling of Armstrong's case. Armstrong is Black, and Israel has an inconsistent history in deciding on citizenship cases involving Black Jews.

Beals questioned why Israel would want "to reduce a proud young Jewish African-American man to dependency through a decision of temporary residency." (Beals will be delivering a prayer for the state of Israel Thursday alongside Mike Herzog, Israel's ambassador to the United States, at the U.S. Embassy in Washington, D.C.)

Armstrong used Joey Low — a well-connected intermediary, American venture capitalist and major investor in Israeli startups — to facilitate a Feb. 28 meeting with a member of Shaked's staff. Low has also been a fierce advocate for African migrants in Israel, speaking out against the country's deportations of tens of thousands of refugees.

In WhatsApp voice messages reviewed by JTA, that staffer told Low that a decision would be made on Armstrong's application for citizenship within the month. Instead, it took more than two months to reach a temporary resolution.

During that time, Armstrong stayed in a Tel Aviv hostel under a tourist visa, kept a regular training regimen in a local gym and used a GoFundMe to help cover his expenses, as he was legally prohibited from finding work in the country.

"My life is in complete standstill," Armstrong had told JTA prior to the ministry's ruling. "I'm ready for this to be over."

In his own citizenship application, Vitor underwent an Orthodox conversion within Israel. In a tweet announcing his citizenship, Shaked noted another aspect of his story that may have worked in his favor: "His wife, by the way, works in the foreign media and fiercely defends Israel."

Armstrong isn't the only athlete to have encountered immigration hurdles to play in Israel. Pedro Galvan, an Argentine soccer player who played for Tel Aviv's club team for 10 years, was deported along with his family in 2019 after being cut from the team. He also saw his own application for citizenship denied by the Interior Ministry.

In the aftermath of the Vitor decision last week, Boris Klaiman, an Israeli soccer player who currently plays for a Greek club team, questioned why the outcomes for Vitor and Galvan had been so different. "Why [was] Miguel Vitor [a] yes and Pedro Galaban and his four daughters who grew up in Israel were deported?" Klaiman asked in an Instagram post.

Armstrong and his supporters also cited another recent high-profile citizenship case, that of Russian oligarch Mikhail Prokhorov, in their public appeals. Prokhorov, Russia's 12th-richest man and onetime owner of the Brooklyn Nets, recently flew to Israel on his private jet, where he applied for and received citizenship in a manner of days, based on the ancestry of his Jewish grandmother.

[yankeedoodle]

Jared Armstrong, basketball player who fought for Israeli citizenship, is now working to promote Black-Jewish relations
https://www.jta.org/2023/08/24/sports/jared-armstrong-basketball-player-who-fought-for-israeli-citizenship-is-now-working-to-promote-black-jewish-relations

Basketball player Jared Armstrong made headlines last year for his months-long effort to obtain Israeli citizenship. Armstrong, who was raised Jewish and completed a Conservative conversion to help his citizenship bid, was rejected multiple times before being granted temporary residence last May. The case drew attention from prominent Jewish leaders and drew accusations of racism.

It also cost him a spot on Hapoel Haifa, a team in Israel's top basketball league, he told the Jewish Telegraphic Agency. The team voided his contract because he didn't receive citizenship in time.

But this weekend, before returning to play hoops in Israel's second-tier league, Armstrong is putting the drama aside to focus on something else he is passionate about: strengthening the relationship between the Jewish and Black communities.

On Sunday, Armstrong is running a free basketball clinic for sixth, seventh and eighth graders in Philadelphia. If all goes well, he hopes to start a two-week summer camp next year to continue this work.

"With a rich history of Black and Jewish relations, and kind of where we're at in society, it's only right that we come closer together," Armstrong said. "I thought it would be great to do that starting from the youngest age and up."

The controversies and accusations of antisemitism surrounding rapper Kanye West and NBA star Kyrie Irving last year led to increased calls for collaboration between the Black and Jewish communities, from members of Congress to other prominent sports leaders like New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft.

Armstrong said 28 kids have signed up for his clinic, including both Jewish and Black athletes, with some attendees coming in from as far as Connecticut. His goal is to use sports as a vehicle for combating antisemitism and racism, and he hopes that as many as 80 sign up for a camp next year.

"I think at a young age, most kids have a passion for something they love," Armstrong said. "Sports are normally the first thing they fall in love with, and it's a great way to build community, build lifelong relationships and learn a lot of life lessons."

This weekend's participants will hear from Eric Rubin, a veteran financial executive who is involved in several Jewish organizations aimed at using sports to combat hate.

Rubin is the managing director of Project Max, a collaboration between the Maccabi World Union sports umbrella and the Israeli AI company Sighteer. Its mission is to "fight racism, antisemitism, and intolerance through sports." Armstrong sits on the group's advisory board. Rubin is also a board member of Athletes for Israel, the organization that has organized Israel trips for a number of top U.S. collegiate basketball teams.

Armstrong said Rubin will speak to the participants about "the importance of community and being able to work with people that are different from you." Attendees will also meet American former professional basketball player Bilal Benn, who has played in Israel.

Growing up in Severn, Maryland before moving to Philadelphia during middle school, Armstrong was raised Jewish by a mother whose conversion is not recognized by any of the major Jewish denominations. His own conversion was overseen by Rabbi Michael Beals, a Conservative rabbi in Delaware known for his close relationship with U.S. President Joe Biden. Beals has said that Israel's rejection of Armstrong's citizenship application was an "insult to the Conservative movement," whose rabbis have struggled for recognition in a state where religious affairs are dominated by Orthodox rabbis.

At the same time Armstrong's case was denied by Israel's Interior Ministry last year, Portuguese soccer player Miguel Vitor was granted citizenship to play soccer in Israel. Israeli media questioned why Vitor received preferential treatment while Armstrong saw his case drag on with no resolution.

At the end of the month, Armstrong, who played Division II basketball at Slippery Rock University in Pennsylvania, is headed back to Israel to join Elitzur Ironi Ashkelon, a team in Liga Leumit, or National League, Israel's second tier of professional basketball. Last year, he ultimately played for Maccabi Rishon LeZion, which is also in Liga Leumit. The season begins in October.

"I have lifelong friends that I've made in Israel, not only through my case, but outside of my case and through playing basketball," Armstrong said. "I love the country as a whole. I love being there. I love the experience. It's my second home."

Armstrong said he hasn't faced any racism in Israel, but rather what he called ignorance from those who question his Jewishness based on the color of his skin.

"I think there's just a lack of information that I see not only Israel, [but] in the American community as well," Armstrong said. "That needs to change."

Beals told JTA that he and Armstrong are still in touch throughout the year, especially when Armstrong is in the U.S.

"I only have great things to say about Jared Armstrong — his persistence, his vision, his ability to turn lemonade from lemons," Beals said.

Beals praised Armstrong for staying the course through his citizenship fight. "Other people would've given up, but he had a bigger picture of what he wanted to achieve," Beals said.

"He really personifies everything I would hope for in a human being," Beals added.