H eadlines
Orthodox Rapper to Appear at B’nai Abraham
L OCA L
JARRAD SAFFREN | JE STAFF
B’NAI ABRAHAM CHABAD
Synagogue in Philadelphia’s
Society Hill neighborhood will
hold its first big post-pandemic
event on July 21.

A s R a b b i Yo c h o n o n
Goldman put it, the event will
be a communal moment of
reopening, reconnecting and
renewing for the path ahead.

That’s why rapper Nissim
Black will be the headliner.

Black describes himself
on his website as “an African
American Hasidic Jew.” He
found religion and converted to
Judaism after years of exposure
to drugs, gangs and violence
on the streets of Seattle, he told
the Exponent. Then in 2015, at
28, he moved to Israel, where
he still lives.

All the while, Black rapped
about his unorthodox journey
and identity.

He has more than 49,000
subscribers on YouTube and
more than 47,000 followers on
Instagram, and several videos
for his songs have received more
than a million views on YouTube.

“He came from a challenging
place and represents the human
spirit, and the ability to turn
darkness to light,” Goldman said.

The rapper’s original plan was
to appear in the B’nai Abraham
sanctuary via Zoom to talk
about his story and then take
questions. But now, he’s going
to show up in person, he said.

Black is slated to start a tour in
New York City on July 22, but he
decided to come to the United
States a day early. The 34-year-
old said he loves meeting new
Jewish people and seeing new
Jewish communities.

“I always tell people it
couldn’t happen without you
or your grandparents,” Black
said of his conversion. “You left
the porch light on for me.”
Goldman thinks congre-
gants are excited to hear
from Black. B’nai Abraham
has hosted minor celebrities
before, he added, but none on
Black’s level.

Black’s story should make
him interesting even to those
who don’t listen to rap, the
rabbi said.

His early life was a cycle
of misfortune. Black’s parents
were “in the drug game” during
the crack epidemic in the
1980s, he said, and at multiple
points he found religion before
being pulled away from the
straight and narrow path. He
“started running with a street
gang” before discovering Islam
from his maternal grandfather.

Jewish rapper Nissim Black will
appear at B’nai Abraham Chabad
Synagogue in Philadelphia on
July 21.
Photo by Tziporah Litman
But then, his grandfather went
to prison for life.

Right before high school,
Black tried to save himself by
getting involved in a Christian
Jewish Family Service of Greater Harrisburg
Presents missionary program after
school. But when he eventually
got a rap record deal, he was
pushed to become a gangster
rapper by his label. Finally, Black
got into a beef with another
rapper and found himself in a
“kill or be killed situation,” as he
described it. So Black’s friend,
unbeknownst to Black, tried to
kill the opposing rapper, and
ended up getting charged with
attempted murder.

“If there is something that
will cause you to become
religious, that’s it,” Black said.

That’s when Black picked up
the Old Testament again and
just started reading, instead
of reading it from a Christian
perspective. “The Christian approach
is to match Old Testament
wisdom with Jesus as the
messiah, as opposed to wisdom
and values,” Black said.

“From the moment I started
learning about the Torah and
the Jewish people, it had always
been in my heart to be here,” he
concluded. B’nai Abraham opened in
1910 and also survived the
Spanish flu pandemic from 1918
to 1920. Even as COVID-19
raged on, the old temple
didn’t lose any congregants,
Goldman said.

Tickets to the July 21 event
cost $180 and can be bought
at tribute.phillyshul.com. A
barbecue dinner will precede
Black’s appearance, open to
all 100 families that make up
the B’nai Abraham congrega-
tion, as well as members of the
public interested in attending.

The dinner starts at 6 p.m., and
the main event takes place in
the sanctuary.

All proceeds will go toward
the historic preservation of the
synagogue, Goldman said.

“Registration is still happ-
ening,” he said. “It seems like
people are excited for this oppor-
tunity to reconnect in person.” l
jsaffren@jewishexponent.com; 215-832-0740
8 JULY 15, 2021
JEWISH EXPONENT
JEWISHEXPONENT.COM