14 Black Jewish Celebrities [Photos]

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You don’t have to spend hours studying the differences between those of Ashkenazi Jewish descent and Sephardic Jewish descent to understand the proximity of Northern Africa to the homeland and Jews in the African Diaspora.

It wouldn’t hurt though. Stars such as Rashida Jones have often spoke about their racial and religious self identification and the outside perception included. It gets deep. Hit the jump as we quickly run down these 14 Black Jewish celebrities representing for the Tribe.

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Photo: Cash Money/Universal

photo: WENN

Lauren London

In previous interviews, London has alluded to being sent to “all white summer camps” while with her dad. She cites one of her heroes as Barbara Streisand and self identifies as biracial and half Jewish.

photo: WENN

Shyne

After converting to Orthodox Judaism, Shyne changed his name to Moses Levi in part because of his mother being of Ethiopian Jewish descent.

photo: WENN

Amar’e Stoudemire

As per custom, Amar’e claims Jewish lineage via his mother, and became increasingly interested in studying the culture in 2010. He sports a Star of David tattoo. After much interest in Stoudemire’s lineage, his agent said he was merely researching the lineage and was not Jewish.

photo: WENN

Drake

We know Drizzy’s affiliation with the Tribe is strong. Aside from constantly shouting out his mother Sandi (remember the custom of matrilineal descent), Drake got down Bar Mitzvah style in his “HYFR” video.

photo: WENN

Rashida Jones

Jones has stated she didn’t have a bat mitzvah and left Hebrew school when at the age of 10. She identifies as both biracial and Jewish.

photo: WENN

Tracee Ellis Ross

Black-ish star Tracee Ellis Ross was born Tracee Joy Silberstein as the daughter of Diana Ross and music biz manager Robert Ellis Silberstein. She credits Silberstein with her comedic timing.

photo: WENN

Goapele

The talented and beautiful singer is the byproduct of a South African father and New York-born Israeli Jewish mother.

photo: WENN

Lisa Bonet

Part of the initial allure of Bonet and Lenny Kravitz union was they were both the biracial children of Jewish descent. Bonet has a Jewish mother and an African-American, non-Jewish father.

photo: WENN

Lenny Kravitz

Kravitz is the son of white, Jewish TV producer, Sy Kravitz, and a black non-Jewish mother, actress Roxie Roker.

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Craig David

British R&B star Craig David keeps up with the Holy High Holidays and self-identifies as Jewish. He gets bonus Tribe points since he is Jewish via matrilineal descent.

photo: WENN

Maya Rudolph

While most know Rudolph’s mother is the late Soul singer Minnie Ripperton, her father is Ashkenazi Jewish.

photo: WENN

Sean Paul

Dancehall star Sean Paul is one-quarter Jewish by virtue of his paternal grandfather. The man born Sean Paul Ryan Francis Henriques traces his lineage to the offspring of Spanish and Portuguese Jews who fled to the British Caribbean in the Spanish Inquisition.

photo: WENN

Ben Harper

Harper gets the matrilineal descent nod, while his father is African-American. Ma Dukes, Ellen Harper, is also a musician, and they two cut their Coming Home album together.

photo: WENN

Sammy Davis Jr.

After the 1954 car accident that claimed his eye landed him in the hospital, Davis sparked up a conversation with a Jewish Rabbi and later converted. He wrote a pretty detailed account of his conversion in a 1960 issue of Ebony magazine.