Jewish Scene
Columbus of hidden Jews
Itamar Eichner
Published: 25.01.11, 21:18
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31 Talkbacks for this article
1. Lost Jews in the US
Reuven ,   Israel   (01.25.11)
In another generation, if not now, Mr Freund will be able to do this in the United States where there will be millions of descendants of Jews who assimilated and married out of the Jewish People!! In fact, he could even do this there now! Presently there are about 4.5 million Jews in the States and millions more who are only "part Jewish" or descendants of Jews.
2. Good on you brother. Kole Hacavode, What a worthy mission.10
Yaawqove ,   Israel   (01.25.11)
percent of ancient Roman emprie was Jewish, and that was 2000 years ago. weve been around so long, I bet many people in the world have Jewish roots...so to those anti semites and anti jewish state people....stop trying to kill or hurt Jews- you probably have someone Jewish in your lineage who helped therefore to create you!
3. The Amazonian Jews
Freha Barblida ,   Gibraltar   (01.25.11)
What a wonderful human episode in the Jewish Historical legacy: The Amazonian Jews. Descendants from few thousands young Moroccan Jews ho during XIX century, looking for an out of misery, adventured to the Rubber Plantations of Brazil. There they set up many communities, the stories of which Hollywood used in some of their Action movies. But the greatest contribution of this Jewish Moroccan community to their country, Brazil, could be found in the Benshimol, Ben Zickry, the Ifergan, and many others in the science, litterature and economy. The military of Brazil also benefited from the advances initiated by those Jews. Cities such as Belem and Companita are ionhabited by their descendants: The Drai, Garcias, Portoraros and others. The great Dr. Samuel Benshimol was a scientist (wrote the first ecological book about preservation of the Amazones in 1940), he was a Senator, writer and businessman whose name is connected to one of Brazil's greates science Prize....
4. plenty of lost Jews in the US...
mike ,   SD   (01.26.11)
just go to a Democrat convention or the Academy Awards...
5. Columbus
Sam ,   Minneapolis, USA   (01.26.11)
Comparing him to Columbus is a terrible analogy. Columbus went to the new world and murdered hundred and thousands of Native Americans. This guy connects lost Jews with their roots.
6. Lost Tribes are easy to find
Dale ,   Port Of Spain   (01.26.11)
The hidden Jews of latin America numbers in the hundred of thousands during the inquisition many many Jews accepted conversion many still practiced Judaism in secret and thousands immigrated to the New word there they became lost bcuz they stopped keeping the Jewish faith Simon Wiesenthal wrote books about it also... the lost Tribes are with us they can be found bcuz they are the western nations who became lost by falling away from rejected Judaism and accepting Christianity centuries ago
7. mexican jews
YEHOSHUA RETCHKIMAN ,   mexico City   (01.26.11)
There is another story like that with the Venta Prieta Jews, jews that escaped from Spain's Inquisition and arrived Mexico since 1550. the Rabbi Lerer z"l helped them with their identity in 1980.
8. Do not be Confused
Samuel ,   Jerusalem   (01.26.11)
A son of Israel married to a non-jewish peruvian woman is NOT a Jew...
9. Oh brother
Cameron ,   USA   (01.26.11)
Yeah, I remember when he discovered the exceedingly obscure tribe of Jews lurking in Greenland, and who could forget the discovery of mysterious Jews emerging from the hills of Upper Volta due to his efforts?
10. and what does the Rabbinate have to say about these "Jews"?
(01.26.11)
11. Wrong comparison Columbus was a murderer!
(01.26.11)
If he is to be compared to anyone why not pull out all the stops and go right ahead and compare him to Moses?! But truly what's the point of this article? I just don't get it!
12. Answer to #10
Rina ,   Israel   (01.26.11)
Almost all of these people need to undergo an Orthodox conversion to be considered Jewish since most of their ancestors intermarried over the generations.
13. Lost Jews
MN ,   Jerusalem   (01.26.11)
It's a fact: many, many people whom I knew in the US had either a Jewish father or grandfather, but were not Jewish. We should start bringing them back to Judaism first, then go on to the others.
14. Freund's obsession is NOT good for the Jews!
(01.26.11)
and more so it isn't good for these people who have lives organized in their own way and to their own desire. What does Freund want to mass immigrate them to Israel? And what are they going to do here? Don't we have enough unskilled foreign Non-Jewish workers floating around the country already? What is the real story here? My big question is: Is Freund even Jewish? The article says he has a Jewish father but does he have a Jewish mother? Because you know that's the real litmus test...in Judaism its all about your mother!
15. Ynet, very interesting article
Judah ,   Golan Heights,ISRAEL   (01.26.11)
16. Commendable work But failure to men tion Rabbi Avichail
Shalom Freedman ,   Jerusalem Israel   (01.26.11)
Michael Freund is doing commendable work. But I am surprised that this article does not mention the pioneering work of Rabbi Eliyahu Avichail who was reaching out to crypto- Jewish communities long before Michael Freund was on the scene. He is I believe the person most responsible for the Aliyah of B'nei Menashe to Israel.
17. I don't get it, I mean it is well known that
ghostq   (01.26.11)
the city of shang hai had synagouge that been reconstruct two years ago, the synagouge is 1000 years old, isn't that more than a proff that jews lived in china and still somewhere around the area, so much for big wonder.
18. Peruvians
Tzvi ,   Israel   (01.26.11)
I've met quite a few of these Peruvians in Israel. Some have gone through Orthodox conversions and are loyal, religious Jews. Others still believe in Xtianity and others are quietly working as missionaries. So we must be very careful about who we bring here. Just because someone had a Jewish great-grandfather doesn't make him Jewish. And in several cases as those mentioned above, these people have come to do us harm. Beware!!!
19. to #5 colobus didn't killed none, he was spanish
ghostq   (01.26.11)
and his ship was cargo ship, he lost in the journey 2 of his fleet of ships, the people who killed native amerikans were the British colonialists. so sam pleas spare us your stupidity.
20. Columbus of Hidden Jews.
Natalie Irene Wood ,   Karmiel   (01.26.11)
A wonderful, heartwarming story - proving the old adage that there's nowhere in the world which - God forbid - is totally 'Judenrein'.
21. # 20 So True...the only good thing is....
Edithann ,   USA   (01.26.11)
There aren't enough in any one place to cause problems.. TATA
22. Say what, #2?
Cameron ,   USA   (01.26.11)
10% of the Roman Empire was Jewish??? Ridiculous! Cite your source for that absurd remark. Judea was but one small province among many provinces in the Empire.
23. Mexican Jews
Rita ,   Israel   (01.26.11)
I visited their community in the 1970's and they are amazing. They looked and dressed like the native Mexican Indian population, but they had a synagogue in the center of their village, with a siddurim in Hebrew and Spanish and of course an Aron HaKodesh. At the time, it was a long hike to reach them. There was no denying that they were decendents because they were isolated for hundreds of years and the Mexican City Jews only just discovered them around that time.
24. #22; #2 is right at the time of the revolt...
(01.26.11)
Judaism was the up and coming religion of the Roman Empire and yes about 10% of the Empire was Jewish! Since you think the remark is absurd you go research it and prove #2 and me wrong. In other words #22 you are the ridiculous one!
25. #23 the same can be said of the Black Hebrews of Dimona....
(01.26.11)
and yet they aren't Jewish either! Remember my dear Judeo-practice doesn't make a Jew a Jew...what makes a Jew a Jew is his/her momma! And these people's mommas ain't Jewish!
26. #19 Columbus was Italian (now its ur stupid showing)!
(01.26.11)
27. #5 #11 Rewriting history
Sue ,   Los Angeles   (01.27.11)
The great number of native American deaths was due to their lack of immunity to diseases like smallpox brought to the New World by Europeans. Columbus was "into" converting Indians to Christianity and putting them to work establishing colonies for Spain. Columbus did not murder Indians or call for their murder.
28. Jews in Peru
Barbara ,   Brooklyn, New York   (01.27.11)
I was not aware of Jews in Trujillo; thanks for that revelation. I hope you also know of the Jews of Iquitos; after some 200 of them have "converted" to more standard Judaism and emigrated to Israel, a hundred or so remain, descendants of middle eastern Jews who came to the Amazon during the rubber boom of the late 19th century.
29. Maybe those Jews never wanted to be found..
Edithann ,   USA   (01.28.11)
If distant Jews wanted to be found they'd have done it themselves...What's this nonsense of 'going looking for Jews' about? Is there anything like 'minding your own business' in Judaism? Do Jews take a census every so often for political purposes? What political purposes? TATA
30. Our jewish roots were hidden from us
Suzanne Allen ,   United States   (04.04.12)
Through a Bible study group we took turns speaking to one another about our families. I told them I was German and came from there. Our family left ahead of the Nazzzzzs. One of the other ladies gradfather was Jewish also. Then I began to wonder --why did my family have to leave if we were German.. Then went exploring the internet. The last name Urban is Jewish.. It might explain why I;d have night mares as a child of the nazzzzs and everything of not having relatives ties in with hiding us here in the United States! WOW
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