People's District

Monday, July 11th, 2011

“I am a product of Washington, D.C. in the 50′s and 60′s. So, I remember the street cars, or the trolleys as we called them, and two for a penny candies. That was the backdrop for how I grew up. Like most people, I spent my youth searching for truth and purpose. In the 80′s, I had a growing consciousness around the fact that my people were taken from our homeland and brought to this country to be captives. I wanted to return to the land of my ancestors, but I didn’t know where that land was.

“In 1988, I was listening to a radio broadcast that had to do with brother, Dr. Uriel Ben Yehuda, of the African Hebrew Israelites, which was a movement started by Ben Ammi in the 60′s in Chicago. They were holding a class here, and it just hit me to go and check it out. Sitting in that first class, I knew that I had found the path I was looking for. I got so caught up in what I was hearing that I couldn’t wait to go to the next class. That was over 22 years ago.

“Back then, we had a small community here and didn’t have the Soul Vegetarian Cafe yet. We lived communally in a few houses around Northwest. We made sandwiches and things from the house and did car washes to raise money to support the movement, so that we all can return to our promised land in Israel. I have been there several times and that place is my chief joy.

Ben Ammi is the founder and spiritual leader of The African Hebrew Israelites of Jerusalem.

“When the plane came down and descended from the clouds and I first saw the land, I knew I was home. When my feet hit the earth, something shot up through my feet and went straight to my heart and mind. It brought me to tears because I knew that I was home, and that this was my land. It was a happiness that can’t be described. My dream is to settle in the land of Israel forever and ever and for all of my future generations to settle there.

“Until then, I will stay here and continue to pass along the good word of our faith and our diet. For twenty years, we have been perfecting the soul vegetarian movement to help people transition to a more healthy way of living. For us, being vegan, is the absolute best way to live a non-harmful life that is good for the body.

“We opened the Soul Vegetarian Cafe in 1993. From here, we can reach out to people across all lines. We want people to know that there is another way of living and that we can create a better and stronger human family. For us, we want to live in and promote things that are life giving. Our food must be life giving. Our manner of dress must be life giving. Our thoughts must be life giving. Our interactions with each other must be life giving. Through that, we can find oneness with the creator.

“I am so humbled by the continued revelations that come from beginning this path. Now, I know what living is as opposed to just having eyes, bones, and a pulse. This made me understand the possibility of life and discover the truth. Knowing that truth, I want to live a long and healthy life and help others live it, too.”

Read more about the African Hebrews Israelites of Jerusalem.

People’s District will be taking a short break until July 18th. Until then, we share with you some of our favorite stories from the past year.