Isaiah 49. Rabbi Feld: Return

What does Brit-Am Really Think?

Continued from:

re
Rabbi Avraham Feld: Is Redemption Here?
Is Redemption Here?

Rabbi Feld said (10.17) quoting, David Ben Gurion (de facto head of the Jews in Palestine at the time and future PM of Israel): # "We are going to call the State 'Israel'."

# This was not his own opinion. It was also that of .....[Ben Gurion said] "we should call it Israel because God Forbid that we should give up on the Ten Tribes....so the State of Israel should be open for Jewish immigration and for the ingathering of the Exiles.... "

[Rabbi Feld continues] It's not only going to be a place for Judah to run to. 'The Ingathering of the Exiles' is a Biblical term and it includes the return of Joseph. It includes the return of our 10 tribes. It includes the long-term captivity of Judah in Captivity... who are not Judah anymore... etc.

QUERIES:

(a) Did Rabbi Feld have a source for this?
(b) Is Rabbi Feld part of Brit-Am?

Brit-Am Replies:
(a) Rabbi Feld says he heard what he reported in the name of David Ben Gurion (about using the name "State of Israel" in order to leave an option open for the Ten Tribes when they return) from two historians, one of whom has since deceased. Wikipedia reports that the name "Israel" (instead of Judah) was chosen, among other reasons, in the hope that the Arabs and others would eventually identify as full-fledged citizens of the new State since the term "Israel" is less specifically Jewish than "Judah." Knowing what Ben Gurion wrote elsewhere he may even have considered the Ten Tribes to be the Palestinian Arabs! At all events we are searching for more sources on the subject. Not only Ben Gurion but a large number of other Jews, important and otherwise, wrote on the subject just before the decision. Minutes of the actual decisive meeting appear to be lacking but in the rest of what was wrote may well be found opinions along the lines we are searching for.

(b) Rabbi Feld is no longer part of Brit-Am but still supports Brit-Am and agrees with its identification of the Lost Ten Tribes with Western peoples. In the past Rabbi Feld was closely associated with Brit-Am but he also became linked with other groups (counter to Brit-Am) and so technically he had left us. He also had an agenda and doctrines that Brit-Am could not afford to be associated with. despite we are still close friends and still occasionally co-operate with each other.

Rabbi Avraham Feld was first introduced to Brit-Am teachings concerning the Lost Ten Tribes by his brother Israel Feld who had helped us very much in the beginning.

See: Yair Davidiy. A Brief Introduction to the Founder of Brit-Am and a History of Brit-Am.
https://hebrewnations.com/hebrewn/yairdavidiy.html

Rabbi Avraham Feld at that time already had (together with his brothers Rabbi David Feld, and Marvin Feld) his own institution (Maccabee Insititute), experience in the Jewish and Public Domain, a followership, an agenda, and beliefs. The Maccabee Insistitute had done (and still does do) a lot of good in very many areas. It has a good repitation in Israel especially among Religious Jews. Among other things, as we understand it, Rabbi Avraham then, as now, believed the Jews should be more energetic in attracting converts (from among all Gentiles) and make it easier for them. [Brit-Am does not agree with this but at the time we did not know that this was his attitude and he did not mention it. Recently however he has begun to emphasize it and is active about it]. Before meeting us, Rabbi Feld already understood that many of the Gentiles he encountered in the USA were of Jewish or Israelite origin. Brit-Am offered Rabbinically-acceptable proofs as well as empirical evidence in general identifying many of the people in question not only as Hebrew but also as belonging to specific Tribes within Israel. Subsequnetly, Rabbi Feld and Yair Davidiy became close friends. He helped us very much in the beginning. Rabbi Feld wrote Approbations to our books. In the course of time personality differences developed and Rabbi Avraham attached himself to other groups. Rabbi Feld had always had beliefs, attitudes, and agendas of his own some of which were not consistent with those of Brit-Am, and so offically we parted. Nevertheless Rabbi Feld has never ceased to praise Brit-Am and its teachings and to recommend them to others. He also remained on close terms with Yair Davidiy. He still supports us and in principle we reciprocate. Rabbi Feld has spoken on our behalf in the YouTube Video Clips he features in on the Yair Davidiy YouTube Channel.
In his recent, relatively successful clip, "Rabbi Avraham Feld: Is Redemption Here?"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GnjGgFgTmDY&t=472s
Rabbi Feld expressed opinions some of which Brit-Am is reserved about, opposed to, or simply wishes not to be identified with.
These include a reference supporting Conspiracy Theories that was removed in the editing of the Clip.

Brit-Am/Hebrew Awareness has the following teaching aims:

(1) Belief in the Bible.

(2) Acknowledgement of the Jews as Judah.

(3) The Lost Ten Tribes Identified as specific nations and groups now present among Western Peoples.

See:
The Distinctive Imperatives of Brit-Am are:
https://hebrewnations.com/hebrewn/hebrewtribes.html

We do not think Brit-Am doctrines should be concerned with the conversion to Judaism of Gentiles in any way and especially NOT in excess of present Orthodox Jewish policy.
Leave some work for the Messiah when he comes!
We do not encourage non-Jews to come to Israel without conversion. Our message involves the Israelite Identification of whole communities and Tribal Groups rather than isolated individuals.
The future domain of the United Tribes of Israel also encompasses geographical regions already in LTT Possession as well as the Promised Land of Greater Israel from the Nile to the Euphrates.
We are also not in favor of Conspiracy Theories and try to distance ourselves from them.

Brit-Am believes in promoting the Truth concerning Hebrew Ancestry and Hebrew Tribal Affiliation. Even though we cannot tell people what specific Tribe they belong to, the fact that the Tribes still exists has importance in its own right.

Question: If we are so reserved about the message on this clip why did we post it on our Channel?

Answer:

We did not know in advance what the message would be. Up until now the Brit-Am YouTube Talks of Rabbi Feld consisted of expressing support for Brit-Am and a Biblical message everyone could agree with. Apart from that, he is not necessarily entirely wrong. It is a question of emphasis. Some people might need to hear such words. Brit-Am does not want to be identified with it and stresses spreading knowldege of Israelite Ancestry above other matters. Even so, if what Rabbi Feld said had to be said, concerning a future minority of Israelites, then perhaps it is better that it somehow emanate from us (despite our emphasized reservations) than from elsewhere. Despite this, we repeat: The problem of Religious Affiliation, etc, will be solved mainly by the Future Messiah. Our task is to spread knowledge of Hebrew Ancestry. By the same token, Christians who wish to influence Jews towards Christianity should desist from that!