1. Joan Griffith: Mixed Origins are Common
Subject: RE: "Brit-Am Now"-878
Hi,
I was just wondering if you have heard of some of the results of DNA studies
done here in the USA? It seems that Rev. Al Sharpton, a black preacher,
turned out to be related to Sen. Strom Thurmond of South Carolina. a
long-time segregationist (altho he was known to have fathered a daughter
with a black woman) through his slave ancestors. This was a shock to
Sharpton!
Another case I just read about in the Washington Post this week described
how people with the last name of West were submitting DNA to find relatives,
and a white rancher from Missouri met a number of his black relatives in
Harlem, NY City. The black woman who first met Mr. West, Vy Higginsen, said
she had African, 28% European, and 8 percent Asian ancestry, but no American
Indian princess. ;) The rancher had 3% African blood in addition to his
white ethnicity.
Many of us kind of know our ancestry & ethnic makeup--I know I am 1/2 German
and 1/2 English; yet my sister the genealogist has traced the English side
to Ireland. We know that a lot of the Western Europeans seem to have what
they call African or Middle Eastern genes.
When the researchers say "African" genes, we immediately think of
black
Africans, but North Africa has been more light-skinned, has it not? For
example, Carthage, established by a granddaughter of an Israelite king;
Alexandria, Egypt, a real international city with significant numbers of
Greeks and Jews; and of course, the Roman conquerors are spread over the
then-known world.
Here is a non-scientific article from The Smithsonian magazine:
http://www.smithsonianmagazine.com/issues/2007/february/DNA.php
"In general, 30 percent of African Americans who have their DNA tested
find
they come from European lineagesa statistic that corroborates the
well-known stories of white plantation owners impregnating their female
slaves. ... Nobody should do any genetic work until they have researched up
to the 1700s-1800s" -- in other words, do your homework.
Joan
Brit-Am Note:
It was prophesied that Israel would rule over a large part of Africa and
cause slaves from Africa to be carried over in chains to Israelite lands.
Black Africa (Seba) will be yours. This happened. Large numbers of African
slaves were transported across the sea in chains to America. Their
descendants (more than one third of whom also have some "Anglo" Ancestry)
are the Afro-Americans of today.
Isaiah says, IN CHAINS THEY SHALL COME OVER, AND THEY SHALL FALL DOWN UNTO
THEE, THEY SHALL MAKE SUPPLICATION UNTO THEE, SAYING, SURELY GOD IS IN THEE;
AND THERE IS NONE ELSE, THERE IS NO GOD [Isaiah 45:14] .
It would seem from this that even if some subversive foreign elements need
to be expelled from the USA the Afro-Americans should be treated differently
since ultimately they will be on the side of Israel.
2. Steamships and Rivers of Cush
We have dealt with this subject before,
in fact not so long ago,
though I was unable to find the references in our archives.
[If anybody has them please send them to us].
[Isaiah 18:1] WOE TO THE LAND SHADOWING WITH WINGS, WHICH IS BEYOND THE
RIVERS OF ETHIOPIA [Hebrew: Cush]:
[Isaiah 18:2] THAT SENDETH AMBASSADORS BY THE SEA, EVEN IN VESSELS OF
BULRUSHES [Hebrew: "Gomey" also connoting Steamboats or oil-driven
craft]
UPON THE WATERS, SAYING, GO, YE SWIFT MESSENGERS, TO A NATION SCATTERED AND
PEELED, TO A PEOPLE TERRIBLE FROM THEIR BEGINNING HITHERTO; A NATION METED
OUT AND TRODDEN DOWN, WHOSE LAND THE RIVERS HAVE SPOILED!
The expression "VESSELS OF BULRUSHES" is from the Hebrew [keli-gomey]
where
the word translated as "Bullrushes" is "Gomey" [from the
Root: "GMA"].
The "Etymological Dictoinary of Biblical Hebrew, Based on the Commentaries
of Samson Raphael Hirsch" by Matityahu Clark, New York, 1999, explained
"Gomey" to mean (1) sipping and absorbing liquid (Genesis 24:17 translated
as "DRINK", Genesis 41:19 Exodus 15:8); (2) water absorbing reed;
(3) reedy
plant requiring much water. In other words the translation of "Gomey"
as
"bulrushes" derives from the plant being so named due to its water
absorbing
characteristics.
Literally the vessels that travel on the sea are "Gomey" or water
absorbing.
This describes boats that use steam such as Steam Ships and nuclear powered
boats.
Wikipedia Extracts:
A steam engine requires a boiler to heat water into steam. The expansion or
contraction of steam exerts force upon a piston or turbine blade, whose
motion can be harnessed for the work of turning wheels or driving other
machinery. One of the advantages of the steam engine is that any heat source
can be used to raise steam in the boiler; but the most common is a fire
fueled by wood, coal or oil or the heat energy generated in a nuclear
reactor.
A steamboat or steamship, sometimes called a steamer, is a ship in which the
primary method of propulsion is steam power...
Steamships gradually replaced sailing ships for commercial shipping through
the 19th century, and they were in turn superseded by diesel-driven ships in
the second half of the twentieth century. Most warships used steam
propulsion until the advent of the gas turbine. Today, nuclear powered
warships and submarines use steam to drive turbines, but are not referred to
as steamships or steamboats.
3. Ancestor in Court of Henry viii
From: beswick <beswick@slingshot.co.nz>
Subject: greetings from NZ
Hello Yair
Having now read a number of your bulletins I realise that you must get the
same questions over and over - you are very patient. I will try not to ask
any silly ones!
The article about Jewish musicians in Henry VIII's court interested me. One
of my ancestors was also a musician/composer in Henry's Windsor court,
albeit piano/harpsichord rather than viola. He was one of the Windsor
martyrs ( narrowly cheated death from immolation by getting a royal pardon
24 hours before the deed) but I think he hailed from Germany rather than
Italy judging by his name - Marbeck. He went on to compose the Book of
Common Prayer for the Anglican Church and the first English Concordance of
the Bible.
Tessa Beswick
4. John Michaelis: Is there An Israelite-Judah Religious Phenotype?
From: redbeard2@hushmail.com
Subject: potential insights
'Birds of a feather flock together'. Some people will naturally be attracted
to certain things, so maybe a 'truer' strain of Israelite was to be found
among certain sections of Orthodox Jewry, compared to secular or 'ethnic'
sections. This is a parallel situation to other sectarian division
throughout history- why some are naturally attracted to certain groupings,
for example the Puritans vs Cavaliers in old England, or today with
conservative, liberal, leftist, libertarian, etc. Or Catholics vs
Protestants, an obvious one from history. Everyone sees what is right in
his/her eyes, its the human condition so we gravitate towards what moves us.
I just intuitively see "Hebrew" when noticing several different types
of
people, for example a lot of Celtic fringe types and Scandanavians, pictures
of 1800's Americans. Take a certain type of bearded Scotsman or Swede and
put a cap and sidelocks on an presto there is an Orthodox Jew. And the
reverse is true. A lot of things are contextual which supports the idea that
enviroment brings out possibly latent aspects, just like a goldfish grows to
fit the size of the tank. I live in N Spain now and I have a cat who is
American, I am not kidding, these cats around here are like the people, 2nd
world old europe but my cat is from the same stock and he is huge lazy and
noble. He just got that way from being around us.
In my own family I saw a picture of my Russian-Jewish great great
grandfather, his son, and his grandson (who was my grandfather) Each
generation was successively taller and healthier looking, and the process
has continued with my own father and his children.
Thats the influence of free American air, its like the cobwebs of the past
get blown away real fast. In the context of America, people look 'ethnic',
whatever there background is. But when say, an Italian American goes to
Italy, even the first generation born in America, that person will look
American as against the locally- grown Italians.
Which brings me back to the original point- a lot of secular people dont
really look "Hebrew" to me. I am thinking this is because many different
types of people have become associated with 'Jewish' over the millenia. It
could be that, since Jewish or maybe 'Judaic' is a dispersed world culture,
not exactly a nationality, maybe this is like Hispanic, which means 'of and
or related to the Spanish language', generally. There many types and races
that can be described with the word, 'Hispanic', its not one group. And back
to the other point, in any country there are basic divisions, say political
ones which are really ethnic.
So in the end we are what we are, and it is genetic, as influenced by the
enviroment and context. The end time prophecies of Zephaniah and Zechariah
speak of a remnant of Judah, so maybe the core is the House of Judah as
manifested by a connection to orthodox historic Jewishness and other people
are 'Judaic' in a more general descriptive sense. I dont think religion and
race can be divorced because in the end they are one and the same. People
'look'
Orthodox, or like something else, which I am calling 'secular'.
I hope this wasn't offensive. It does contradict the premise of Jewish
unity, but it may reflect the basis for what a better more real unity
between all the tribes of Israel, the 'drawing closer you speak of between
Joseph and Judah. I feel more in common with paleo conservatives than with
rootless cosmopolitans even though I am rootless and cosmopolitan myself.
Its that intuitive sense again. I am in no position to include or exclude
anyone and this is not a political claim.
J M
5. Todd Robertson: Blessings
Shalom, Yair, I just read your book " The Tribes " it was very thorough.
I
believe that the God of Yisrael has led me in this direction to know of my
possible Israelite identity and all that that implies. I am from Scottish
descent on my Dad's side and Danish descent on my Mom's side and of course I
live in America. I realize that I can't possibly know for sure what tribe I
am from if any until the Almighty reveals it, I believe that this will
happen when he sends the Prophet Eliyahu to restore all things, and I
believe this will happen soon. It's always encouraging to find like minded
people. May God bless you greatly, Todd.