MaNishtana/Rabbi Shais Rishon, The Souls of Black Jewish Folk, Announces Book Talk in North Bethesda

Following his feature in Dr. Henry Gates’ PBS documentary, Black and Jewish America: An Interwoven History, and launching the first Modern Orthodox synagogue geared towards African American/Caribbean Jews in Dupont, Washington, D.C., Rabbi Shais Rishon will further explore the relationship between African Americans and Jewish Americans as a member of both communities, during his book talk on March 12th. North Bethesda, MD – March 2026 – Rabbi Shais Rishon under the pseudonym “MaNishtana” announces the release of his new book, The Souls of Black Jewish Folk, taking us on a socio-cultural journey which “unveils” the hidden identity of Black Jewish Americans dating back to the onset of American history and pivotal to the dialogue between Black and Jewish Americans. To celebrate the launch, Rabbi Shais Rishon will host a public book talk on March 12th at Magen David Sephardic Congregation. In The Souls of Black Jewish Folk, Rabbi Shais takes up the mantle of W.E.B. Du Bois and re-examines the idea of “double consciousness” for a new century. For African American Jews, identity is not a simple binary. It is layered, braided, and often contested—by white Jewish institutions that assume Jewishness is white, and by Black communities that assume Blackness is Christian. Through essays that blend cultural analysis, personal narrative, and close engagement with Torah and Jewish tradition, this book explores: The “veil” that obscures Black Jewish presence in both communities. The scrutiny and suspicion faced in religious spaces. The myth—and the limits—of the Black-Jewish Civil Rights alliance. The burden of authenticity placed on Black Jewish students, leaders, and families. The spiritual and moral cost of being told to make one part of yourself invisible. Each chapter echoes Du Bois’s original structure while grounding the discussion in contemporary realities—from synagogue security and hiring practices to activist spaces and family gatherings. This is far from a book about diversity for its own oversaturated DEI sake. It is a call to honesty. A demand for accountability. And an affirmation that African American Jews are not anomalies or footnotes, but inheritors and contributors to both legacies. For readers of Du Bois, for students of race and religion, for Jewish communities wrestling with inclusion, and for anyone seeking to understand the layered experience of Black Jewish life—this book offers clarity, challenge, and cognizance. Because the story of Black Jewish folk is not peripheral to the American story. It is central. “I wrote this book to push back against the “carnivalized” notion that African American Jews were some sort of rare artifact.” “To put African American Jews rightfully back in the cornerstone of the African American experience. And that Jewish America functions identically as White America for African American Jews.”

Event Links

Tickets: https://go.evvnt.com/3524527-0

Facebook: https://go.evvnt.com/3524527-2

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