Haile Selassie

Haile Selassie, born Lij Tafari Makonnen, reigned as Emperor of Ethiopia from 1930 to 1974. His lineage was, to put it mildly, impressive, tracing back to King Solomon and the Queen of Sheba. This made him, in the eyes of many, not just a king, but a divinely appointed one. For a non-Jew, that's a pretty good origin story.

His connection to Judaism, however, is more ancestral than personal. While the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church, which he headed, has strong Old Testament roots and unique Judaic practices, Selassie himself was a devout Christian. He never identified as Jewish, nor did he practice Judaism in any recognizable form.

Yet, for Rastafarians, he was nothing less than the living God, Jah, the messiah returned to Earth. This makes for a fascinating, if confusing, twist in his story. Imagine being a devout Christian ruler in Africa, only to find yourself worshipped as a divine figure by a movement thousands of miles away in the Caribbean. Talk about an unexpected fan base!

Selassie's reign was marked by efforts to modernize Ethiopia, as well as by the Italian invasion and eventual annexation of his country. He presented a compelling figure on the world stage, addressing the League of Nations and becoming a symbol of African independence. While his actual Jewish bona fides are, shall we say, negligible, his ability to inspire a religious movement and capture the world's attention certainly earns him some kvell points.