University of Pennsylvania ScholarlyCommons Publicly Accessible Penn Dissertations 1965 Adat Beyt Moshe -- The Colored House Of Moses, A Study Of The Contemporary Negro Religious Community And Its Leader Martin Gelman University of Pennsylvania Follow this and additional works at: https://repository.upenn.edu/edissertations Part of the Anthropology Commons Recommended Citation Gelman, Martin, "Adat Beyt Moshe -- The Colored House Of Moses, A Study Of The Contemporary Negro Religious Community And Its Leader" (1965). Publicly Accessible Penn Dissertations. 3546. https://repository.upenn.edu/edissertations/3546 This paper is posted at ScholarlyCommons. https://repository.upenn.edu/edissertations/3546 For more information, please contact [email protected]. Adat Beyt Moshe -- The Colored House Of Moses, A Study Of The Contemporary Negro Religious Community And Its Leader Abstract The central purpose of this work is a study of Adat Beyt Moshe, America's "First Colored Jewish Community", in Elwood, New Jersey. They comprise a group of Negroes who believe their ancestry to be remnant Hebrew and are implementing a socio-religious movement to "reclaim others of their kind" and return to Israel. Degree Type Dissertation Degree Name Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) Graduate Group Anthropology First Advisor Robert M. Netting Subject Categories Anthropology This dissertation is available at ScholarlyCommons: https://repository.upenn.edu/edissertations/3546 . ADAT BEYT MOSHE - THE COLORED HOUSE OF MOSES: A STUDY OF A CONTEMPORAR Y NEGRO RELIGIOUS COMMUNITY AND ITS LEADER Martin Gelman A DISSERTATION in Dep~rtment of Anthx:opology Presented to the Faculty of the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences of the University of Pennsylvania in Partial Fulfillment of the Require- . ments for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy 1965 ' , . tf?&/~~ .. Supervisor of Disserta~r ~£-(. (llaRhub ~ roup Chairman ; N)~_:" ::,' , ii ',I, .'rvania ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ,,,-pc It is with the deep sense of gratitude that I note the invaluable assistance rendered me by many people in the p re pa r at lo n of this study. My appreciation is given to the Department of Health, Education and Welfare National Institute of Mental Health, Bet he s da., Maryland, whose research grant MH. 13,511 made this work possible. I wish to thank Dr. , Arthur Parris, Lawrence Hurlick and Shalom 'Altman for the abundant help in dealing with the sacred music of Adat Beyt Moshe. But special ..,~ gratitude 'is due to my Dissertation Supervisors: pr~. Robe rt M. Netting, ~ . ~ Anthony F. C. Wallace and Igor Kopytoff whose encouraging counsel and ~ c~nstructive criticism proved inordinate~y helpful. To Dr. Robert M. ~Netting whose particular efforts were beyond any help expected from an , advisor, a most sincere appreciation is extended. ' ~, ' ~ , ~ I wish also to express my gratitude to the many members of ~ydat Beyt Moshe and its leader, Rabbi Abel Respes, who permitted this ,,\~nvestigation to be made. ', 1 This dissertation is affectionately dedicated to my wife, Gertrude, "iwhose patience, 'encouragement and hard labor are beyond -thanks , ~ . ,.". iii INDEX Africa, 8, 4Z,44,87 Daddy Grace, 163 Alabama, 10 Dawn, 14 American Colonization Depression. 9, 134 Society, 6 Deuteronomy, 45, 47 Atlantic County, N. J'., 19 Devil, the, 65 Divine, Father, 9. 15. 163 Bar Mitzvah, 36, 71, 171. i Douglass.6 Bell, 6 Dreams, 154 Black Muslims, 9, lZ4,163 Dresden, 11 Black Star Line, 9 DuBois, William, 7 Board of Directors,1.9,31, 11.1 Boas. 161 Education. 6, 14 .. BrooklYl'-';l°18 Elgin, 14 Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Elwood, N.1., 19 Porters, 9 Emancipation Proclamation, 114 Brotz. 18 Emerson, 13 Burns,S Employment, 130 • Equalitarianism, 11 Cameron, 149 European lew, 41. Canaanites, 41, 43. 48 Canada. 7. 11, 14 Family, 34 Cantril, 15 Fauset, 17, 166 Carolina, South, 11 Federn, 161 CarthaaeDa, 14 F raz ie r , 15, 131, 133 Central High School, 144 Freuei. 149 Chapple and Coon, 171. Charisma, 99 Gambling, 138 Charismatic leaeier, 3 Garden of Eden, 54 Chatham, 11 Garvey, Marcus, 8. 9, 163 Cherry, Prophet, 17 Ghana, 9 Christianity, 90, 145 GhamU. '10 Church of God, 16, 17 Goodman, 136 Circumcision, 70 Grace, Daeleiy, 163 Civil Rights, 7 Ciraneifather Clause, 8 Civil War, 6,7,14.15 Grossack, 158 Clark. 136 Coke, 136 Haiti, 13 Coles, 10, 11 HallucinatioD., 149 College, 138 Hamilton Township. 39 Colored Farmers Nat'l Alliance Hammonton, N.I. 39 and Cooperative Union, 7 Harlem, 17 Commandment Keepers Cong- Hayakawa, 143 regation of the Living God, 18 Hebrews, 16 Committee on Fair Employment Himmelhoch, 158 Practices, 9 Communities, Negro, 10, 11.11. leieala, 13 Congress of Racial Equality, 10 IIUDoia, 11 Congress, 7 Income, 30 Construction Company, 39 Ineliana, 11 Convention Movement. 6 Israel, 104,125, 174 iv Israelite Bible School, 100, ISZ Parker, Z Israelites, 41 Parks, Rosa, 9 Passove r, 17 Kaddish, 75, 77 Pease. rz, 163 Kashrath, 58. 1Z3. 177 Pettigrew, 130, 143, 158 King, Rev. Martin Luther, 10 Philadelphia, 19 Kline, 161 Phylacteries, 7Z, 88 Kosher. 90 Plummer, Bushop,lI.Z. ,16 Populism, 7 Landreth and lohnson, 136 Pork, 17 Langston, lohn. 7 Port Royal, II, 14 Lanternari, 4 Presidential Order, 9 Linton. Z Proselytization, 88 Lucan, 11 Protestanism, 16 Lunsford Lane, 6 Public Assembly, 6 Lucan, 11 Purvess, Robert, 6 Madison, James, 10 Racist, 143 Manic-dppressive psychosis, lZ9 Randolph, A. Philip. 9 March on Washington Movement,9 Rationality. 53 Marriage, 98 Ray. Charles, 6 Matthew, Wentworth A., 17 Religion, 6 Mays Landing, 39 Religious facilities, Z7 Mead, 161 Res pe s, Abe I, 1.7. Z8, 43, 88, 98, Merton, 143 lZ7, 161, 167 Mezzuzah, 7Z Resurrection, 63 Michigan, 11 Revitalization Movements, 3 Migration, 7 Rite of Passage, 171 Milner, 137 Rosenthal, lZ9 Miller, 161 Roth, 16 Minyan, 74, 89, 178 Royal Order of Ethiopian Hebrews. Sons Mitchel and Mitchel, 146 and Daughters of Culture. Inc ,.; 18 Montgomery Improvement .'Association, 10 Saints of Christ. 16 Mooney, 2] Savrat, 16 Moorish Invasion, 4Z Schizophrena, lZ9 Morality, 6Z Schwartz. Z Moreland, 136 Seeman. 136 Mullica, N.I., 19. ZI, Z7 Segrelation, 7 Myrdal. 5. 128, 138, 14Z, 145, 146 Separatist Movements, 16Z Shoes, 7Z, 89 Nashoba, 13 Slave,S, 41. N.A.A.C.P •• 8, 9 Slave Owners, 13 National Protest Movement, 7 Smith, Z Nationalism, 8 Southern Christian Leadership Conference, Navy Yarcl, 14Z 10 Neg ro Inte llectuals. 7, 8 Southerners, 7 New Testament, 16, 90 Stekler, 158 New York, 17. 135 Sterner, 130, 135, 141 Stevenson and Steward, 136 Ohio, 11 Student Non-Violent Coordinating Old Testament, 16, 44, 53, 57 Committee, 10 v Supreme Court, 8 Sussna, ~1 Tallis, 73 Talmud, .88' Ten Tribes of Israel, 16 Tennessee. West, 13 Thirteenth Amendment, 14 Tithe .30, 177 Torah, 53, 55, 56. 74, IZ3 Trager and Yarrow. 136 Trent, 158 Trinity, 89 Truth, 53 Truth. Sojuene r , 6 u.s. Department of La"or, 135 U.S. Supreme Court, 8 Universal Negro Improvement Assoc- iation, 8 Utopian, .13 Vancouve r Isla_. 11 Virginia. 7 Vocational Training. 13 W.P.A., 141 Wallace. Z, 3 Wallace and Fogelson. 161 Wallis, Z Washington. Booket- T.. 16 Waterman, 13 Weber. 3. 179 Welfare Dept., 13l. West Indians, 18 Wharton Fark, 95 Whiting, 170 Wilberforce, 14 WUliarns. Z . Windsor, 11 World War II, 9 Wright, Francis, 13 Yahvala, 47, 50, 51. 53. 54, 55, 68, 87 Yaxnalka. 73, 177 Yarrow ana Lande, 158 Yiddish, 4Z Zionism, 8 vi CONTENTS Chapter I. Introduction 1 American Negro Protest Movements, '5 American Negro Utopian Communitie's 10 The Colored House of Israel ]5 II. Adat Beyt Moshe Community and its Social 'Structure Location 19 'Population 19 Setting 19 Racial Distribution 19 Topography 21 Structures 21 27 Recreational Structures 27 Equipment and Maintenance Furnishing s 28 Property System 28 28 Acquisition and Relinquislunent Inheritence 29 Administration 29 29 Finance " Labor 30 30 Corporate Organization 31 Trav~l and Transportation 31 Living Standards and Routine Recreation 32 33 Interpe r sona l Relations 33 Family and Kinship Ties 33 Education Socialization 34 35 Adoles cence , Adulthood and Old Age 35 <, Marriage 36 Justice and the Enforcement of Law ,37 Social Welfare Death 38 38 History of the Community '38 Ethnohistory 41 Religious Organization 43 III. Adat Beyt Moshe Ideology Yahveh 44 Revelation 51 Faith 51 The Torah 54 56 The Messiah 58 ,Life and Purpose The Soul' 60 61 f Inherent Sin ( The Afterlife 61 62 vii Chapter Suffering 63 Evil 65 Christianity · 66 Prayer 68 Religious Ritual · 70 Prayers and Worship· 73 Religious Music 75 Musical Sources 76 Diffe renee s - Judaism· 87 Differences - Christianity· 89 IV Individual and Group Interaction 91 Cohesiveness 91 Sources of Attraction 91 Sources of Increasing Cohesiveness 97 I Sources of Decreasing Cohesiveness 98 Fission and Fusion 100 V Group Pressures and Group Standards 116 Sources of Forces Toward Uniformity' 116 Consequences of Pressures Toward Uniformity lZI Community and Non-Community Membership lZZ Flexibilities lZ3 Individual Motives and Group Goals lZ5 VI The Leader lZ7~ Early Days lZD Family Structure lZ9' Economics 134 Identity Problem 136 Social' Disorganization 138 Occupational Life 140 Educatiollal Life 14~ Religious LiCe 145 VII Conclusions 162 Appendix 180 viii LIST OF MAPS AND TABLES Population ZO Orientation or Mullica Township 22 Boundaries and Principal Roads 23 Generalized Agricultural Use 24 Elwood Square Lot Sites 25 Transcription - Sacred Music 26 80 ix .BIBLIOGRAPHY American Negro Protest Movements , .f Aptheker, Herbert. American 'Negro'stave Revolts. Science and" Society, I (1937), 512-38. Aptheker, Herbert. American Negro Slav'eRevolts'.New York: Columbia University Press, 1943. A documented description of the more than 200 slave plots and revolts which took place during the years of'American Negro Slavery·. BaldWin, James. The Fire Next Time. London: Michael Joseph" 1963. An attempt to portray what it feels like to be a Negro in the United States repudiating the goal of a complete sepa- ration of the races.