Yosef Ben-Jochannan

Yosef Alfredo Antonio Ben-Jochannan ( ; December 31, 1918 – March 19, 2015), commonly referred to as "Dr. Ben", was an American writer and historian. He was considered to be one of the more prominent Afrocentric scholars by some Black Nationalists. Conversely, mainstream scholars, such as Mary Lefkowitz, dismissed him citing historical inaccuracies in his work, and disputes about his academic credentials.

Early life and education Ben-Jochannan claimed to have been born in Ethiopia to a Puerto Rican mother of Yemeni Jewish origin and an Ethiopian Jewish father.

In March 2015, following his death, The New York Times reported, "here is little evidence for that other than his own word; some peers, and even a family member, have privately expressed doubts."

Ben-Jochannan's academic record is disputed, with claims he was educated variously in Puerto Rico, Brazil, Cuba, or Spain, earning degrees in either engineering and/or anthropology. In 1938, he is said to have earned a BS in Civil Engineering at the University of Puerto Rico; this is disputed as the registrar has no record of his attendance.

The New York Times summarized the lifelong inconsistencies in his reported academic record: Documents from Cornell University show Mr. Ben-Jochannan holding a doctorate from Cambridge University in England while, conversely, catalogs from Malcolm-King College list him as holding two master's degrees from Cambridge University. According to Fred Lewsey, a communications officer at Cambridge, however, the school has no record of his ever attending, let alone earning any degree. Similarly, the University of Puerto Rico Mayagüez, where he also said he had studied, has no records of his enrollment. Indeed, it appears that Mr. Ben-Jochannan consciously falsified much of his personal academic history. He later taught at the City College of New York. From 1973 to 1987, he was an adjunct professor at Cornell University.

In 1977, Ben-Jochannan met Lucille Jones (Kefa Nephthy) and Ben Jones. They formed a study group. After studying with Ben-Jochannan, Kefa and Ben Jones started the community lecture series called the First World Alliance.

Ben-Jochannan was the author of 49 books, primarily on ancient Nile Valley civilizations and their influence on Western cultures. He further accused the Semitic Jews of using special powers to "manipulate and control the Mind of the World" and claimed that Holocaust education is a form of brainwashing.

According to his obituary, Ben-Jochannan began his educational teaching in Harlem in 1967 at HARYOU-ACT. He worked as an adjunct professor (1973–1987) at Cornell University in the Africana Studies and Research Center, then directed by James Turner. Ben-Jochannan also taught at other institutions, including Rutgers University. In 1977 he accepted an honorary faculty position with the Israelite Rabbinical Academy at Beth Shalom Hebrew Congregation in Brooklyn. In the years before his death, Ben-Jochannan lived in the Harlem section of Manhattan in New York City, in an apartment complex known as Lenox Terrace.

Ben-Jochannan married three times and had a total of 13 children. at the age of 96. at the Bay Park Nursing Home in the Bronx.

Accusations of teaching pseudohistory Ben-Jochannan has been accused of distorting history and promoting Black supremacy. In February 1993, Wellesley College European classics professor Mary Lefkowitz publicly confronted Ben-Jochannan about his teachings. Ben-Jochannan taught that Aristotle visited the Library of Alexandria. During the question and answer session following the lecture, Lefkowitz asked Ben-Jochannan, "How would that have been possible, when the library was not built until after his death?" Ben-Jochannan replied that the dates were uncertain. Lefkowitz writes that Ben-Jochannan proceeded to tell those present that "they could and should believe what only Black instructors told them" and "that although they might think that Jews were all 'hook-nosed and sallow faced,' there were other Jews who looked Black like himself."

Atheism

In his lecture "Why do you Believe in God" Ben-Jochanan explicitly stated his disbelief in God. He declared Judeo-Christian-Islamic figures and stories (like Adam and Eve) were based on African and Asian mythology. On the subject of Churches, he argued: "The churches can’t help the people when the chips are down because their interest is with the power structure."

Ben-Jochanan also stated: "I say the Black man has called upon Jesus Christ for so many years here in America, and now he starts calling on Mohammed and there are many who are calling on Moses, and at no time within this period has the Black man's situation changed, nor has the Black man any freedom. It is obvious that someone didn't hear his call or isn't interested in that call—either Jesus, Moses, or Mohammed."

Selected bibliography African Origins of Major Western Religions, 1991. We the Black Jews, 1993. Black Man of the Nile and His Family, Black Classic Press, 1989. Africa: Mother of Western Civilization. New Dimensions in African History. The Myth of Exodus and Genesis and the Exclusion of Their African Origins. Abu Simbel to Ghizeh: A Guide Book and Manual, 1989. Cultural Genocide in the Black and African Studies Curriculum. New York, 1972. The Alkebulanians of Ta-Merry's "Mysteries System" and the Ritualization of the Late Bro. Kwesie Adebisi. 1981.