"
Israelites" is a song written by
Desmond Dekker and
Leslie Kong that became a
hit for Dekker's group, Desmond Dekker & The Aces, peaking in 1969. Although few could understand all the lyrics, the single was the first UK
ska number one and among the first to reach the US top ten. It combined the
Rastafarian religion with
rude boy concerns, to make what has been described as a "timeless masterpiece that knew no boundaries".