theme \ nät thə ‘rē(ə)l joōs \
: a phrase claiming that today’s Jews are not the chosen people referenced in the Bible
While this phrase has been used by many throughout history, today it is most commonly used by Black supremacists claiming Black people — not Jews — are the true chosen people of God. Black supremacy has roots in “Black Chosenness” — the belief that African Americans are the descendants of the twelve Hebrew tribes of Israel who settled across Africa after the destruction of the Kingdom of Israel and were eventually sold into slavery during the Atlantic slave trade.
Black supremacy argues that Black people are superior to all other races and that “white” Jews are imposters. Elements of Black supremacy can be found within the Black Hebrew Israelite movement, as well as within the Nation of Islam under the leadership of Louis Farrakhan and his supporters. In the age of social media, some Black supremacists have co-opted the language of white supremacists when discussing Jews: calling them “termites” and “bugs” with subhuman features (see creatures).
Some antisemites on both the right and left claim that Ashkenazi Jews are “fake Jews,” and that Israel is a “fake nation.” This accusation has been used historically and continues to be used by those who believe in the Khazar conspiracy theory dispelling the Jewish connection to Israel (see Khazars). The conspiracy theory “not the real Jews” was introduced to a mainstream audience in fall 2022 with a celebrity endorsement of the film and book, Hebrews to Negroes: Wake Up Black America, which claims that Jews are imposters and mainstream religious institutions have covered up the biblical identity of Black people as the true identity of the Children of Israel.