A RESOLUTION HONORING THE LIFE OF PRINCE ASIEL BEN ISRAEL
WHEREAS, It is with great sadness that the members of this Chamber have been informed of the passing of Prince Asiel Ben Israel on Saturday, August 21, 2022; and
WHEREAS, Ben Israel, then known as Warren Brown, was born on April 30, 1941 to Mary and Archie Brown Sr., in Chicago, Illinois as one of eight children; and
WHEREAS, Prince Asiel grew up on the South Side of Chicago, and went to Dunbar High School in the Bronzeville Community, before attending DePaul University, where he was granted fellowship in the Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity; and
WHEREAS, Prince Asiel found his life's calling and was bestowed his Hebrew name - Prince Asiel Ben Israel - through faithful adherence to the teachings of Ben Ammi Carter, then leader ofthe African Hebrew Israelite community; and
WHEREAS, The African Hebrew Israelite teachings resonated with Prince Asiel, who rooted the Black struggle for civil rights in 1960s America to the struggle of our Black brothers and sisters so frequently depicted in the Bible; and
WHEREAS, After intense study and civic advocacy in Chicago, Prince Asiel decided to make the holy pilgrimage to Israel, leading a group of 350 Black Americans to live in Dimona, a settlement just outside of Israel's Negev desert, where he strived to build a self-sufficient community of Black residents in furtherance of worldwide Black liberation, and
WHEREAS, His ties to Israel and his position in the African Hebrew Israelite movement led him to becoming one ofthe preeminent advocates for Black excellence, serving as counsel to celebrities, world leaders, local politicians, and Black residents searching for spiritual guidance and a connection to a shared heritage; and
WHEREAS, Prince Asiel could never fully leave Chicago and in 1982, he open Soul Vegetarian Restaurant in Chatham which nourished the body and soul to countless customers seeking healthy vegan alternatives; and
WHEREAS, Prince Asiel's teachings, spirit, and legacy will live on in Chicago, in Israel, in all of the countries he toured as part of his mission to spread Black equality, and through all the lives he touched along the way; and
WHEREAS, Prince Asiel is survived by his sister, three wives, fifteen children, and over sixty grandchildren; now, therefore,
BE IT RESOLVED, That we, the Mayor and the Members of the City Council of the City of Chicago gathered here in assembly this 21st Day of September, 2022 A.D., do hereby extend our condolences to the family and friends of Prince Asiel Ben Israel; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be prepared and presented to the family of Prince Asiel Ben Israel.