Why should I argue with the Bible that was brought to us less than 200 years ago? Millions of pur ancestors lived and died without knowing the existence of the Bible.
Published Feb 16, 2022 + Follow On the 14th day of January 2022 [12 Shebat 5782], the Jewish Rabbinate of the Obadya Alliance [Dayan Jacob de Oliveira, Dayan Eliezer Tabor, Dayan Yehonatan Elazar-DeMota, Rabbi Hananiah Cohen, and Rabbi Haim Ovadia] ruled that the Igbos of Nigeria are descendants of ancient Israelites. According to the Rabbinate, “the presence of Israelites along the Niger River had been known by Jewish authorities in the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Lithuania, and Suriname. Rabbinic letters addressed to the Igbos by Chief rabbis: Dr. Solomon Hershel Lewin, David Meldola, and the Gaon of Vilna (Elijan Zalman), support the idea that there was contact between European Jewish communities and Igbo Israelites. All of the correspondence from the aforementioned rabbinic authorities address the Igbos as “brethren of the Children of Israel.” Accordingly, there is no doubt of their origins, nor of their halakhic status as Israelites.”
According to the Rabbinate, while there is yet an exhaustive academic genetic study of the Igbos, the data of the majority of those who have reported their autosomal and y-chromosome DNA, supports that their ancestors migrated from the Levant Basin, sharing genetic links with Sephardic and Ashkenazi Jews alike. The Rabbinate noted the fact that rabbinic authorities during the Songhai Empires were aware of Israelites in Igboland, which leads to the logical conclusion that they treated Igbos as Israelites.
The final conclusion of the Obadya Alliance Rabbinate was that “Igbos are to be treated as Israelites, in every sense of the word, and also their priestly and Levite lineages should be upheld as valid.” The Rabbinate advised that upon the return of the Igbos to Omenana (what you do in the Land), they should be circumcised [if they hadn’t performed it already], say the sheheḥeyánu afterwards, and partake in the kola nut ceremony with their brethren, as is customary among Igbos.
My personal joy with this ruling is the attention it may draw, which may also trigger more scholars to do more research about Igbos, what the Igbos offered the world in the past, what they are offering the world now, and what they would offer the world in the future. As democracy is under assault, the Igbos are democratic to the core and stand out as the most culturally democratic ethnic entity globally. The world may have a look at the Igbo traditional system of government, which has survived despite many years of British rule and Nigeria’s deliberate marginalization.
It is interesting that the Obadya Rabbinate addressed Igbos as Israelites, not as Jews. They also affirmed Omenana (what you do in the Land) as the authentic original religion of the children of Israel. Dr. James Horton Africanus Beal had, in his 1868 book, West African Countries and Peoples, British and Native: And a Vindication of the African Race, described Igbo religion as Judaism mixed with pagan practices. In another book, The story of the Niger: A record of travel and adventure from the days of Mungo Park to the present time, Published 1888, author Robert Richardson observed, "The religion of the natives is almost pure idolatry; but some slight traces of Judaism may be discovered in it - a circumstance which seems to indicate that some stray wanderers of the Hebrew race must long ago have found their way to these regions, and in the gradual course of time become assimilated to the natives both in appearance and customs, leavening the races around them, however, with a few of their own ideas."
With this validation of Omenana as Israelite religion, Jewish and Igbo scholars should come together to fill in the gaps created by years of exile between Omenana in Africa, and Judaism in Europe. With Omenana poised to go mainstream, this learning process between Jews and Igbos would be invaluable for both groups, as they compare notes, as there could well be traces of Christianity in both modern Judaism and modern Omenana.
The Igbo Osu practice (Nethinim), which is rooted in Omenana has been both obdurate and pertinacious to modern Igbo society. These were temple servitors known from the books of Ezra, Nehemiah, and Chronicles. Scholars are divided as to whether they were actually slaves or property of the Temple. While Ezra 8:20 says that they had been set apart by David “to attend the Levites,” 1Chronicles 9:1-2 describes them simply as servitors like the Levites. To the Igbo, Nethinim or Osu are a "caste" that should not intermarry with free-born Igbo. Unfortunately, despite 200 years of Christianity in Igboland, with the creed “There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus” (Galatians 3:28), the Osu still suffer discrimination.
In Talmudic times the Nethinim were put on a level with bastards, and their descendants, male and female, were interdicted from marriage with Israelites for all time (Yeb. ii. 4, viii. 3); this is said to have been established by David (Yeb. 78b) or by Ezra (Num. R. viii.). Nethinim were allowed to marry only proselytes, freedmen, bastards, and foundlings (Ḳid. viii. 3). In tables of precedence they are reckoned very low, coming after bastards in Yer. Hor. iii. 5 and Yer. Yeb., viii. 5. The Igbos may learn how to solve the Osu problem from the Jews. Since Christianity did not solve this problem, maybe Judaism will.
For someone who has worked on this subject for decades, digesting this ruling and its ground-shattering significance would be like peeling the multiple layers of an onion, with tears in your eyes. The most significant, in my opinion, is that the genocide against the Igbos between 1968 and 1970 would now be addressed as genocide against Israelites, highlighting the shared destiny of both Jews and Igbos as descendants of one father, Jacob, whom God renamed Israel.
The Igbos have suffered more genocide, perennial massacres, ethnic cleansing, discrimination, and marginalization in Nigeria. Igbos are perceived as a market-dominant minority, a resented “outsider” ethnic group. In a White House memo dated Tuesday, January 28, 1969, to President Nixon, former Secretary of State, Henry Kissinger described the Igbos as “the wandering Jews of West Africa, gifted, aggressive, westernized, at best envied and resented, but mostly despised by their neighbors in the federation.” Just as the world was called upon to answer the Jewish Question, the world has neglected to even entertain the Igbo Question. My hope is that this ruling may draw global attention thereto.
The ruling was signed by Dr. Dayan Yehonatan Elazar-DeMota, who has a Master’s degree in Anthropology and Religious Studies from Florida International University, and a PhD in International Law from the University of Amsterdam.
You may find the original copy of the ruling here - Obadyah: Igbos Are Israelites
Yeah I'm pretty much convinced
Yeah the so called descendants are over 40 million people world wide while Israel we descended from are merely 15mln people only. How did it happen? It means Igbos are a very ancient tribe way older than Jewish people. No tribe can multiple in 10s of million in just 3 to 4 thousands years. Ndi Igbo bu ndi ochie ndi okpu na ndi gboo. The Jew wannabes in Igboland should go back to middle east to possess their possesion.
It's unfortunate the salaries of workers remain the same.
No justification
It is good you are in agreement with the truth I stated not with standing our political or ideological differences. Nice one. Salaries of workers supposed to be raised according to inflation rate so that they can cope.
helinues: I guess the price of goods and services around the world since 2015 remain the same.
Prices of goods around the world may not remain the same around the world but unfortunately the salaries of poor Nigerians remained same since 2015 even though Prices of goods has increased a 1000%
Lol, this is a fact already ascertained for long. Whatever the envious and jealous haters thinks, especially those who claimed their progenitor was a fallen demon, is just their worthless opinion.
As for their usual hateful tantrums, I’m here waiting to smash that their oblong heads. Useless children whose parents taught nothing except to hate the great Igbos.
Anambra people should claim their Jewish origin in peace without insulting or dragging the rest of us who are aboriginal Igbos of West Africa to their identity crisis or is it inferiority COMPLEX.
DonXavi: I was wondering that I didn't hear that any one was shot or killed. But if it was in the Southeast that you heard that a group attempted to invade the government house to hoist their flag, you would've been seeing pictures flying around of scores of dead bodies. It's like the military or police intervention here applied so much caution in this operation to avoid casualties because of the region involved.
Onwuka Kalu of BZM have tried in several occassions to take over Enugu government house with his men they were all arrested, did they kill anyone?
Before your darling party took over in 1999, how much was dollar to naira. If u think ApC should revert to 260, let pdp also revert to 86 naira they met it in 1999
Let apc who are in power today return it where PDP left it then we shall invite PDP to return it where the military left it. Deal?
Did PDP leave it at the rate they met it in 1999?.
Even if it wasn't at the rate they met it in 1999 the difference wasn't much in 16 years they were in power compare with apc in just 8 years. Apc is like a teams that conceded 12 goals in first half and Got back 3 goals in srcond half and start celebrating even though they are still losing 12-3.
Ogonimilitant: All these epistle is to make sure your slave masters are not angry with you Let me hear pim about Yorubà Nation when Tinubu lèaves in the next 3yrs,
Responsible citizens will always speak out when miscreants want to disturb public peace. What have SE gained from years of agitation by miscreants?
If you have children, come to Aba and take them to school every monday.
You don't value the lives of school children in Aba, that's why you want them to risk their lives so you can type RIP.
From your perspective, all Nigerian banks are loyal to IPOB. Because all their branches are closed on Mondays in Aba. You have money in at least one of these banks that 'are loyal' to IPOB.
The more you go on, the more own goal you will score with this shifting goal post of yours.
So na Fulani dey enforce sit at home at Aba that made you not to take your children to school on mondays?
Lovealaigbo aka gidgiddy told us the sit at home is voluntary because of love for freedom . We in Umuahia we no like that kind of freedom o. Lmao
You have started to shift goal post. The schools that no longer open on mondays in Aba nko? The banks that no longer open on mondays in Aba nko?
And I said make una enjoy the sit at home well well in Aba by making it monday to friday, what is wrong about it? Since Aba people are sitting at home out of their own wish, no body force them. Continue!
If thieves are robbing a bank and I post that thieves are robbing a bank, it means I am enabling the criminals? Enyi a, stop this nonsense.
You are the one that made a general statement with 'no part of Abia', and I have to correct you so you will know Abia doesn't begin and end in Umuahia.
Don't be humble, don't take corrections,
Aren't you observing illegal sit at home on mondays as a Shop owner at Ariaria as you earlier said?
Sure IPOB 'invented' sit-at-home first as a way of remembering the victims of the uncivil war and also the pogrom of Easterners that preceded it! The sit-at-home means of civil disobedience was initially also used by IPOB to protest the state-sanctioned murder of peaceful agitators by the evil Buhari gov't! But of course you wouldn't remember that one or it wouldn't strike a chord with you because the victims are the very same Igbo you despise or have scant regard for!
Since IPOB has a non-violence ethos and seeing as the Buhari gov't was intent on wasting as many lifes of peaceful agitators as they had the bullets for, IPOB decided to go down the sit-at-home route to show their grievances over the killing of their members! Now seeing how effective this form of civil-disobedience was in passing the message to a wicked federal gov't who were getting increasingly frustrated they didn't see anyone on the streets to use for target practice, and seeing how it was showing the level of support IPOB was gaining in the region (remember, when it started, the sit-at-home was not enforced and was willfully obeyed to varying degrees by different cities in the region)....seeing all this, the hegemonic deep-state then decided to hijack the civil-disobedience and this marked the point the so called 'enforcement of sit-at-home' began, aimed at trying to turn the minds of Igbos/Biafrans against IPOB and its call for a referendum on secession! This was also the period after Mazi kanu escaped, by the skin of his teeth, the storming of his village by Buharis' murderous army goons and was the period he was being protected by the State of Israel! The Buhari gov't was getting increasingly alarmed, panicked and terrified by Mazi Kanus' broadcasts that exposed them and got naive, complacent and daft Nigerians thinking, and i believe this was when they hatched the plot to deceive him into travelling to a African country willing to cut a deal with them to capture him! Mazi Kanu let his guard down in travelling to Kenya....thinking he could trust any black African country to ensure his safety and uphold the rule-of-law! When they had suceeded in kidnapping him from Kenya, that marked the point the plan to destabilise and 'factionalise' IPOB was hatched, and this led to the emergence of the efulefu scoundrel ekpa and all sorts of new voices purporting to be 'factions' of IPOB! PART OF THE PLOT IS ALSO TO DESTABILISE THE SOUTH-EAST BY CARRYING OUT HIGH-PROFILE MURDERS AND 'ENFORCING' SIT-AT-HOME, THEN GETTING AGENTS LIKE YOU TO COME ON THE MEDIA TO BLAME MAZI KANU AND IPOB!
Only discerning Nigerians can join the dots and now begin to understand why the hegemonic alliance (in power from 2015 to date) is refusing to obey valid court rulings and free Mazi Kanu! It will pull the rug from beneath the feet of their agents like ekpa, and also expose all their evil plans and and murderous shenanigans! When Mazi Kanu said recently that his release will put an end to the insecurity in the south-east, many either naively or intentionally misinterpreted his assertion as 'empty bragging' or 'proof' that he's the one ordering attacks in the region! This is someone who has been illegally held for years oh! It's lost on them that by accusing Mazi Kanu of 'organising' attacks from their gulag, that they're inadvertently indicting themselves as being complicit!
gidgiddy ain't you tired of propaganda that have left so many youths dead and many in prison including your leader? Even your leader is obviously tired and want to end it all in just two minutes
Did you call me Igbo hater? Lol Those of you ipo. bians are number one enemy of Igbo land that brought terrorism that was previously unknown to us.people who are cannabalizing on fellow Igbos can't be Igbo patriots. Group that forces their fellow Igbo men, women and children to sit at home against their wishes is an enemy. Ipo. b have killed business in SE many businesses and businessmen have recolated to other regions especially Asaba. What impact have your useless agitation brought to our land?
You are a problem that every well meaning Igbos and Nigerians in general are trying to solve once and for all. Your evil agenda to overthrow political, religious and traditional leadership of Igbo land have failed woefully while your leader is now begging to be freed inside zoo with promise to end the madness he started in just two minutes Ntoor gi
What is the difference between you and IPOB? When both of you use same propaganda.
I was only debunking your statement. You have now changed mouth to Umuahia and Abia north. Was that your original stance? When you are corrected, be humble and take correction.
You are the one who flrst mentioned Umuahia before I concor. Nothing to be humble about. That you are enabling criminals by observing illegal sit at home is not something to be proud of.
Whenever I say something that is happening in Aba, don't say it is not true.
Do you live in Aba?
Do you have a shop in ariaria?
You can speak for Umuahia but not for Aba.
Well I speak for Umuahia and Abia north. If you are cooperating with ipob to observe sit at home in Aba congratulations to you and please you can extend it to Monday to friday
Not everywhere in Abia. Ariaria market is dry on Mondays. And schools in Aba have removed Mondays from their working days, many replaced it with Saturday.
You must have just arrived from Uranus! IPOB has NOTHING to do with any stupid 'sit-at-home'! They have reiterated countless number of times that the sit-at-home they called for (and i said at the time that this was overreaching and done in error) some years ago has been called off! The scumbags presently still trying to keep this 'sit-at-home' in the media space and sustain a sense of insecurity in the south-east ARE NOT IPOB OR SENT BY THEM, AND MOST LIKELY ARE NOT IGBO! IF ON THE OFF-CHANCE THEY ARE IGBO (LIKE THAT EKPA ANIMAL), THEY ARE EFULEFU WORSE THAN JUDAS ISCARIOT AND ARE BEING USED AND TELEGUIDED BY OUTSIDERS FOR OBVIOUS REASONS!
How did 'Abia denounce and reject IPOB totally' as you allude to, so we can advise Anambra to use the same template!?
Sit at home is ipob inventory in Igbo land you can't take it away from them. Ipob bu ndi ekwuo ozo ana eme ozo who takes them seriously? They will officially announce cancellation of sit at home and still enforce lt from behind. When have they ever taken responsibility for their sabotage in SE? You are blaming outsiders for crime been committed by people who speaks same dialect like yours. How can strangers enter your villages to enforce sit at home? I mean non Igbos? Is it even possible? But ipob will always shift blame, we are not fooled that is why their agitation have come crashing not even in a stalemate.
Culture / Re: Jewish Rabbinical Court Ruled That Igbos Are Descendants Of Ancient Israelites. by paramakina202: 3:15pm On Apr 19
