BIOGRAPHY OF RABBI DAHTON NASI ﬨנצבה
1924-2014
By
Dinah Weaver
Dahton Nasi was born, January 8, 1924 in Darlington, South Carolina to Alice and Dayton Prince. After graduating Mayo High School, he furthered his education at Rutgers University obtaining a teachers certificate in the process; his major being Vocational Technical Education.
Rabbi Nasi was introduced to Judaism/Israelite culture in 1947 by relatives who were of a messianic perspective; but he would not listen to them. He became a little better enlightened when a sister from the neighborhood brought to him a copy of J. A. Rogers’s book Sex and Race Volume On, which had a chapter entitled “Where the Jews Originally Negroes?”. This had a profound influence during his return to his Hebraic culture. For the first 33 years of his life Nasi had been taught that there was only one Messiah, who was white, blue-eyed and blonde. Once his eyes were opened to the truth, he spent the rest of his life studying and teaching others what he had learned.
Rabbi Nasi then began to listen to a black rabbi named Abel Respes, who was broadcasting on a local station. This was another important turning point in his life. When he visited the rabbi’s congregation, it was there he found the Elder, Abba, Prince Eleazar as a member of the congregation. Because of his ability to lead and council, Prince Eleazar later founded his own congregation, The True Israelite Foundation. A few years later rabbi Dahton left and began searching and again found Abba Eleazar. Under his guidance and tutelage we learned that we were the “lost sheep of the house of Israel”; biological members of the house of Israel, we learned to grow our own organic foods, the dietary laws, and all the statutes and judgments of the Torah. As these studies were proceeding, Rabbi Nasi began rabbinical studies.
One day as we were leaving Shabbat services, Abba Eleazar said to Dahton “Prince! I’m going home. “I said that’s nice, tell them all I said hello when you get there. He thought he was talking about his West Philadelphia home. He said no! I’m going home to Israel and I want you to take over the congregation. But the rabbi hesitated in accepting the offer. His studies were only to become more knowledgeable about Judaism and not necessarily to become a rabbi. Therefore, he asked Abba to let him think about it for a while. About two weeks later Rabbi Nasi had a vision. He dreamt that Abba Eleazar came out to the New Jersey home to visit him, as he often did, and was changing the right front wheel of his van when a noise was heard from the bedroom window. Dahton looked out and discovered that the van had fallen off of the jack on to Abba. He ran out to help and grabbed the van by the axel and lifted the van off of him. He rose to his feet and said “yeah, everything’s going to be alright.” Dahton awoke at this point. He told Abba what had happened. And he said go home to Israel.” He then agreed to take responsibility of the congregation until it merged with Brother Rudolph Windsor.
Abba Eleazar was much loved by those of us in America. We can also very much relate to the good will, love and guidance experienced by the saints Abba Eleazar touched here in Dimona, Israel.
Before his employment at the Kilmer Job Corp Center, Rabbi Nasi served 20 years as a First Class Welder building ships for the Department of the Navy. Rabbi Nasi started his teaching career in 1968 at the Kilmer Job Corp Center in Edison, New Jersey where he was a teacher then promoted to supervisor of the Welding, Electrical and Printing Schools. Signing a contract with the Camden County School system; he was then employed and taught at the Camden County Vocation Technical Institute for 20 years before his retirement in 1989. The major subjects taught were the theory and techniques of joining metals, welding, the joining together metals used both for industrial and consumer needs, pipe welding, and blueprint reading for welding and light structural applications. Artistically gifted students were encouraged to create metal art fixtures as an added encouragement toward building self-esteem. He was cited many times for his teaching skills and dedication.
Among his other credentials is a Doctor of Divinity from the American Bible Institute, as well as studies at the Neotarian College of Philosophy with concentrations in counseling and applied psychology. By not attending the Ashkenzai Yeshiva, (Black Americans were not admitted during this period in 1957), he pursued his rabbinical training through Judaic and religious electives at Rutgers University and through private tutoring and self study of Sephardic (Afro-Asian) religious cultures. Subsequent to these studies, he was asked to assume the leadership of the True Israelite Foundation Congregation located in Philadelphia. Founded by the Elder, Abba, Prince Eleazar, (who started the first farm and priesthood in The KOY City of Peace, Dimona, Israel.)
Rabbi Nasi moved to New Jersey following the teachings of Abba Eleazar, to “grow our on food.” He bought an acre of land and cleared about a third of an acre of land and cleared about a third of an acre for the garden. Later, the congregation was moved to New Jersey. Members came from Philadelphia to join with Chinese, Afro-American and Puerto Rican members. But circa 1969-70 the congregation merged with the congregation started by Brother Rudolph Windsor author of From Babylon To Timbuktu, to minimize the hardship of the members traveling from Philadelphia to New Jersey. At this time Dahton served in the role of Superintendent of Education until 1971. In the spring of 1971, he decided to visit the Philadelphia Congregation of the Prophet William S. Crowdy organization of Church of God and Saints of Christ. After observing them for one year attempting to practice Hebrew culture, he decided to join and help them. The new name now is Congregation Temple Beth’El Tabernacle.
The first effort to help was to develop a basic training manual and a school. The name was composed of one of the names of the best loved and influential chief rabbis and leaders of Dahton’s near twenty-five tenure with the world wide congregation. The names selected for the school were The Jehu Solomon Zebulon School of Hebrew and Cognate Studies. The curriculum provided complete instruction for the child’s performance at his and her Bar and Bat Mitzvah. Adults as well benefited from the courses of study simultaneous to his developing schools at Harrisburg, Philadelphia, Atlantic City, New Jersey, and Mount Vernon, New York on a regular basis and periodically at Richmond, Virginia and Baltimore, Maryland.
At the time that he began his teaching, the organization was keeping the Sabbath and Passover only. Therefore a survey was conducted to determine where to begin these classes. First on the lesson plans was to teach that they were not grafted in (converted) but were of the biological House of Israel and not just Spiritual Israel. Next, the lectures were about the holidays they were not observing, Shavuoth, Yom Teruah/Rosh Hashana, Yom Kippur, Sukkot and Chanukah, the dietary laws and the Sephardic dialect of the Hebrew language as well as additional Hebrew cultures. He was cited with commendation and a few plaques for his contribution to the work of Kingdom building. But as a result of his visit to another congregation while on an extended leave, this eventually brought to an end his membership and the schools. It was a very difficult decision for him to make. However, he considered it as being guided by the Shekinah/Holy spirit of Israel.
This visit in 1994 was to a Temple also in Philadelphia founded by Rabbi L. E. Dailey some forty-five years ago. Her daughter Rabbi Debra Bowen is at present the spiritual leader. Rabbi Dahton has been serving as senior rabbi of this congregation for the last twenty years of his life.