View source for Hebrews to Negroes: Wake Up Black America

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{{Short description|2018 antisemitic film}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=November 2022}}
{{italic title}}{{Infobox film
| image          = Hebrews to Negroes, Wake Up Black America.jpeg
| director       = Ronald Dalton Jr.
| writer         = Ronald Dalton Jr.
| based_on       = {{based on}}
| producer       = Ronald Dalton Jr.
| editing        = Carl Jackson
| distributor    = [[Amazon Prime Video]]
| released       = {{Film date|df=no|2018|12|20}}
| runtime        = 208 minutes
| country        = United States
| language       = English
| budget         = $8,000<ref name="WSJ">{{Cite web |last=Schwartzel |first=Erich |title=How an Amateur Fictional Documentary Got Onto Amazon Prime and Led to Kyrie Irving's Suspension |url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/how-an-amateur-documentary-got-onto-amazon-prime-and-led-to-kyrie-irvings-suspension-11667585819 |access-date=2022-11-06 |website=The Wall Street Journal|date=November 4, 2022 |language=en-US}}</ref>
}}
'''''Hebrews to Negroes: Wake Up Black America''''' is a 2018 film directed, written, and produced by Ronald Dalton Jr. The film espouses antisemitic messaging and spreads [[misinformation]].<ref>{{Cite news |last=Deb |first=Sopan |author-link=Sopan Deb |date=November 17, 2022 |title=Kyrie Irving Could Return to the Nets Soon. A Top Jewish Leader Still Hopes to Meet Him. |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2022/11/17/sports/basketball/kyrie-irving-could-return-to-the-nets-soon-a-top-jewish-leader-still-hopes-to-meet.html}}</ref> It contains [[antisemitic tropes]], [[Holocaust denial]], and claims of an [[international Jewish conspiracy]].<ref name="Sopan">{{Cite news |last=Deb |first=Sopan |date=2022-10-30 |title=Kyrie Irving Defends Antisemitic Documentary and Conspiracy Theory |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2022/10/30/sports/basketball/kyrie-irving-antisemitic-conspiracy-theory.html |access-date=2022-11-05 |issn=0362-4331}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Reynolds |first=Tim |title=Nike splits with Kyrie Irving amid antisemitism fallout |url=https://abcnews.go.com/Sports/wireStory/nike-splits-kyrie-irving-amid-antisemitism-fallout-92688941|date=November 5, 2022 |access-date=2022-11-05 |publisher=ABC News |language=en}}</ref>
The film is based upon a book of the same name, also written by Dalton, that promotes [[Black Hebrew Israelite]] beliefs. It is homemade, [[Low-budget film|low-budget]], and existed in relative obscurity from the time of its release until October 2022.<ref name="Dart">{{cite web |last1=Dart |first1=Tom |title=Kyrie Irving: NBA hero's suspension marks spectacular fall from grace |url=https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2022/nov/05/kyrie-irving-misinformation |work=The Guardian |access-date=13 November 2022 |language=en |date=5 November 2022}}</ref> That month, [[National Basketball Association]] player [[Kyrie Irving]] posted a link to it on his [[Twitter]] account and was subsequently suspended by his team, the [[Brooklyn Nets]].<ref name="NBC" />
== Background ==
The film was homemade by amateur filmmaker Ronald Dalton Jr. on a reported budget of $8,000.<ref name="Dart" /><ref name="WSJ" />
Dalton claimed to have received "[[Revelation|divine revelations]]" beginning around 2010.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Keene |first=Louis |date=2022-11-15 |title=We watched the movie Kyrie Irving shared so you don't have to |url=https://forward.com/news/524892/hebrews-to-negroes-movie-summary/ |access-date=2022-11-21 |website=[[The Forward]] |language=en}}</ref>
== Synopsis ==
The film promotes false [[Black Hebrew Israelite]] beliefs that some people of color, including Black Americans, "are the true descendants of the biblical [[Israelites]]." One of the ideas shared in the film is that the Jews of today are not actual Jews and they [[Cultural appropriation|culturally appropriated]] the religious heritage of Black people and then covered it up.<ref name="ADL"/> This claim has been debunked.<ref name="Magary">{{Cite web |last=Magary |first=Drew |author-link=Drew Magary |date=2022-11-03 |title=Kyrie's antisemitism non-apology is as empty as that stupid movie |url=https://www.sfgate.com/sports/article/kyrie-irving-antisemitism-non-apology-for-movie-17555214.php |access-date=2022-11-07 |website=[[SFGATE]] |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Radical Hebrew Israelites |url=https://www.splcenter.org/fighting-hate/extremist-files/group/radical-hebrew-israelites |website=Southern Poverty Law Center |access-date=23 November 2022 |language=en}}</ref>
The film is filled with [[antisemitism]], including claims of an [[International Jewish conspiracy]] that aims to oppress and defraud Black people.<ref name="Sopan" /><ref name="Blistein">{{cite magazine |last1=Jon |first1=Blistein |title=Kyrie Irving Boosts Antisemitic Movie Peddling 'Jewish Slave Ships' |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/culture/culture-news/kyrie-irving-boosts-antisemitic-movie-peddling-jewish-slave-ships-theory-1234620125/ |magazine=Rolling Stone |access-date=13 November 2022 |date=29 October 2022}}</ref> The film includes many [[antisemitic tropes]], including claims of Jewish power and greed, claims that [[Jews control the media]]<ref name="ADL">{{cite news |title=Hebrews to Negroes: What You Need to Know |url=https://www.adl.org/resources/blog/hebrews-negroes-what-you-need-know |access-date=November 4, 2022|website=adl.org |publisher=Anti-Defamation League |date=November 3, 2022}}</ref> and claims of Jewish [[Satan worship|Satanic worship]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Saul |first=Derek |date=November 5, 2022 |title=Kyrie Irving Antisemitism Controversy: Nike Latest To Drop NBA Star |url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/dereksaul/2022/11/05/kyrie-irving-antisemitism-controversy-nike-latest-to-drop-nba-star/ |access-date=2022-11-06 |website=Forbes |language=en}}</ref>
The film also uses quotes from ''[[The Protocols of the Elders of Zion]]'' and [[Henry Ford]]'s ''[[The International Jew]]'', Holocaust denial, attacks on [[Zionism]], and conspiracy theories about the [[Rothschild family]]. The film also includes quotes attributed to [[Adolf Hitler]] that appear to be fabricated.<ref name="ADL"/> Another example is that the movie falsely attributes a quote to [[Harold Wallace Rosenthal]] about a Jewish conspiracy to control the media; the quote is from a fabricated interview with Rosenthal in the discredited pamphlet 'The Hidden Tyranny'.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Koreen |first=Eric |title=Kyrie Irving needs to be held accountable for promoting anti-Semitism: Koreen|date=November 1, 2022 |url=https://theathletic.com/3748968/2022/11/01/kyrie-irving-antisemitism-koreen/ |access-date=November 6, 2022 |website=[[The Athletic]] |language=en}}</ref>
== Controversy ==
[[File:Ron Dalton Jr.png|thumb|Director Ronald Dalton Jr. in 2021]]
In October 2022, [[Brooklyn Nets]] [[NBA]] basketball player [[Kyrie Irving]] tweeted a link to ''Hebrews to Negroes: Wake Up Black America.''<ref name="NBC">{{cite news |last1=Burke |first1=Minyvonne |title=Nets owner says he is 'disappointed' after Kyrie Irving appeared to promote antisemitic film |url=https://www.nbcnews.com/news/sports/nets-owner-says-disappointed-kyrie-irving-appeared-promote-antisemitic-rcna54654 |access-date=October 31, 2022 |publisher=NBC News |date=October 29, 2022}}</ref>  In two news conferences after he made the tweet, Irving refused to apologize and declined to disavow antisemitism or the ''Hebrews to Negroes'' film.<ref name=IndefiniteSuspension>{{cite news |last1=Ganguli |first1=Tania |title=Nets Suspend Kyrie Irving Indefinitely After Antisemitic Movie Post |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2022/11/03/sports/basketball/kyrie-irving-apology-antisemitic-documentary.html |access-date=November 4, 2022 |work=The New York Times |date=November 4, 2022}}</ref><ref name=SopanReinstate>{{cite web|first=Sopan|last=Deb|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2022/11/20/sports/basketball/kyrie-irving-nets-suspension.html|title=Kyrie Irving Returns From Suspension|work=The New York Times|date=November 20, 2022|access-date=July 2, 2023}}</ref> On November 3, 2022, the Nets suspended Irving without pay. After his suspension, Irving tweeted an apology via [[Instagram]], and agreed to donate "$500,000 to unspecified causes and organizations that combat hate".<ref name=IndefiniteSuspension/> The [[Anti-Defamation League]] (ADL) rejected Irving's $500,000 donation; the group's CEO, [[Jonathan Greenblatt]], said Irving had "failed at almost every step along the way to do the right thing, apologize and condemn antisemitism" and added: "We were optimistic but after watching the debacle of a press conference, it's clear that Kyrie feels no accountability for his actions."<ref name="Reed">{{cite news |last1=Reed |first1=Alex |title=Anti-Defamation League is rejecting Kyrie Irving's $500k donation |url=https://netswire.usatoday.com/2022/11/03/anti-defamation-league-is-rejecting-kyrie-irvings-500k-donation/ |access-date=November 5, 2022 |work=USA Today |date=November 3, 2022}}</ref> Irving's suspension was lifted on November 20, 2022, after he issued an apology, condemned hate speech and antisemitism, and said he had meant no harm.<ref name=SopanReinstate/>
In November 2022, major American Jewish organizations&mdash;including the ADL, [[American Jewish Committee]], and [[Jewish Federations of North America]]&mdash;petitioned [[Amazon (company)|Amazon]] to stop distributing the ''Hebrews to Negroes'' book and film on its platform, writing, "By continuing to platform this film, and other clearly hateful content, Amazon is knowingly and willingly propagating antisemitism."<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.adl.org/resources/letter/jewish-communal-letter-amazon-regarding-antisemitic-film-available-platform|title=Jewish Communal Letter to Amazon Regarding Antisemitic Film Available on Platform|website=adl.org|publisher=Anti-Defamation League|date=November 21, 2022|access-date=December 17, 2023}}</ref><ref name="CBS">{{cite news |last1=Brooks |first1=Khristopher |title=American Jewish Committee urges Amazon to pull antisemitic film Kyrie Irving promoted |url=https://www.cbsnews.com/news/kyrie-irving-hebrews-to-negroes-amazon-antisemitic/ |access-date=November 5, 2022 |publisher=CBS News |date=November 4, 2022}}</ref> Amazon's CEO [[Andy Jassy]] later announced that the company would refuse to pull the film or book from its website.<ref>{{cite web|first=Jody|last=Serrano|url=https://gizmodo.com/amazon-kyrie-irving-antisemitic-film-hebrews-negroes-1849840449|title=Amazon Won't Remove the Antisemitic 'Hebrews to Negroes' Film Promoted by Kyrie Irving|work=Gizmodo|date=December 1, 2022|access-date=July 2, 2023}}</ref> The book had become a No. 1 seller in Amazon's "religion and spirituality" category.<ref name="CBS"/> Amazon has rules prohibiting "derogatory comments, hate speech, or threats specifically targeting any group or individuals"; the company maintained that the film had been reviewed prior to being made available on its site, but it declined to provide the details of that review.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Weise |first=Karen |date=2022-11-06 |title=Amazon Considers Disclaimer to Antisemitic Film Irving Shared Online |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2022/11/06/business/amazon-kyrie-irving-documentary.html |access-date=2022-11-07 |issn=0362-4331}}</ref>
== See also ==
* [[African American–Jewish relations]]
==References==
{{Reflist}}
==External links==
*{{IMDb title|9574524}}
[[Category:2018 films]]
[[Category:2022 controversies in the United States]]
[[Category:African-American films]]
[[Category:African American–Jewish relations]]
[[Category:African-American-related controversies in film]]
[[Category:Antisemitic films]]
[[Category:Black Hebrew Israelites]]
[[Category:Conspiracist media]]
[[Category:Films based on books]]
[[Category:Holocaust denial in the United States]]
[[Category:Misinformation]]
[[Category:Protocols of the Elders of Zion]]
[[Category:Holocaust-denying films]]
[[Category:2018 documentary films]]
[[Category:Documentary films about conspiracy theories]]