Ten Tribes Studies (29 September, 2013, Tishrei 25, 5774)
Contents:
1. Cristian Sildan: A Jewish Robin Hood in East European Galicia. Was Robin Hood Jewish? Reuben Hod?
2. Queries on Scotland being Jewish and the significance of Heraldry
3. Query about Messiah son of Joseph and Elijah.
4. Query about Kate Middleton (wife of Prince William and mother of Prince George Alexander Louis) having Jewish Ancestry.
5. Query about the Full Moon in Jerusalem and the Holy Days
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1. Cristian Sildan: A Jewish Robin Hood in East European Galicia. Was Robin Hood Jewish? Reuben Hod?
Re: Brit-Am Now no. 2130: Ten Tribes Studies
#4. Michael Dubuss: Compliments from Texas, USA
http://hebrewnations.com/features/now4/2130.html
Peace Yair.
This guy Dubuss sounds interesting.
If Dubuss is the family name of his father and if he claims he's a Jew from Polish Galitia, it's very interesting because around here there are legends about a famous outlaw, a Robin Hood type of individual, called Dobosh.
It is rumored he was Jewish, even related to the Baal Shem Tov according to some.
Maybe there are diggins to do on this direction.
All the best,
Cristian
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Brit-Am Reply:
A recent film of quite good quality but apparently relatively unappreciated tells the story of a Robin Hood type figure from the East European region.
See:
King of Beggars (Melech Shel Kabzanim) (2007)
http://www.israelfilmcenter.org/israeli-film-database/films/king-of-beggars
# Based on the character of Fishke der Krumer (Fishke the Lame) created by the great Hebrew and Yiddish writer Mendele Mocher Sforim, the film follows the adventures of Fishke from humble bathhouse attendant in a 16th century Russian shtetl to becoming the leader of a fighting brigade of Jewish outcasts. #
This is an Israeli film in English that I personally recommend.
It does not seem to have received the recognition it deserves.
Nowadays nearly all movies waste your time and contain scenes that should not be viewed. If however one is going to view such things anyway then it may as well be with a quality film and in my opinion this film is such.
Concerning Robin Hood in England, Roger Peyerefitte, The Jews (1973), suggested that Robin Hud was really Jewish and that his Hebrew name had been Reuben Hod.
Peyrefitte was the type of person who enjoyed saying all sorts of things. Some of them may actually have been true! His remark about Robin Hud has always caught my fancy.
Someone might one day use the idea as the basis for an historical novel.
There may even be some truth in it.
King John, the enemy of Robin Hood, oppressed the Jews as well as his own people.
There were Jews at various levels of assimilation in England at that time.
As the persecution of the Jews intensified it is almost certain that some Jews went underground.
There are other points in the story of Robin that may indicate Jewish influence.
Here is another remark of Peyerefitte:
"On January 1st, 1963, the Feast of the Circumcision of Our Lord, it is far from certain that General de Gaulle was thinking of his ancestors, the Kolb Jews, Chancellor Adenauer of his ancestors the Adenauer Jews, the President of the Italian Republic of his ancestros the Segni Jews, the King of Sweden of his ancestor the half-Jew Bernadotte, the ex-King of Italy of his maternal ancestors the Petrovitch Niegoch Jews of Montenegro, the Archduke Otto von Hapsburg of his ancestor the Jewess Henriquez (mother of Ferdinand the Catholic), the King of Belgium of his ancestor the Jewess Pereira from whom his great-grandmother Braganza descends, Prince Bernhard of the Netherlands of his ancestor the Jewess Pacheco, Queen Elizabeth of her maternal ancestors the Bowes-Lyon Jews, the Duke of Edinburgh of his ancestors the Haucke Jews; or that at the White House President Kennedy was thinking of his ancestors the Kennedy Jews or Vice-President Johnson of his ancestors the Johnson Jews. "
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2. Queries on Scotland being Jewish and the significance of Heraldry
Philip Gilchrist wrote:
Shalom Yair,
Have you come across the book published this year called Scotland was Jewish and if so what do you make of it?
Also does heraldry relate to the Israelite tribes and identity?
With kind regards
Philip Gilchrist
Philip Gilchrist Architect Limited
6 Emerson Street
Dunedin
Tel 64 3 488 1869
Fax 64 3 488 1896
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Brit-Am Replies:
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(a) The book, "When Scotland was Jewish"
#2. Jewish Scotland??
http://britam.org/now/715Now.html
Extracts Only:
When Scotland Was Jewish
Using the tools of modern DNA testing and evidence ranging from medieval burgess lists to synagogue records, professors Hirschman and Yates study a large community of Jewish merchants and court officials who were active in the nation-building phase of early Scottish history, 1000-1300 C.E. They discuss the Judaic origins of the Royal House of Stewart, the identity of Aberdeens St. Machar, and the possible role of secret Jewish religious practices in the formation of Presbyterianism.
Meet Lord Anthony Ashley-Cooper, the English peer who introduced the writ of habeas corpusthe Babylonian exilarch [Head of the Exiles, supreme religious authority] who founded a Hebrew shul [synagogue] in southern Francethe Scottish princess Maud de Lens who combined several lines of Davidic ancestry and was one of the richest women in Europeand the Clan Douglas warrior who removed the heart of Robert the Bruce to have it buried in Jerusalem.
Chapters on DNA analysis, clan genealogies, the Knights Templar, the Cabala, and the religions of Scotland conclude with a critical essay on Sir Walter Scotts heroine Rebecca in Ivanhoe, bringing the story of a previously unsuspected Judaic presence in the British Isles down to the present day. An epilogue glances at Scots-Irish emigration to America and looks at evidence of early Jewish communities in Ireland, Wales, the Isle of Man, and the Channel Islands.
Descendants of medieval Spanish, French and Italian Jews -- that is, the Western or Mediterranean Jews of Sefarad -- are not primarily of Semitic ancestry. Rather, they belong to what is called the R1b DNA haplogroup, the most common male-line lineage in Europe and countries of the New World founded by Europeans.
Bagpipes - musical instrument most associated in the popular imagination with Celts and Scotland - first gained popularity in Scotland at the outset of the 1500s. This was an age which continued the neglect of Celtic culture but which saw the mass expulsion of Jews and Moors from Spain due to the Spanish Inquisition. Significantly, the bagpipe originated in Mesopotamia and Greece between 700 to 400 B.C.E. Hence, it is a Middle Eastern/Central Asian musical instrument, not one indigenous to northern or western Europe.
Knox also urged the adoption of Mosaic law as the governing rule of Scotland. Under it, certain crimes [including] murder, blasphemy, adultery, perjury and idolatry (Marshall 2000, p. 67) would be punishable by death. He further proposed that Scotland create a universal system of education so that every individual in the population would be literate and able to read the scriptures; he also envisaged a universal charity system to care for the indigent, ill and disabled. Both of these concepts are rooted in Judaic tradition.
#4. Jews in Scotland?
http://britam.org/now/988Now.html
Extracts:
Edward (1239-1307) of England expelled the Jews in 1290.
He then waged war against the Scots and invaded their country.
I once saw a quotation from a Scottish source (Henry Boece?) saying
that Jewish children had been kidnapped from the expelled Jews in England
(similarly to what happened later in Portugal) and brought to Scotland.
A search on the Internet failed to give me a confirmation of this source.
The source is also not found in the book,
"When Scotland Was Jewish.
DNA Analysis, Archaeology, Analysis of Migrations, and Public and Family Records Show Twelfth Century Semitic Roots"
by Elizabeth Caldwell Hirschman and Donald N. Yates, 2007, USA.
This work claims that Scotland to a significant degree was "Jewish" from the 1100s CE
onwards.
So far the book is a disappointment even though our expectations were not high to begin with.
Even so, the very fact that the work was written and by virtue of its title has received some
attention indicates a growing interest in this subject.
There WAS some kind of tradition of a Jewish presence in Scotland.
In our work "Lost Israelite Identity", and in "Ephraim" we have mentioned this.
See also:
The Food Taboos of Old Scotland
http://www.britam.org/foodtaboos.html
The Law of Moses and of Caledonia
John Toland (1714):
"You know how considerable a part of the British inhabitants are the undoubted offspring of the Jews and how many worthy prelates of this same stock, not to speak of Lords and commoners, may at this time make an illustrious figure among us....A great number of 'em fled to Scotland which is the reason so many in that part of the Island have a remarkable aversion to pork and black puddings to this day, not to insist on some other resemblances easily observable.."
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(b) re Heraldry
Heraldry includes the Coats of arms of different Kingdoms. These often indicate Israelite Tribal Origins as shown in our book "The Tribes".
Each Tribe had its own standard:
[Numbers 2:2] EVERY MAN OF THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL SHALL PITCH BY HIS OWN STANDARD, WITH THE ENSIGN OF THEIR FATHER'S HOUSE: FAR OFF ABOUT THE TABERNACLE OF THE CONGREGATION SHALL THEY PITCH.
Each Tribe had its own symbols; and its own symbolic animal that was not in every case depicted on the Tribal Standard.
In addition each of the seventy Tribal Clans had a symbol of its own.
We know from the Midrashim and related sources more or less what the Tribal symbols were. Even non this point however some differences of opinion exist.
We know some of the Tribal animals but not all of them.
We do not know what the individual symbols of the Tribal Clans were but based on names and other factors we may speculate.
Heraldry in its modern sense principle means the official symbols of noble houses. By extension it is also used for the symbols of provinces and town ships and of army regiments, etc.
It could well be that some of the present-day heraldic symbols may be traced back to those of the ancient Israelites.
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3. Query about Messiah son of Joseph and Elijah.
From: "Jared ThaJa "
Subject: Elijah and Messiah Ben-Joseph
Have any Rabbis ever considered that Elijah and Messiah Ben-Joseph might be the same?
Elijah was of Manasseh, Eastern Manesseh-Gilead. The assumption is that Messiah Ben-Joseph would be of Ephraim, and which is why he's also called Messiah Ben-Ephraim. But maybe that assumption is off?
I read that one Midrash account says Messiah Ben-Joseph's body would lie unburied in the streets of Jerusalem till Messiah Ben-David resurrects him.
This makes me wonder if this tradition might have influenced the author of Revelation, which has the Witnesses (Of whom nearly all Christians agree one of Elijah) lying in unburied the streets of Jerusalem until their resurrected.
Revelation 11 also draws on imagery of Zechariah 4.
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Brit-Am Reply:
The identification of Elijah with the Messiahs son of Joseph who brings the Ten Tribes back has been suggested in the past. We shall wait and see.
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4. Query about Kate Middleton (wife of Prince William and mother of George Alexander Louis) having Jewish Ancestry.
Dear Mr. Davidiy:
I understand that you are presently enjoying a period of reduced activity but stumbled on something that struck me as potentially being of great significance regarding the theme of unification of the Tribes of Israel. I have looked at much of the material you have on the Brit-Am website and Youtube videos but do not recall this topic being one that you have covered.
On a Facebook page entitled "Friends of Israel" (https://www.facebook.com/douglas.augustine.10#!/pages/Friends-of-Israel/103649516338979), I stumbled on the photo that I have attached to this message (it was posted on their page in 2010). In case there are legibility problems on your side that make it difficult to read the caption under the photo, I have re-typed it here for easy reference:
QUOTING:
This is going to upset the Muslims in Britain. Did you know?
In the family tree of Kate Middleton, wife of Prince William, Kate's mother is Carol Middleton, daughter of Ronald Goldsmith and Dorothy Harrison (both Jews).
The parents of Dorothy Harrison are Robert Harrison and Elizabeth Temple (both Jews).
Elizabeth Temple is a descendant of the Myers family, English Jews in the 19th century.
BOTTOM LINE: Princess Kate is a Jew on her matriarchal side. The future king of England will be a Jew according to Jewish Law and tradition.
END QUOTE
The couple have since had a son, Prince George who is now third in line to the throne. In your opinion, does this have significance as something to unify the two Houses via the kingship of Prince George? Or am I perhaps reading too much into this?
I look forward to reading your opinion on this.
Sincere best regards,
Douglas Augustine
Tokyo
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Brit-Am Reply:
Shalom,
We may have answered a similar question previously. Most of the URLs on this subject seem to be quite unequivocal in saying that Princess Kate does not have Jewish ancestry.
This type of speculation is not unusual.
Jewish ancestry amongst prominent Brits is a known phenomenon.
Former PM John Major is said to have had Jewish origins.
The present PM, David Cameron also had at least one Jewish ancestor.
It may be that this input from Judah is needed to trigger the return of the Ten Tribes?
# The exiles of Judah and Benyamin [i.e. the present-day 'Jews'] are destined to go unto them [the Lost Ten Tribes] and bring them back in order to merit with them the Messianic Era and life in the World-To-Come. This is as it says, 'In those days the house of Judah shall go unto the house of Israel and they shall come together out of the land of the north unto the land that I have given for an inheritance unto your fathers' (Jeremiah 3;18).
-Yalkut Shimeoni, Song of Solomon 905.
We may shortly write an article on this subject.
What ever the case concerning Princess Kate being Jewish it is interesting that many people seem to hope that it is true!
It is also worth noting that strictly speaking it is not enough having had a Jewish mother.
Once the religion has been changed publicly the situation is problematic and a renewal of the covenant may be required. At all events a Rabbi needs to be consulted.
Concerning Princess Kate being Jewish
See the sources below:
Accept it ! Kate Middleton is not a Jewish princess
By Sandy Rashty, June 20, 2013
http://www.thejc.com/news/uk-news/108866/accept-it-%E2%80%94-kate-middleton-not-a-jewish-princess
Middleton, Shmiddleton. Britain's new royal heir is not a Jew
Despite the claims of dubious experts, unnamed Sephardi rabbis, and an Iranian news agency, Prince George will not be England's very first Yiddishe monarch
By Miriam Shaviv July 25, 2013, 11:22 am 72
http://www.timesofisrael.com/middleton-shmiddleton-britains-new-royal-heir-is-not-a-jew/#channel=f2fdaab3db47ce&channel_path=%2Fmiddleton-shmiddleton-britains-new-royal-heir-is-not-a-jew%2F%3Ffb_xd_fragment%23xd_sig%3Df172569412cdf3c%26&origin=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.timesofisrael.com
Extracts:
Just three days old, the young prince has already managed to unite two usually opposite camps, the anti-Semites and the Jews. It's hard to tell who's keener on the idea.
Even Birthright has got in on the act, creating an infant garment which says on the front, 'His Royal Highness. Future Birthright Israel participant, 2031
On the anti-Semitic side, there are endless forums discussing whether Kate is 'tainted' by Jewish blood, while Iran's Mehr News Agency warns, in mangled English, that her marriage ceremony in Westminster Cathedral was a sham.
'This lady's family roots show that she is considered a Sephardic Jew from her mother's side. Moreover the timing of the wedding and the way it was held which was based on Jewish culture verify the evidences. William's marriage as the inheritor of the crown to a Jewish girl will leave the future of Britain to the hands of the couple's Jewish children.'
Most of the Jewish sources quote an 'Orthodox Sephardi rabbi in Israel' - unnamed, unsurprisingly, saying that Kate's mother's parents were both Jewish, but on the whole tend to accept that it's probably not true....
The Times of Israel approached no less an (ostensible) authority than Michael Cole, the BBC's former royal correspondent, who had a letter published in the Times of London last month (and cited by the New York Post last week), asserting that Kate's mother, Carole Middleton, 'is the daughter of Ronald Goldsmith and Dorothy Harrison, both Jews. The parents of Dorothy were Robert Harrison and Elizabeth Temple, both Jews. Elizabeth was descended from the Myers, a distinguished 19th century Jewish family.' Cole added in the letter: 'The Duchess of Cambridge is a Jew on her matriarchal side and therefore her baby will be a Jew, according to Jewish law and tradition.' And he suggested that 'a wise choice' of name might be Solomon.
Unfortunately for the royal Jew-hopers, Cole sounded a little more circumspect over the phone, admitting that 'it is only circumstantial evidence.'
Like everyone else, he relied entirely on the fact that the names in Kate's family tree, Goldsmith, Harrison, Myers and Temple, sound Jewish, and surmises that they were originally members of the tribe. 'There used to be a very strong impetus on Jewish people in Britain and elsewhere to marry out and hide their Jewish antecedents,' he told The Times of Israel.
According to Laurence Harris, former chairman of the Jewish Genealogical Society of Great Britain and a regular adviser to the genealogical television program 'Who Do You Think You Are,' there is no evidence of Jewish branches in Kate's family tree' - 'yet,' he added cautiously.
The 'Jewish' surnames were also used by non-Jews, and 'there is no evidence of synagogue marriages or Jewish burials,' Harris noted. On the contrary, there are solid records of church weddings among Carole's ancestors going back at least five generations.
The office of the British Chief Rabbi, which keeps records of marriages in the Orthodox United Synagogue, says that previous publications debunking the Middletons' Jewish heritage make the issue completely clear.
While Harris accepts that this is not definitive proof either way, he noted that the ancestors largely lived in areas and pursued occupations that were not typical of Jews in that era. Carole's great-grandfather John Goldsmith, for example, born in 1851, was a laborer in Middlesex near London. Joseph Temple, another of Carole's great-great-grandparents, was an iron miner in Yorkshire, as was his son Thomas. Both were married in their local parish churches. Thomas's wife, Elizabeth Myers, came from county Durham in north East England, which was not a Jewish area. Her father, Joseph, was an agricultural laborer.
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5. Query about the Full Moon in Jerusalem and the Holy Days
David wrote:
Greetings Yair,
Would it be possible for you to send me the actual date of the Full moon in Jerusalem for the month of September. There are certain people here who are confused about it and may be misleading others. This affects the timing of the Holy days in this area. Thank you for your input and warm regards to you and your family.
Cheers,
David,
Canada
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Brit-Am Reply:
Shalom,
The information you asked for is probably available from the Web.
We have begun a study of this matter which is quite complicated. Our comments may take some time to be available, if ever.
At all events, the Holy Days are determined by the Jewish Calendar which the Sages formulated according to the authority given them by the Bible.
If one has trouble with the Bible then that is another story.
God bless you