Contents:
1. SUCCOTH and activities
2. The Great Seal (a site well worth
visiting)
1. SUCCOTH and activities
From: Jacob Richman <jrichman@jr.co.il>
...I posted on my website 75 links
about Sukkot, ranging from laws and
customs to games and recipes. Site
languages include English, Hebrew,
Russian, Spanish, French, Portuguese,
German and Italian. The web address is
http://www.jr.co.il/hotsites/j-hdaysu.htm
2. The Great Seal (a site well worth
visiting)
From: Betty Matteson Rhodes:
Subject: Re: "Brit-Am Now"-98
> 1. Question on National emblem
of USA
There is a website {http://www.greatseal.com/}that
has everything you ever
wanted to know about the great seal
of the United States and it is quite
interesting.
The unfinished pyramid (in Egypt) that
was used as a model also has the
'eye'on the upper level, and more interesting
is - it has 13 steps.
http://www.greatseal.com/committees/finaldesign/notmasonic.html
Extracts from the Site:
Whose Seal Is It?
Wall Street's, the Masons', or Yours?
The Great Seal is the official sign
of sovereignty of the United States of
America. It is not a decoration on
money nor a symbol that belongs to any
special group past or present,
covert or overt.
Its story began in 1776, more than a
century and a half before it first
appeared on the one-dollar bill. Designing
the Great Seal involved three
committees, six years, and several
of America's most gifted founders,
representing diverse experiences and
points-of-views.
The Great Seal is truly a revolutionary
American creation, unique in the
world of heraldry and symbolism.
an original arrangement of natural
elements (eagle, olive branch, stars,
cloud, light rays, eye) and universal
symbols (pyramid, arrows, shield).
Americans should know that the Great
Seal is their national emblem.
Patriots honor and protect it, just
as they do the Flag.
Freemasonry and Members of the Great Seal Design Committees
1. Definitely a Mason:
Benjamin Franklin.
2. Definitely not
Masons: John Adams and Charles Thomson.
3. No firm evidence
of a Masonic connection, although allegations of
such a connection have been noted:
Thomas Jefferson, James Lovell, Francis
Hopkinson, Arthur Middleton, and John
Rutledge.
4. No records at
all, so presumably not Masons: Pierre Du Simitie`re,
John Morin Scott, William Church Houston,
Arthur Lee, Elias Boudinot, and
William Barton (although he has at
times been confused with another William
Barton who was a Mason).
U.S. State Department*
"Use of the eye in art forms, including
medallic art, as a symbol for an
omniscient and ubiquitous Deity was
a well established artistic convention
quite apart from Masonic symbolism,
and Du Simitie`re, an artist, would
have been aware of this.
"As to the pyramid, there was widespread
interest in Egypt and things
Egyptian in the eighteenth century,
and in the Library Company of
Philadelphia there was a detailed work
entitled 'Pyramidographia' which
would have been available to both Hopkinson
and Barton.
"It seems likely that the designers
of the Great Seal and the Masons took
their symbols from parallel sources,
and unlikely that the seal designers
consciously copied Masonic symbols
with the intention of incorporating
Masonic symbolism into the national
coat of arms."
U.S. State Department*
"The Great Seal of the United States
is not a Masonic emblem, nor does it
contain hidden Masonic symbols. The
details are there for anyone to check,
who's willing to rely on historical
fact, rather than hysterical fiction.
"The interpretation of the eye on the
seal is subtly different from the
interpretation used by Masons. The
eye in the pyramid is not nor has it
ever been a Masonic symbol."
Masonic Service Association of the United States
* Richard S. Patterson and Richardson
Dougall, The Eagle and the Shield: A
History of the Great Seal of the United
States , 1976. Published by the
Office of the Historian, Bureau of
Public Affairs, Department of State,
under the auspices of the American
Revolution Bicentennial Administration.
681 pages.
http://www.greatseal.com/symbols/blazon.html
[1882 Centennial medal, obverse] [1882
Centennial medal, reverse]
Continental Congress June 20, 1782
The Blazon of the Great Seal of the
United States
and
Charles Thomson's Remarks and Explanation
Congress adopted the design for the
Great Seal on June 20, 1782 the very
same day that its secretary, Charles
Thomson submitted his recommendations.
His report consists of a blazon (written
description in heraldic terms) and
his "Remarks and Explanation."
NOTE: It is this written description
which is the ultimate source of
accuracy for creating an actual die
(or illustration) of the Great Seal. In
the science of heraldry, the written
word is used to precisely describe the
appearance of a symbolic diagram.
The Secretary of the United States in
Congress assembled to whom were
referred the several reports of committees
on the device for a great seal,
to take order, reports
That the Device for an Armorial Achievement
& Reverse of the great seal of
the United States in Congress assembled
is as follows.
Arms
Paleways of thirteen pieces Argent
and Gules: a Chief, Azure. The
Escutcheon on the breast of the American
bald Eagle displayed, proper,
holding in his dexter talon an Olive
branch, and in his sinister a bundle
of thirteen arrows, all proper, &
in his beak a scroll, inscribed with this
Motto. "E pluribus unum".
For the Crest
Over the head of the Eagle which appears
above the Escutcheon, A Glory, Or,
breaking through a cloud, proper, &
surrounding thirteen stars forming a
Constellation, Argent, on an Azure
field.
Reverse
A Pyramid unfinished. In the Zenith
an Eye in a triangle surrounded with a
glory proper. Over the Eye these words
"Annuit Coeptis". On the base of the
pyramid the numerical letters MDCCLXXVI
& underneath the following motto.
"novus ordo seclorum"
Thomson's Remarks and Explanation
The Escutcheon [shield] is composed
of the chief & pale, the two most
honorable ordinaries. The Pieces, paly,
represent the several states all
joined in one solid compact entire,
supporting a Chief, which unites the
whole & represents Congress. The
Motto alludes to this union. The pales in
the arms are kept closely united by
the chief and the Chief depends upon
that union & the strength resulting
from it for its support, to denote the
Confederacy of the United States of
America & the preservation of their
union through Congress.
The colours of the pales are those used
in the flag of the United States of
America; White signifies purity and
innocence, Red, hardiness & valor, and
Blue, the colour of the Chief signifies
vigilance, perseverance & justice.
The Olive branch and arrows denote
the power of peace & war which is
exclusively vested in Congress. The
Constellation denotes a new State
taking its place and rank among other
sovereign powers. The Escutcheon is
born on the breast of an American Eagle
without any other supporters to
denote that the United States of America
ought to rely on their own Virtue.
Reverse. The pyramid signifies Strength
and Duration: The Eye over it & the
Motto allude to the many signal interpositions
of providence in favour of
the American cause. The date underneath
is that of the Declaration of
Independence and the words under it
signify the beginning of the new
American ?ra, which commences from
that date.
* Glossary
of Heraldic Terms used in the Blazon argent = silver
* azure =
blue
* chief =
top part of the shield
* dexter =
right
* gules =
red
* or = gold
or yellow
* paly, paleways,
pales = vertical stripes on the shield
* proper =
the element's natural color
* sinister
= left
4. UK Contacts?
At 17:37 24/09/2002 +0100, Beck wrote:
>Please can you help explain the lack
of Ephraimite response in the UK? Please.
> We thank HaShem for your
work.
>We know few who embrace the Torah[oral
and written] yet on these small
>islands.
>
>Do you have contacts here in the UK?
>
>Todah
>F.Matthews
At the very beginning of Brit-Am we
had good contacts with "British
-Israel" and other organizations
in the UK.
These contacts were promising at first
but then in effect ceased to develop:
Out of the organizations:
1. "British -Israel": We heard that
anti-semitic elements in British
-Israel were dissatisfied with
a Jewish connection. With the publication
of "Ephraim" further dissatisfaction
developed. On a personal level we did
make some friends among these people
but they ceased to promote our
publications.
2. Another organization sold himself
out to Nazis so we ceased contact.
3. A third just became quiescent.
4. The head of a fourth decided with
his family to convert to Judaism and
for the time being should not necessarily
complicate matters by emphasizing
his agreement with Brit-Am.
There were other groups and individuals
who seemed promising and we will
attempt to revitalise our connection
with them.
Apart from that we still have some
good contacts:
Stephen Spikerman iin London:
stephen@identityrevelation.com
Ireland - Raymond Lee - gr8yz1@indigo.ie
Ireland/UK - Dr. Clifford Smyth -(Ulster
area) - phone:0044232795446
If we ever receive funding we will advertise
Brit-Am in select publications
in the UK.
The UK requires a different psychological
approach than the USA.