CVK
I’ve been meaning to post this story for a couple weeks now. The New York Times profiles a musician named Eddie Butler, who has been chosen to represent Israel in this year’s Eurovision contest: “the kitschy, annual, pan-European extravaganza in which viewers will crown the region’s best pop song.”

Woah… flashback time. Tangent: OMG I used to LOVE watching Eurovision. And I remember it was particularly exciting in 1986, when Belgium won the contest for the first time ever. The singer was Sandra Kim and she was only 13 when she won. I totally bought her records and thought she was the coolest person who ever lived. Oh cool check it out - the Eurovision Web site has an interview with her. But anyway, back to Eddie Butler ;):

With his cocoa-colored skin and fade of tight curls, Mr. Butler clearly isn’t a typical Israeli. Despite being born and raised in Israel, many would argue he’s not even Jewish. Mr. Butler is a member of the Black Hebrews, or the African Hebrew Israelites as they call themselves, a 2,000-strong community in the Negev desert originally from the blighted South Side of Chicago. Led by Ben Carter, a former factory worker who changed his name to Ben Ammi Ben Israel, the original group of about 350 arrived in Israel in 1969 claiming to be descended from one of ancient Judaism’s lost tribes.

Ethnically African-American as well as polygamists and vegans, the Black Hebrews have never been formally recognized as Jews by Israel’s religious authorities and have lived since arrival in a southern city, Dimona, an impoverished development town and site of Israel’s not-so-secret “secret” nuclear weapons program.

“Israel is my home, my nation, but we’ve always been treated like outsiders,” Mr. Butler said. “Israelis didn’t want to accept us, but we’ve come closer and closer to the day they will.”…

…Even if Mr. Butler comes home empty-handed, his performance — with its televised audience of more than 120 million — will be the first time the spotlight has shined on a single Black Hebrew. Separated by a remote desert location and unorthodox lifestyle, the group has long been a controversial presence in Israel, seen by some as a cult.