"Brit-Am Now"- 432
Contents:
1. Steve Collins: Cohans in Carthage?
2. Ashton Lemonius: Old English Biblical Words in Jamaica
3. Revolutionary New Ruling on Jewish Ancestry?
4. Mormon Observations
5. Contacting Yair Davidiy, Brit-Am, Jerusalem, Israel
6. More on the Magen David
7. MEMBERSHIP OF THE JEWISH PEOPLE
1. Steve Collins: Cohans in Carthage?
From: Steve Collins <scollins@ll.net>
Subject: Re: The Tribes. ch.17, Levi
Shalom Yair,
Thanks for sending these out. It is worth noting that the priests of
Kirjath Hadeschath (known to us as "Carthage") were called the Kohanim and
its High Priest was the Rab Kohanim (Daily Life in Carthage, Gilbert and
Colette Charles-Picard, p. 76). I've long maintained the house of Israel
founded Carthage before Samaria fell. The Hebrew name for "priests"
indicates a Hebrew origin for Carthage, but that does not necessarily mean
the priests of Carthage were Levites. Indeed, I doubt they were Levites
since the Bible records that the northern ten-tribes took on corrupt
priests under King Jeroboam and the real Levites migrated to Judah's kingdom.
Carthage's leaders were also called the Shophetim (Carthage, Albert Church,
pp. 10-11).
Steve
2. Ashton Lemonius: Old English Biblical Words in Jamaica
Subject: Re: Withs in Judges 16 (continued)
Hello Yair,
In Jamaica we still have quite a few words that could be
considered relatively old English. Out in the countryside where
I grew up we refer to strong vines often used to bind loads such
as a bunch of firewood or the cover for a donkey's hamper/basket
as withs. In fact withs can also be used to bind the posts used
as frame for a tent, hut or shed.
These withs (vines) are from several different plants that grow
along the ground or on our tropical forest trees and usually are
almost impossible to break by hand but must be cut with a sharp
knife or machete.
The word is an obvious carry over from our English colonial past
going back almost 400 years.
Regards,
Ashton.
3. Revolutionary New Ruling on Jewish Ancestry?
(Very Much Worth Noting but NOT necessarily to be taken seriously at this
stage)
www.jta.org)and
Shalom Yair,
This article is very interesting. At this stage the ruling only
affected the female line but I believe eventually it will cover the male
line as well in not too distant future. This has implication that there
will be a reunion of Israelite. Who know? Only G_D know!!
Shalom from Down Under
Andrew Correll
[note: THE FOLLOWING ARTICLE MAY BE A HOAX OR THE WORK OF
A "MAVERICK" JEWISH GROUP. NEVERTHRELESS IT IS INTERESTING
SEE OUR COMMENTS item no.7 below
(Read the following article then see item 7. MEMBERSHIP OF THE JEWISH PEOPLE)
BEHIND THE HEADLINES
Beit Din ruling on Jewish genealogy could help many trace their heritage
By Bill Gladstone
TORONTO, Aug. 1 (JTA) - In a precedent-setting ruling that could pave
the way for legions of lost Jews to return to the Jewish fold, a top New
York rabbinical court has accepted baptismal certificates, civil-war
records and government documents as proof that someone is Jewish under
Jewish law.
Presented with compelling genealogical evidence, the Beit Din, which
requested not to be identified by name, ruled in late June that a
Missouri woman who was raised in a Christian home need not convert to
Judaism because she already is Jewish.
The Orthodox Beit Din, which is of the highest reputation within
Orthodox circles, ruled that Wendy Armstrong, a 34-year-old real estate
professional from St. Louis, is Jewish under Jewish law because the
genealogical paper trail clearly demonstrates that her third
great-grandmother along strict maternal lines was Jewish.
For Armstrong, who attended a Methodist church as a child and grew up
"celebrating Santa Claus and the Easter bunny," the judgment means she
doesn't have to undergo the usual conversion process to become Jewish.
"They basically said, 'Congratulations, you're a Jew, welcome home,' "
she said. "I don't have to go through a mikvah."
For Midwest businessman Craig Shapiro, who helped Armstrong prepare her
evidence for the Beit Din, the ruling was a test case that clears the
way for the launch of Shlach Amee V'yavdonnee, a non-profit organization
whose purpose is to help "lost Jews" find their way back to Judaism.
The Beit Din decision could have a huge effect, Shapiro said, because it
recognizes for the first time the validity of using records of both
Jewish and non-Jewish provenance to prove someone is Jewish.
Shapiro said he hopes to find descendants of Jews who were forcibly
converted in centuries past, including child Holocaust survivors,
victims of Russian pogroms, and even survivors of the Spanish
Inquisition and the Crusades.
"We have a responsibility to reclaim our lost brethren," he said. "We
were forced to let them go and we now have the responsibility to open up
the doors to bring them home."
The phrase Shlach Amee V'yavdonnee is from the Book of Exodus, and
translates as, "Let My people go, that they may serve Me."
The organization plans to place a series of advertisements in various
international publications, seeking people who have both a strong
attraction to Judaism and a strong suspicion of Jewish ancestry.
Shlach Amee will train a team of Jewish genealogists to do family tree
research for respondents who demonstrate a genuine and sustained
interest in Judaism, Shapiro said.
Simultaneously, the group will utilize the Chabad Lubavitch
organization's vast international network of rabbis to provide advice,
education and spiritual guidance for those who wish to reconnect to
Jewish values.
"Once this thing gets going, we'd like to include free trips to Israel,"
Shapiro said.
For Armstrong, who had begun researching her family's genealogy as part
of a spiritual quest, the discovery that her maternal fourth great
grandmother was Jewish came to her like a blessing.
Having traced her third great-grandmother to a St. Louis orphanage in
1880, she found that the infant's father had left a handwritten note in
German that was still in the files of the superceding institution.
It had been written by Theodore Menn, a St. Louis saloonkeeper who was
forced to give his two daughters to a Christian orphanage after their
mother died. He began the note with "B'H, Forgive me please my God," and
beseeched God to "take care of my children."
Utilizing the common Hebrew shorthand for "Baruch Hashem," or Blessed is
God, the note was the first in a growing series of documents that
Armstrong collected to demonstrate her family's Jewish ancestry.
She also uncovered the record for Theodore Menn's marriage to Anna
Heinrich, her fourth great-grandmother, which was performed by an
Orthodox rabbi in Quincy, Ill. in 1865.
A third Menn daughter, who did not go to the orphanage, was married by
an Orthodox rabbi in Troy, N.Y. in 1919. Civil war pension records also
were used to confirm that another relative on the maternal line married
a Jewish partner.
Surname experts have determined that the name Hersz, which is found in
Armstrong's maternal line, was used exclusively by Jews.
"Once I found out that my family was Jewish, it was like a light bulb
went on," said Armstrong, who began taking classes, attending synagogue,
lighting Shabbat candles and becoming increasingly observant in other
ways. "I just got it. It was like, 'A-ha!' It was an eye-opening
experience."
Armstrong said the court ruling also has significance for her siblings
and cousins because it also recognizes them as Jewish. Some have shown
indifference, while others have been greatly enthusiastic, she said.
"They were so touched by what I was doing that they actually went out
and bought menorahs last Chanukah so their kids would know about the
Jewish connection," she said.
While doing some on-line research at the genealogical website
JewishGen.org, Armstrong discovered that a branch of her family had died
at Auschwitz.
Explaining the emotional reaction of several family members, she told
her rabbi, "It's one thing when it happens to other people; it's another
thing when it happens to you."
Armstrong and Shapiro turned to noted New Jersey Jewish genealogist and
publisher Gary Mokotoff to prepare a 25-page report of her Jewish
ancestry for the Beit Din.
Mokotoff said he was "very excited" about the court decision "because it
now opens the doors for genealogical research to be used as the basis
for people who are halachically Jewish to return to Judaism."
Bolstered by the rabbinical ruling, Shlach Amee could begin to spark a
major ingathering of Jewish exiles over the next generation, said Rabbi
Chaim Mentz, a Shlach Amee adviser who is spiritual leader of Chabad of
Bel Air Congregation in Los Angeles.
"Twenty or 30 years from now, we could be bringing home hundreds of
thousands of Jews," Mentz said. "Imagine all the schools and synagogues
that might be built as a result of the outgrowth of the community."
Many Christians could become more sympathetic to Jewish interests after
recognizing their genealogical connection to the Jewish world, Mentz
said.
Shapiro also predicted a rosy future for the organization.
"Our goal internationally is to find six million Jews in 18 years," he
said. "But even if we bring one Jew back, it will be worth it. Even one
Jew will make a difference."
4. Mormon Observations
From: Paul Burnier <leblon712@yahoo.com>
Subject: red hair and blondes
Hi,
First, I find your site very interesting but I still
have to do much research about some of the information
in it.
I read your section on blond and red Jews and your
answer to a question about it.
I am an American, but my parents are from Brazil. My
father comes from French/Swiss and mostly Portuguese
stock; my mother is mostly Portuguese but her
grandfather is from Japan! The funny thing is that
today I have very dark brown hair, some might called
it black, but as a child I had blond hair. My older
sister always had dark hair and my younger sister had
red hair at birth but is a brunet now.
This change of hair color is a very common occurrence
with Mediterranean blood as in Portugal, Spain, and
Italy. I am not sure if that is because of a mix of
peoples such as Celtic, Germanic and native
Mediterranean people, but it does occur. So, color of
hair is not always a good way to tell where people are
from, as with skin color. My wife is Dutch, English,
German, and Welsh, and she has olive skin. Her 3
older siblings have dark hair and brown eyes, and the
3 youngest were blond with blue eyes.
I actually have a very common look about myself and I
have been confused with Germans, Armenians, Italians,
Russians, etc, which is kind of funny. Anyway, people
are easily misguided by stereotypical ideas.
Furthermore, your idea that the 10 tribes went to
Northern Europe, specially England is kind of
different to me. I belong to the LDS Church, or
Mormon church, and we too believe that the 10 tribes
were scattered to Europe and other parts of the world.
I guess we believe that the diaspora encompassed a
larger area, including the migration of Hebrews to the
Americas in ancient times.
Paul Burnier
5. Contacting Yair Davidiy, Brit-Am, Jerusalem, Israel
Yair Davidiy
May be contacted from overseas at:
-972-2-566498 (home phone)
-972-54-6-423196 (cellullar phone)
From North America:
011-972-2-566498 (home phone)
011-972-54-6-423196 (cellullar phone)
Inside of Israel Outside of Jerusalem Area
02-566498 (home phone)
054-6-423196 (cellullar phone)
From Within Jerusalem Area
566498 (home phone)
054-6-423196 (cellullar phone)
6. More on the Magen David
From Gary David Atkinson
>this is a post by James Trimm--might be of interest
Actually recently two inscriptions have been found proving that the
Mogen David (which some call "Star of David") was the seal of state
of ancient Israel.
The first may be found in David Rohl's book Kings and Pharoh's
It is a bass relief sculpture of King Jehu (one of the righteous
kings of Israel) with his men behind him, paying homage to the King
of Assyria who has conqured him. The relief shows the seal of state
of Assyria over the head of the King of Assyria (the winged solar
disk). King Jehu has the seal of state of Ancient Israel over his
head, the Mogen David.
The second is even older. It may be found in the book THE NAME OF
GOD by James R. Harris p. 205. It dates to the time of the Judges
and was found at Gibeon. It is a Mogen David with YAH written in
Hebrew in it.
Some have pointed to the "Star" (Hebrew: "Kokba") in Amos to defame
Jews for using this symbol. However the "Star of David" is actually
in Hebrew the MOGEN DAVID ("SHIELD of David"). NOT the KOKBA DAVID
("Star of David") . It is only in English that the MOGEN DAVID has
been mistakenly called
the "Star of David".
Moreover, regardless of what other uses this symbol may have had, the
archaeological evidence is clear. The Mogen David WAS the seal of
state of ancient Israel, even under the righteous King Jehu.
Moreover it was used as a symbol by Hebrews in connection with
worshiping YAH as early as the time of the Judges.
James Trimm
7. MEMBERSHIP OF THE JEWISH PEOPLE
Technically a person is Jewish if they have a Jewish mother or converted
before an Orthodox Jewish Rabbinical Court.
The Lost Ten Tribes ARE NOT JEWISH
since according to the Bible their membership in the religious sense was
suspended.
They will however return.
Based on the Biblically-based precedent of the Lost Ten Tribes Jewish legal
courts
usually do not recognize the JEWISHNESS of someone whose grandmother or
great grandmother
converted to another religion and never returned to declare themselves Jewish.
In such cases the Court would require a reconversion sometimes as a
formality and at other times
with the same requirements as applied to all other prospective converts.
This was an accepted principle from Talmudic times but acquired practical
strengthening
from the time of the SPANISH EXPULSION if not before then.
This is mentioned in legal works but more importantly
there are numerous precedents showing that this
was the practice in effect.
B. Netanyahu in his historical researches concerning the Inquisition and
Jews who were forced by the Spanish to change their religion and their
descendants
quotes numerous cases and explains the background.
Most Jews (even Rabbis) are not aware of this.
It may be that a maverick Jewish court somewhere in the "wild" of America
(or elsewhere)
on its own authority would act differently and its decisions could also be
binding.
We are not making value judgments or giving advice just giving the facts as
we understand them.
Therefore I would be careful before relating seriously
to the above item 3. Revolutionary New Ruling on Jewish Ancestry?
The Ethiopian Jews may be the descendants of Israelites, or of converts, or
of pagans who on their
own initiative adopted Jewish customs or a mixture of all the above. No-one
is sure.
Since however they regard themselves as Jewish and have kept Torah laws
according to their
own understanding they are required to renew the covenant which has the
same effect as conversion
but does not deny the possibility of Israelite ancestry. This is applied
because they have come over as a group
and not as individuals.
The Israelites in the Bible several times RENEWED THE COVENANT.
THIS IS NOT A PERFECT WORLD AND BRIT-AM IS NOT OUT TO REFORM OR TO PASS
JUDGMENT.
It is also not our task to explain or justify Judaism or Jewish laws only
in this
case the subject does have some bearing on our field.
At all events
Our task is to spread the truth regarding Israelite Brit-Am Identity
and all good people should support us ads much as they can in this endeavor.
Yair Davidiy
Brit-Am
Jerusalem
Israel
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