A Brief Introduction to the Founder of Brit-Am and a History of Brit-Am
Contents:
1. What is Brit-Am?
2. The Name "Brit-Am."
3. Yair Davidiy: Antecedents and Early Life.
4. Israel
5. The Researches
6. Kiryat Arba, Hebron.
7. Sussia, the Hebron Hills
8. BIWF and Clifford Smyth.
9. Bet-el [Biblical "Bethel"].
10. The Return to Jerusalem. The Brit-Am Organization.
11. Brit-Am, Yair Davidiy, and Rabbi Avraham Feld
12. Principles of Brit-Am that distinguish us from others.
13. Brit-Am Events and Activities.
14. Rechaviah, Jerusalem.
15. The Separations.
16. TV
17. Tamar Yonah of Arutz-7.
18. Dr. Gavin Finley
19. MORE YOU TUBE NOTES.
20. BEITAR ILIT
21. ZOOM Meetings.
22. Some Controversies that Brit-Am was Involved In.
23. More Details.
24. QUORA ACTIVITIES.
25. Family Members.
26. Jews and Christians
This Article on the whole has been adapted and summarized from A History of Brit-Am, https://www.britam.org/BAhistory.html
Many of us know that we descend from Israelites.
Or at least we would want to have done so and instinctively feel that we do.
These instinctive feelings are confirmed by Biblical verses and secular studies.
Brit-Am/Hebrew Awareness, previously known as Brit-Am/Hebrew Nations, the Ten Tribes Movement, is engaged in these studies and in bringing knowledge of them to the general public.
Brit-Am/Hebrew Awareness is comprised of Jews and non-Jews and works for what it considers to be the good of all the Israelite Peoples. This includes Judah (the present-day Jews) and the Lost Ten Tribes.
This is the story of Yair Davidiy and Brit-Am or rather part of the story as it has evolved unto the present.
We are writing this account since it answers questions we are frequently asked, it is important in its own right, and since there is need for a more reliable picture of what Brit-Am was and now is.
We are working mainly from memory but documents and records do exist. The reader should expect several of the dates and facts recalled below to undergo revision as different points are clarified: We may well revise and alter this article several times over in the near future. The account below will not interest everybody but some of you who are familiar with the subject should find it of great interest.
Brit-Am sees itself as both as both a movement and an organization. The Brit-Am Movement came first and comes first. The Brit-Am Organization is meant to give some kind of formal framework to the Brit-Am Movement and further its cause.
2. The Name "Brit-Am."
The term "Brit-Am" in Hebrew means approximately "a covenant or union of the people(s)."
It is found twice in the Hebrew Bible, both times in contexts that indicate the Lost Ten Tribes.
Isaiah (NKJV) 42:
6 I, the LORD, have called You in righteousness,
And will hold Your hand;
I will keep You and give You as a covenant to the people [Hebrew: "BRIT-AM"],
As a light to the Gentiles.
Isaiah (NKJV) 49:
8 Thus says the LORD:
In an acceptable[g] time I have heard You,
And in the day of salvation I have helped You;
I will preserve You and give You
As a covenant to the people [Hebrew: "BRIT-AM"],
To restore the earth,
To cause them to inherit the desolate heritages;
9 That You may say to the prisoners, 'Go forth,'
To those who are in darkness, 'Show yourselves.'
They shall feed along the roads,
And their pastures shall be on all desolate heights.
The relevance of these verses (Isaiah 49:8-9) to the Ten Tribes is confirmed by Early Talmudic-Rabbinical Sources,(Midrash Bamidbar Rabah 1;6, Midrash Eichah Rabah 2;9, Talmud Yerushalmi Sanhedrin ch.17, L.6, 29)
Cecil Davis pointed out that "Brit-Am" is also understandable as representing "Britain and America" the two foremost Israelite Nations both pertaining to Joseph.
3. YairDavidiy: Antecedents and Early Life
Brit-Am as both a movement and an organization has been around for some time.
How did Brit-Am start?
To understand Brit-Am we need to speak a little about Yair Davidiy since up until now much about Brit-Am resolves around Yair.
Yair Davidiy was born in 1950 in Sydney, Australia.
His father came from southwest Wales and was born as William Hugh Russell-Davis. In most of his adult life and later in Australia he referred to himself as "Hugh Davis".
The father of Hugh was William Russell-Davis. He was the head-master and the owner of a boarding school. The father of William seems to have been born out of wedlock and his father is unknown. This has only became known to the family in the last few years due to inquiries by my aunty, the sister of Hugh. My father ("Hugh Davis") never mentioned it and may not have known about it.
A recent DNA test indicates that he was indeed descended from the Tribe of Neal who had once ruled over all Ireland and Western Scotland. Descendants of the Tribe of Neal are now concentrated in the Northwest of Ireland. Historically they were known as Gaels and as Milesians. Within the Tribe of Neal DNA markers for our family indicate the sub-clan of Donal and the Irish area of Ireland just south of Protestant Ulster, i.e. concentrated in Ulster but that part of it now belonging to Eire. There was once a kingdom here named "Oriel." This is also a Biblical Name and it had been given to the first born son of Yair by the mother of the boy before we knew anything whatsover of a possible connection to that area!
On the one hand, my father, Hugh Davis, was an avid believer in British Imperialism. On the other side, he loved Ireland. He may have known something of his ancestry or he may not.
This is of interest since a good portion of a Brit-Am book we published (before having this information), "Lost Israelite Identity. The Hebrew Ancestry of Celtic Races" (1996) concerns the Milesians. A revised edition of this book has since been published under the title Ancestry. The Hebrew Identity of Celtic Races," by Yair Davidiy
The mother of Hugh Davis (grandmother of Yair) was from a "Plymouth Brethren" family who reputedly never allowed in their house any other book than the Bible. Not all her family were so pious however and it was believed that one of her physical antecedents was one of the House of Hanover monarchs of Great Britain.
The "Plymouth Brethren" were a small group but historically important. They believed that the Jews should be helped to return to the Holy Land and receive their own State. They are credited with having influenced the Scofield Bible and the later Evangelical Movement in the USA that supports Zionism and Israel. [Orde Wingate who helped the Zionists prepare their future army was also of Plymouth Brethren stock and also believed in British Israel.]
My grandmother believed in the Lost Tribes being in the British Isles and did research of her own on the matter. According to Oren Davis (brother of Yair) she helped found an independent branch of British Israel in Wales.
The mother of Yair was born in London of Jewish parents. Her father, Leo Jacoby (also known as Joseph Levi), was a silk merchant (son of an accomplished violinist) who was born in Denmark but had come to England at an early age. He served as a liason officer between the British and French Forces in Gallipoli against the Turks in World War I. The mother of my mother came from Strasbourg in Alsace, France. Members of the family were to be found among the Jews of France, Alsace, Switzerland, and Germany, and maybe elsewhere as well. Both my parents served as officers in WW-II. One of the sisters of my father was a nurse who was taken captive by the Japanese and died in captivity. Relations of my mother in France and Germany were killed for being Jews.
Yair was born in New South Wales, Australia, but grew up in the State of Victoria which is further to the south. His parents owned a series of food shops and small restaurants. In Australia, Yair became acquainted with British Israel Literature and with the writings of Herbert Armstrong and his group. Yair, as a young adult, at one stage attempted to conduct research of his own on the matter but did not get far. Yair had been born Jewish according to Jewish Law. Yair believed in Judaism and began to study and practise it while still in Australia.
4. Israel
In 1974 Yair moved to Israel. He served in the IDF as well as learning in various Yeshivot and Rabbinical programs. Yair studied both independently and under direction. Rabbi Menachem Moshe Jacobson of Beer Yaacov was an important influence. Rabbi Jacobson encouraged Yair to learn the sources and to interpret them. Rabbi Jacobson encouraged Yair to think as he now does. He also later learned of our intention to publish the work we published. He was supportive. We learned enough to acquire some acquaintance with that part of the Torah most obviously pertinent to Brit-Am and to lay a foundation that could be built on. This however was not our intention at the time but rather we were learning for the sake of it as is the practice amongst Orthodox Religious Jews. We still learn today and find it helps us in many ways as well as being good for Brit-Am.
See Also: Yair Davidiy and Rabbis
Yair was married for a period and six sons were born to him. Yair had changed his name twice due to a combination of personal issues and Israeli bureaucratic rulings. The surname "Davidy" (later spelt "Davidiy") is close in sound and meaning to our original name, "Davis", and is Hebraic in character.
Yair had always maintained a strong interest in Biblical Knowledge, history and contemporary affairs. During his Rabbinical Studies he came across Jewish sources indicating that there may be something to the belief that the Lost Ten Tribes were to be found amongst Western Peoples. Information from other sources and various incidents strengthened this impression. Gradually an overwhelming urge developed to resolve the issue once and for all.
Were the Lost Ten Tribes in the West or not?
A preliminary investigation indicated that even if they were found not to be amongst Western Peoples it might be worth writing a book on the subject since the issue had had historical importance.
It did not take long however for our basic intuitive understanding to be confirmed. The concept concerning the location of the Ten Tribes being among Western Peoples was indeed a true one and consistent with the Torah. The Lost Ten Tribes are primarily among Western peoples especially the English-speaking ones.
5. The Researches
In 1984 whilst living in Shiloh (in the former territory of Ephraim) Yair began intensive research on the matter. He wrote summaries of his findings in Hebrew and discussed the subject with Rabbis and academics. Yair also spoke to Rabbi Eliyahu Avichail who headed the Amishav organization. Rabbi Avichail held that the Lost Tribes were to be found in eastern countries such as Afghanistan, Burma, etc. The two did not agree.
In 1985 Yair moved to Jerusalem and continued his researches in the National Library and elsewhere. The National Library is one of the best libraries in the world. It has a Rare Books section that proved very useful. Davidiy became a fixture in this Library and was treated with great consideration by the staff. At that time Yair worked as a professional Jewish Religious Scribe. This is a very demanding and painstaking profession requiring considerable expertise and a special aptitude. Yair was not really suited to it. Nevertheless it had the advantage of providing an independent source of income whose work was not restricted to set hours. Yair changed addresses several times but during this period mostly lived in the Jewish Quarter of the Old City. Many intellectuals and Rabbinical students are to be found here. Frequent informal discussions concerning our researchs were held. On the whole reactions were favorable.
6. Kiryat Arba, Hebron
In ca. 1990 (?) Yair through a mutual acquaintance of Yaacov Fogelman (who was then Director of "TOP: Torah Outreach Program") came in contact with John Hulley and moved to Kiryat Arba besides Hebron in the south of Israel. John Hulley had done research and had come to similar conclusions as Yair. John Hulley authored various articles some of which were later published in Brit-Am publications. Hulley later published "Comets Jews and Christians" (1996) in which he attributes true scientific achievement on the whole to a combination of Israelite ancestry together with relative closeness to Biblical truth. He uses recipients of Nobel Prizes as criteria. John Hulley was also preparing other works which as far as we know remained unpublished.
John recognized the potential value of our researches. We had new information confirming the identity of the Lost Ten Tribes with Western peoples. We used Biblical, Rabbinical, and Secular sources and showed how they all tied together. We were capable of presenting our findings in a format religiously and nationalistically acceptable to Judah (the Jews) while true to the Biblical Truth of Joseph, i.e. the Ten Tribes. John Hulley became our first supporter. He also employed Yair (for a few days each month) as a part-time research assistant.
This continued, on and off, for about two years or more. It was important to us at the time.
In Kiryat Arba there then existed a coterie interested in the Lost Tribes. Some of them were researching and writing about it. Some members of this band were converts to Judaism but natural born Jews were also present.
Individuals whom we remember well in this connection include:
John Hulley, from the USA, a scholar whose field was similar to that of Brit-Am but with more of a non-Biblical emphasis and a more restricted historical focus.
Aaron Minazzi, from Milano, Italy, saw Jewish and/or Israelite ancestry as an explanation for Hebraizing (or "Judaizing") tendencies amongst "heretical" Christian groups, especially in Italy. Minazzi sought answers as to what practical conclusions members of the Ten Tribes should be expected to reach once the truth of their Israelite ancestry would become clear to them. Aaron Minazzi was to remain interested in Brit-Am and invovled with it for the rest of his life almost 30 years later.
Mordecai Lapid was a veteran immigrant from Russia where he had been a famous "refusenick" or activist on behalf of the right of Jews to move to Israel which at that time was forbidden by the Russian authorities. His interest was genetic studies as a means of tracing Israelite ancestry. On the whole he too traced the Lost Ten Tribes to Western nations. This was before the era of DNA. Mordecai and his firstborn son, Israel, were murdered by Arab terrorists in a driveby shooting, in ca.1994.
Calev Ardon, from Flanders in Belgium, considered Biblical belief and practices as indicative of Israelite origin.
Mair Horenstein, from the Walloon area of Belgium, applied principles from Jewish Thought and General Philosophy to Historical Phenomena.
Yehonatan David White from the USA is the son of a Rabbi. He believed that the Lost Ten Tribes were amongst Amerindians and had done original research on the subject. Yehonatan was also an expert in Jewish Mysticism. He read at least one of the manuscripts that Yair had written and became an early supporter of ours.
There were others. The names are perhaps less important than the overall outlook that developed. The Jewish Inhabitants of Hebron in the Middle Ages are reported to have considered the Sambation River where the Lost Ten Tribes are to be found as just over the hill, see the book Hebrew-language work "Hebron." Literally speaking this was not the case but it could be that a special quality conducive to tracing the Lost Tribes was indeed present. The forefathers of the Israelite Nations are buried underneath the Cave of the Patriarchs in Hebron. Those buried there include Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Sarah, Leah, and Esau.
In Kiryat Araba we would hold frequent discussions about the Lost Tribes being in the west. We analyzed the available evidence and spoke between ourselves of its implications. Conclusions reached at that time and impressions made were later to be important. During this time Yair prepared the manuscripts of three different books along with several suitcases of written research notes. Hundreds of summaries of these works were sent to publishers. A publishing company in the UK showed interest, examined a manuscript for about a year but in the end decided that the work did not fit in with their line of publication.
Yair tried at this stage to start an organization, to be named "Brit-Am," dedicated to the subject but it did not then take off.
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In ca. 1991-92 (?) Yair moved to Sussia in the southern Hebron Hills between the Yatir Forest and the edge of the Judean Desert. He lived on a sheep farm owned by Israel Feld. Israel Feld helped Yair a lot. Israel read one of our manuscripts and thus became acquainted with Brit-Am teaching concerning the Lost Ten Tribes and in turn introduced his brother, Rabbi Avraham Feld, to the subject. Another brother of the two, Rabbi David Feld, also later befriended us.
Rabbi Brett Oxman, a friend of Avraham and Israel Feld, lent Brit-Am the money to publish "The Tribes" in 1993. At first we tried to interest numerous historical and ethnically-related societies in the work but without success. Eventually Yair made contact with Shabat-keeping and similar Christian groups in the USA. We sent a book to the BIWF (British Israel World Federation) in the UK. Things started moving. Craig White of Australia contacted us as did Steven Collins and others in the USA. Herman Hoeh (a great historian associated with H.W. Armstrong) spoke with us on the phone and recommended our work to his pupils.
Clifford Smyth of Ulster also contacted us on behalf of the BIWF in the U.K. We were invited to speak at the annual BIWF (British Israel World Federation) in Britain. They would pay for our trip and Yair was billed as the guest speaker. We understood from them that we could say what we liked and that they were prepared to consider revising their somewhat anti-Semitic anti-Zionist platform. The BIWF however is not a homogeneous group. To this day we are not sure as to how genuine the people in charge really were. Some of the BIWF people who contacted us however seemed definitely sympathetic towards Brit-Am aims.
On the other hand, there were and are other members of the BIWF who have been virulently anti-Jewish. Their magazines hardly ever mention the Israelite origins of western peoples. They do not seem to make it a priority and sometimes even seem reserved about it, preferring to emphasize sundry Christian doctrines. On the other hand they sell books by Yair Davidiy and other Classical British Israel works, and seem in favor of our activities.
At all events, it transpired that because Yair owed money to the Israeli Government he could not leave the country, which perhaps was for the better.
9. Bet-el [Biblical "Bethel"].
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In ca. 1995 Yair moved to Bet-el (i.e. "Bethel") north of Jerusalem. In that same year we had published the first edition of "Ephraim", 1995. Later in the 2nd edition (2001) this work was to be entitled "Ephraim. The Gentile Children of Israel". "Ephraim" includes a chapter the sources for which and some of the opinions expressed therein were supplied by Israel Feld.
In the meantime we had met Azriel ben Moshe, a New Immigrant, from Britain though born in Rumania. In ca. 1995 Azriel traveled to Europe and on behalf of Brit-Am made contacts in the Netherlands, Britain, and Ulster. With the help at first of Aryeh Galin, (head of the Root and Branch Organization) Yair Davidiy gave a series of talks in Jerusalem on the Brit-Am subject. During these talks we met future Brit-Am supporters Cecil and Donna Davis and their son, Don Davis. Cecil and Donna were of mixed Amerindian Scottish-British stock. Cecil was a former professional jet-fighter pilot. Don works in web marketing.
Other individuals and organizations also helped us organize talks.
In 1996 Brit-Am published the first issue of our magazine "Tribesman".
In 1996 was published "Lost Israelite Identity. The Hebrew Ancestry of Celtic Races." This was a large and important work with new findings and vital information. A good portion of this work was later incorporated in the book, "Ancestry. The Hebrew Ancestry of Celtic Races."
10. The Return to Jerusalem. The Brit-Am Organization.
In ca. 1996-1997 Yair moved back to Jerusalem. In ca. 1997-1998 we found ourselves sharing an apartment with Rabbi Avraham Feld and a few others, in the Bukharim Quarter. During this period we were working part-time, part-of-the-time, for the Maccabee Institute headed and managed by Rabbi Feld and two of his brothers. The Maccabee institute is a Social Welfare and Cult-combatting institution. Whilst still in Bet-el we had begun our Internet activities and continued them in Jerusalem. James Trimm set up an e-mail discussion group based on the work of John Hulley and Yair Davidy. There was also a popular Bnei Noach e-mail list at the time one of whose moderators was sympathetic to our goals. Through these and other avenues we had begun to build a following.
11. Brit-Am, Yair Davidiy, and Rabbi Avraham Feld
In ca. 1998 Yair Davidiy announced the creation of Brit-Am as a formal organization. Rabbi Avraham Feld was also involved and helped us in the field of Public Relations. Rabbi Feld had received "Semicha" (Rabbinical Ordination) from Yeshiva University, New York, in 1983. He contributed a great deal to Brit-Am in the early stages. Rabbi Feld later left Brit-Am and joined another group. At present Avraham Feld is no longer a part of Brit-Am though in principle he agrees with our findings and supports them. Our relations are amical. In the year 2022 Rabbi Feld began regularly giving Video-talks on issues connected with the Brit-Am emphasizing his support in principle of most of its teachings. He himself however had his own teachings that we did not agree with. For that matter, most People quoted in this article do not necessarily agree with all of our teachings. Our task is primarily to spread the truth concerning the truth of Israelite Ancestry and the need for Judah and the Ten Tribes to be sympathetic towards each other. This especially applies to the need for "Joseph" (i.e. the Ten Tribes) not to be anti-Jewish. There are several reasons why the empahasis is placed on Judah in this matter including the histroical vulnerability of the Jewish people.
12. Principles of Brit-Am that distinguish us from others include:
1. Biblical Teaching.
Brit-Am believes in the Hebrew Bible. We cannot compromise with Non-Jewish Doctrines concerning the Future Messiah. We believe the Bible is the Literal Truth. It may be argued how this truth is to be understood on certain points but the principle remains.
2. Coming to Israel Now or Later?
Brit-Am understands (from Biblical and Rabbinical sources) that the Lost Ten Tribes will return and re-unite with Judah (Ezekile ch. 37). At that time many of them will come to the Promised Land of Israel and its surroundings. Nevertheless the lands they are now already in WILL ALSO become part of the Promised Area. [We first heard this understanding from Steven Collins but later found that great Rabbis (such as the "Hatam Sofer") had previously preadumbtrated it]. At all events there is no need for them to come to Israel at present, except in exceptional cases. They who claim otherwise may be performing a disservice. The emphasis as we understand it should be on persuading descendants of the Lost Ten Tribes as to who they are in the lands they are now in. [Surprisingly enough it was over this issue that many Ephraimites later disassocciated themselves from Brit-Am! Efforts to heal the breach without compromising are now in progress.]
3. Western Peoples to be Identified as a Priority. Brit-Am IDENTIFIES peoples in the west as descended from Israel. This must always be emphasized. Many people from other areas in some cases feel a strong sense of identification with Biblical Israel and beleive they too are descedned from Israelite Tribes. There may be something to this in some cases since descendants of Israel were also scattered over many areas. Some of the best supporters of Brit-Am have been in this second category.
13. Brit-Am Events and Activities
In ca. 2000 we moved out of the apartment with Avraham Feld and company and into one owned by Isaac Mozeson (author of "The Word") and after a few months we moved again to a flat near the Davidka that we shared for several years with Chaim Hayman. Chaim is an educational activist in Biblical Studies, a scholar, and an entrepreneur. He was and still is of assistance to Brit-Am.
In August 2000 Steven Collins, David Hofer, and Howard Davis came to Israel. They were preparing a documentary about the Lost Ten Tribes and requested that we assist in this. Rabbi Feld and Yair traveled with them throughout the Land of Israel during the course of about a week. Steven Collins has written an article about his experiences on this trip.
See:
Anonymous sponsors and UCG collaborate on video trip by Steven M. Collins. The documentary unfortunately never materialized possibly due to logistic problems.
From around 2001 onwards we had began to organize regular meetings. A Brit-Am World Congress was held in the Hilton Hotel, Jerusalem, attended by people such as Clifford Smyth from Ulster, Colbert ("Bert") Bryan from Jamaica, Binah from India, Steven Spykerman from England and several others from overseas along with inhabitants of the Holy Land. Later Rick Richardson hosted on two occasions Brit-Am Conferences in Jerusalem that were very well attended and highly successful.
Eddie Chumney of Hebrew Roots for a long time was a strong supporter of Brit-Am and assisted us in publishing our works, sponsoring printings for some of them.
Colbert Bryan was also of very great help to us for a good while.
There were other contributors to our cause but we are not sure whether or not they would want their names made public.
Betty Rhodes had set up the first Brit-Am web site. This was in 2002. Betty assisted us greatly and selflessly for several years. She also put her own geneaological researches and original family coat-of-arm illustrations on our site. This doubled the traffic. At the urging of Betty, Yair learned to use html text and manage the web-site himself. Betty turned ownership of the site over to us. When the lease ran out we renewed it in our own name.
We also through cyber space established quite a few autonomous chapters of Brit-Am throughout the USA as well as in other countries. Due to lack of funds, executive manpower, and other factors most of these groups disintegrated and disappeared. Even so, we had shown that the potential is there. The Brit-Am branch in Texas had been especially impressive with tens of adherents and regular activities on behalf of the State of Israel. it could be that the time was not ripe then for such activity and perhaps it still is not.
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In the years 2002 to 2014 we rented a two-and-a-half room apartment in an Orthodox Jewish enclave, "Shaarei Hesed," in Rechavia, Jerusalem, in full view of the Knesset (Israeli Parliament) Building. This was to serve us as living quarters, office, and storage space. The rent was somewhat high but not unduly so by the standards of Jerusalem. The geographic location and other aspects were advatageous to Brit-Am. [We have since moved to Beitar-Ilit on the outskirts of Jerusalem.]
During ca. 2002-2003 through the agency of the Maccabee Institute (run by Rabbi Avraham Feld and Rabbi David Feld in Israel and his brother in the USA) we had received the use of a bomb shelter in the center of Jerusalem. Brit-Am meetings were held here fairly regularly. [This lasted for about a year. The facility has no longer been available to us.]
Amongst the Jewish supporters of Brit-Am at the time (and also before and after then) was Shmuel ben Yaacov who helped us a lot. Shmuel is well known as an activist for Jewish Nationalist causes. He helped us stabilize our e-mail based operation and in numerous other ways.
Ephraim Frank, an "Ephraimite" enthusiast, also attended most early Brit-Am meetings.
At first attendees at the meetings were mainly Jewish or half-and-half, then gradually "Ephraimites" became predominant. "Ephraimites" may be defined as Christians from different denominations, or no denomination at all, who adopt some Old Testament and Jewish practices and also believe they are descended from Israel. The whole businesses of arranging meetings, speaking before an audience, dealing with others, etc., was all new to us. We had had no previous experience in the field. We conducted the operation differently than perhaps we should have.
15. The Separations
In ca. 2004 some of the Ephraimites decided they wanted their own Ten Tribes orientated organization in Jerusalem. We were against it not only because we dislike competition -which we do even though it can often help more than hinder: We also did not want any other group in the Land of Israel presenting the same doctrine and we wanted it to emanate from a Jewishly-acceptable source, i.e. ourselves. Anyway they went ahead and did found their own association. Rabbi Feld was later informed that a Christian philanthropist had promised large sums of money to establish an Ephraimite circle in Israel on condition that no Jews be involved. Others followed the first breakaways and several different groups emerged, disappeared, and somtimes came back again.
Rabbi Feld also left Brit-Am shortly afterwards though for a while he continued to appear with us on public forums, etc.
In 2017, as a public service, we published a work by Rabbi Feld, "Little Sister. The Oral Law and the Need for it in Understanding Scripture."
Nevertheless, for all intents and purposes Rabbi Feld is no longer part of Brit-Am in any way.
Among the Ephraimites several groups emerged. All of these groups, apart from Brit-Am, seemed to have been backed by outside Christian financial sources. All of them owed something of what they believed to Brit-Am. All Ephraimite assemblages anywhere in the world today have received input from Brit-Am. Very few of them acknowledge this. They may not always be aware of it. Many items of information that have since become common knowledge were first revealed by Brit-Am. What applies to "Ephraimites" is also applicable to several other Israelite identity" groups. Among the "Ephraimites" there seems to be those who base their belief in Ten Tribe ancestry on a kind of spiritual awareness. This is a valid option but insufficiant when convicing others. Brit-Am is dedicated exclusively to the point of view that the Lost Ten Tribes are physically today among Western Peoples. We may be one of the few, perhaps the only, organization that still holds by this and makes it the main point of focus.
In one case a good portion of of one of our works was plagiarized word for word by an Ephraimite activist and former associate.
At all events most of our activity has since been in cyber space where we had other matters to concern ourselves with.
16. TV
Raymond and Carmelita Lee were strong supporters of ours. Raymond was a building contractor and construction advisor. Carmelita is a Court Transcriber, authoress, and columnist. She occasionally wrote pieces for the Jerusalem Post. In 2005 Raymond arranged that Rabbi Feld and Yair be interviewed about Brit-Am on "Revelation TV" in the UK, working out of Cyprus. This interview was successful and resulted in several Britishers making contact.
17. Tamar Yonah of Arutz-7
Tamar Yonah is a prominent newswoman and radio personality for Arutz-7.
On several occasions Tamar interviewed Yair Davidiy. Most of these interviews received a very wide coverage and were most helpful. Recordings of these broadcasts remain a popular feature on the Brit-Am site. We were also interviewed by other Radio Programs and the interviews were succesful. This included an ongoing series of talks hosted by Ray Maccabee of Kosher 101.9 Radio. Some of the talks were recorded and may be found under the heading of New BAMBI (New Brit-Am Broadcasting Israel).
18. Dr. Gavin Finley
In 2008 Dr Gavin Finley video-taped a ca. 2 hour dialogue between himself and Yair at the Hyat Hotel in Jerusalem. From the footage Gavin obtained about 13 short clips that were posted to U-Tube etc on the web.
http://britam.org/videoclips.html
Tens of thousands of visitors have viewed these filmings.
For Gavin and myself this was something of a first-time experiment that proved itself. One of the clips by Gavin may be seen at kalamata777.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wbz4BptPccE=youtu.be
These videos had received 103,992 views by September, 2014. Eventually the number of viewers may have exceeded a million!
This has also had an effect in spreading our message.
In 2010 Eddie Chumney prepared a series of 10 interviews with Yair Davidiy. These were intended for a TV program that closed down prematurely. In September 2014 Eddie uploaded the Interviews to YouTube. See: Eddie Chumney Interviews Yair Davidiy (2010).
We have continued our online YouTube Presence, see:
Yair Davidiy You Tube Station, created with the help of Oriel Davidiy (son of Yair) in ca. May, 2010.
As of October 2020 the Yair Davidiy YouTube Station had 3007 subscribers. The Channel had received 657,498 views and contains about 473 video clips.
As of February, 2023, the Most Popular Brit-Am Video Clips had been:
The Celts Called Themselves Hebrews!
60K views, 11 years ago, CC.
Israelite Physical Types
14K views, 9 years ago
Dan & Judah in Ireland
11K views, 8 years ago.
Hebrews in Scotland
9.6K views, 9 years ago
Is Donald Trump a Hebrew?
9.5K views, 6 years ago
Israelite Origins of the Scythians
9.3K views, 9 years ago
Samaritans
8.6K views, 9 years ago
The Unicorn and Israel
7.6K views, 8 years ago
Benjamin Tribal Traits. BennyB Queries
7.5K views, 10 years ago
Edomite Descendants
7.1K views, 5 years ago
The Tribe of Levi and Revealing Tribal Identity
7K views, 9 years ago
Are you from Benjamin? BennyA Queries.
6.7K views, 10 years ago.
20. BEITAR ILIT
By July 2014 we had moved to the city of Beitar Ilit. This city is quote large by Israeli standards with ca. 80,000 (2023) inhabitants. It is near Jerusalem to the west of Bethlehem and north of Efrat. It may in fact be in the area of the Beth-Lehem of Biblical Times.
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We began our first ZOOM Meetings on 10 November, 2022, and these indicate a propitious beginning. For several months before than Aryeh (Lowell Joseph) Gallin had been hosting us every month on his Root & Branch Zoom Meeting series.
22. Some Controversies that Brit-Am was Involved In.
We were criticized heavily due to our condemnation of Conspiracy Theories in general.
Our defense of Judah and the Jews also engendered a barrage of e-mails from "Identity" freaks. These attacks still continue.
We hold that descendants of the Lost Ten Tribes are not obliged to keep the Torah Laws of Moses at present. This is the situation at present though Scripture indicates it will change in the future. It is not a matter we invovle ourselves with one way or the other. We do however consider growing interest in Torah and its commandments a positive phenomenon.
We do not believe the Lost Tribes are in the East.
We are against Racism but rather in favor of an awareness of Israelite uniqueness. Judah and "Joseph" have each in their own way been "chosen". This involves both blessings and obligations.
Defence of Jews and Anglos
We have defended the British from the Criticism of Afrikaners, Irishmen, Jews, and Americans.
We ourselves are not always sure why we bother.
We have defended the Jews on occasion from almost everybody.
Here and there we also defended the Irish and others.
We criticized an attempt to revive the defunct Karaite Movement. This involved us peripherally due to our belief in Rabbinical Commentaries and for other reasons.
We spoke against Homosexuality because it needs to be spoken against, See: Homosexuality Kills! and other articles.
Despite all the above our main activity and most of our energy and intentions have been dedicated to researching and spreading the message of physical descent from Israel.
We now have THREE main sites:
http://www.britam.org
http://hebrewnations.com/
https://hebraictribes.com/
We have an e-mail discussion list that goes out several times a week to more subscribers. The e-mail discussion list is divided up into different features. It provides an important service with Biblical Commentary, updates (from a Brit-Am perspective) on contemporary events, DNA, archaeological findings, historical research, etc.
To Subscribe send an e-mail message with "SUBSCRIBE" in the subject line and in the text space to:
yair@britam.org.
24. QUORA ACTIVITIES
Yair Davidiy became active on Quora, in ca. September, 2015. See https://www.quora.com/profile/Yair-Davidiy. Yair posted articles and answers to Queries on Brit-Am matters concerning the Lost Ten Tribes as well as subjects that he had knowledge of.
These other issues included Biblical Subjects, Orthodox Jewish matters, Ancient History, British History, Jewish History, the Ten Tribes, the History of WW2, the Nazis in Germany, Zionism, Judaism, the present-day Arab-Israeli Conflict, anti-Semitism, and so on. This activity attracted a reasonably large number of readers. As of October, 2020, we had received 2,400,000 contact views on Quora. See: our Quora Profile. https://www.quora.com/profile/Yair-Davidiy. This has helped Brit-Am in various ways. Quora also gave us a "Space" (type of blog) of our own which is named,
"Hebrew Israelite. Biblical Israelite and Jewish Identity Matters in History and Today. "
Sons of Yair Davidiy helped Brit-Am on matters concerning our Web-Sites, our computer, our video tapes, and the Internet. They also assisted financially on numerous occasions. One of the sons of Yair is an officially-ordained Rabbi in Israel, while another is a full-time Rabbinical Scholar. Two of the others work in computers. This too helps.
The notes above may have overduly emphasized Christian contacts and influences. More information concerning Brit-Am contacts with Christian groups may be may be seen in our article "Parallels. Christian Church Links to Brit-Am Type Teachings." Nevertheless, Brit-Am teachings are consistent with Orthodox Judaism. Brit-Am is a Kosher organization from the Jewish point of view. We use numerous Jewish Sources both as primary and supplementary evidence in our teachings. To view some of the Rabbinical Sources see articles listed under the Heading "Rabbinical Sources." In addition to this Yair Davidiy is an Observant Jew and has been in contact with Orthodox Jewish Rabbis throughout nearly all his adult life. This is the main source of Brit-Am learning. A separate article gives more details, see Yair Davidiy and Rabbis. To view and perhaps purchase our books see Publications.
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Brit-Am is the "still small voice" that contains the truth.
[1-Kings 19:12] AND AFTER THE EARTHQUAKE A FIRE; BUT THE LORD WAS NOT IN THE FIRE: AND AFTER THE FIRE A STILL SMALL VOICE.