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



H EADLINES
Jewish Teenagers Share Their Summer Plans
L OCA L
LEAH SNYDERMAN | JE CONTRIBUTING
WRITER AS THE WORLD slowly returns
to normalcy, the question of what
was normal in the fi rst place has
arisen. Whatever it was, a new
normal is being created, and this
summer will likely help shape it.

With kids out of school,
camps and other summer
programs are pioneering this
new normal. From sleepaway
camp to travel, Jewish teens
across the United States shared
what their summer of 2021
looks like.

Summer Camp
Jewish sleepaway camp is a staple
of summer in the Northeast, so
with kids missing out on the
experience in 2020, they are even
more excited to be back.

“It’s like having a second
life,” said Asher Waldman, 13,
from Bryn Mawr. He attends
Camp Cedar in Maine with
his younger brother, Austin,
following in their father’s
footsteps. According to his mother,
Amy Waldman, going to
camp provided Asher with the
opportunity to try new things
he wouldn’t have been able to
do at home.

“My own children have
become passionate about activ-
ities that they were exposed to
at camp, not necessarily things
I would have signed them up
for at home,” she said. “As a
parent, sending your children
to overnight camp is incredibly
diffi cult.”
However, all feelings of
uncertainty are dissolved
when seeing pictures of her
kids smiling and getting letters
from them thanking her for
sending them to camp, she
said. Many camps have ensured
their campers would be safe
from COVID-19 by requiring
proof of negative tests and
keeping bunks separated for
the fi rst week or two.

Leadership Training
B’nai B’rith Youth Organization
runs training programs
throughout the summer for its
members. BBYO is a movement
for Jewish teens around the
world to gain valuable experi-
ences and connect with other
Jewish teens — locally and
internationally. International Leadership
Training Conference is a
14-day program at B’nai B’rith
Perlman Camp in Lake Como.

See Teens, Page 21
From left: Ziva Davis, Dara Hammel and Hallie Jayson at Mount Arbel.

Courtesy of Dara Hammel
There are many pages
in a long, rich life.

What will you be inspired
to do next?
Maybe you’ll find time for
a new approach to fitness,
refine your gardening skills,
take a class. Or just
appreciate the convenience
of a walk to the store.

just getting
started i am
Don’t miss our summer Open House!
July 13, 12pm-3pm
July 22, 10am-1pm
JEWISHEXPONENT.COM August 5, 10am-1pm
August 17, 12pm-3pm
Call 215-999-3619
or visit RydalPark.org
JEWISH EXPONENT
Whatever your next chapter
brings, you can open up
the time and space for it
here, in a community that
supports your goals every
step of the way.

...to be continued
JULY 15, 2021
9