ilugunboy:

Stop asking foolish question.... who else in Nigeria openly profess being Jew.

Take it or leave but stop asking me uneccessary questions.

You are becoming as demented as Tunde Salam with each passing minute.
So because you saw a lady with a sticker saying ''I am a Jew'' on her car, you concluded she is Igbo?
There are no Yorubas or people of any other tribe practising Judaism in Nigeria or what?

collynzov5:
You are becoming as demented as Tunde Salam with each passing minute.
So because you saw a lady with a sticker saying ''I am a Jew'' on her car, you concluded she is Igbo?
There are no Yorubas or people of any other tribe practising Judaism in Nigeria or what?

Shut up!

No Yoruba will put such rubbish in his or her car....

You can deny it as much as you want...we know those that proclaim being Jewish in Nigeria...

Biafran igbo JEWS plus their fellow Jewish Zionist in United nation summit

igbo Jews meet with other Jewish Zionist inside UN summit

The rest of nigerians should not Panic we will not cause any harm to our neighbors only those that fight the existence of igbos will need to fear

While I am not advocating for any Igbo-Jewish movement or relationships, I am only stating the striking similarities between both peoples from my own observation and research. My article should be read objectively.

Last month, I made a palestinian arabic friend. So we got discussing and he started asking me about Nigeria and where I am from. When he asked me my tribe, I told him 'Ibo', because of the similarity in sound to 'hebrew' or 'ivri' he immediately looked at me apprehensively and said, 'hebrew'? I smiled and replied, 'no, ibo'. He said ok. Another reason he got apprehensive was due to the ongoing israeli-palestinian war.

'ivri' is the native pronunciation as pronounced by the Hebrews and 'Hebrew' is the pronunciation in English while the language is known as 'ivrit'. You need not be told of the similarity between 'ibo' and 'ivri'. Any Igbo person will tell you of the existence of the switching of 'v' and 'b' in words in Igbo language such as:

'ivu'/'ibu' (load or fat)
vubata/bubata (bring in)
Ebune/Evune (sheep)

The same switching phenomenon that occurs in Hebrew language.

However, modern Hebrew spoken in Israel is a watered down version of ancient Hebrew, borrowing a lot of words from Arabic, with different pronunciation styles brught into the language by the returning Hebrews from places of scattering during the Hebrew language revival in the early 20th century after Israel as a state was formed. These returnee hebrews who spoke varying languages of their places of former abode found it difficult to pronounce hebrew words natively, and let to the watering down of Hebrew.

The Igbo and ancient Hebrews of the bible share so many similar traditions such as circumsion, dietary laws etc. Over 26 similar customs have been identified between both groups.

Traditionally raised Jewish people are business-minded in nature. I am not referring to the more refined 2nd or 3rd generation Jews born in the diaspora who have little or no touch to their language or ancestry and who have adopted the mannerisms and behaviour of the wider environment they find themselves in, but rather to the Jews born and raised in Israel who speak Hebrew fluently as first language. I have met so many of them and they own and run several chains of boutiques, jewelry stores, eateries in Maryland where I stay. I see a lot of striking similarities between them and the Igbo. The Jews are also intelligent and smart generally and are very business-savvy(knowing thoroughly the ins and outs of businesses without ever going to a business school).

Traditionally raised Igbo men born and raised in the east are business minded naturally, often starting a business from scratch with nothing and transforming the business into multi-millionaire businesses in a few years. I am not referring to the lagos-bred ones who are not often as entrepreneurially minded as their counterparts in the east. I am referring to the ones born and raised in the east who migrate outwards in search of business opportunities to explore and take advantage of. People who have the midas touch. A quick look at the transport industry in Nigeria will reveal to you the dominant and most successful tribe in that sector. People who started with nothing and today are worth millions, if not billions. Ekene dili Chukwu, Peace Transport, Ifesinachi Motors, ABC Transport, Innoson Motors you name it. The Igbo people from the east dominate the informal economic sector of Nigeria, and are the brain behind the success and fame of Nollywood today, taking Nollywood to great heights. The success of Nollywood today is celebrated by pan-black groups in the US as an entirely black success without any influence from the white man. The face of Nollywood as seen from the outside world, foreign viewers and lovers of Nollywood movies over the world is the Igbo/English-speaking sector of Nollywood made up of predominantly Igbo actors, producers and marketers, which has its films watched by millions of viewers all over the world. Nollywood today ranks second in volume of movies produced annually and third in gross revenue. When one mentions Nollywood, the English-speaking sector of Nollywood comes quickly to mind. The switch to English language in the 90s is seen as the turning point in Nollywood's success and fame.

The average Igbo man, just like his Hebrew countepart, is smart and intelligent such that non-Igbos fear dealing with him for fear of him outsmarting them and guards are automatically raised when in the presence of an Igbo.

Since time immemorial, both the Igbo and Hebrews have faced similar circumstances and travails. Both peoples have fought wars, and have experienced holocaust at different times of last century. Over 3 million Igbo were wiped out during the civil war of 1967 to 1970, and approximately 6 million Hebrews were killed during the holocaust of the 1930s. The Igbo and Jews are known to be travellers and wanderers, always leaving their homelands and travelling to other lands where they take up permanent residency, establish businesses and flourish, much to the chagrin of the natives. The penchant for success and wealth by the Igbo and Hebrews is exceedingly striking. The recorded success of the Jews in foreign lands, often dominating the locals, have aroused animosity by the locals such that the Jews have faced terrible persecution, unwanton business taxation on their businesses, killings and discrimination by sole reason of being a Jew. The Igbo in Nigeria are known to be nationwide and worldwide travellers, often travelling to the most remote nook and corner of Nigeria, taking up permanent residency there, establishing successful businesses in foreign lands, and building homes there. Late Nnamdi Azikiwe who was born in 1904 in Zungeru, Niger state to his father who was already established in the North lends credence to the wandering nature of the Igbos since as early as 1906. To the Igbo man, he wants to achieve wealth and nothing but it. He knows what he wants, he has the drive and he goes for it and he isn't limited culturally, religiously or traditionally. He comes from a culture where success is encouraged and competition to outdo one another is the norm. He feels that he has a right to have wealth in life and would go out of his way to achieve it, with some often doing so in undesirable ways. Laziness is a great taboo in his homeland and hardwork is the cultural trend. To the Igbo man, he wants to achieve wealth, to the non-Igbo man he is seen as domineering and too ambitious, and has to be curtailed lest he dominates and takes over everything. A ghanaian friend of mine after observing the Igbo people in the US for some time had this to say about the Igbo, 'an Igbo man belives in himself so much and believes he can achieve anything. I admire that Igbo spirit a lot and such spirit is what would help you succeed in this America and I would like to visit Nigeria someday to see how you people live there.' The credited success of the Igbo, often dominating the locals, have aroused fear and hatred from the locals such that the Igbo have often found themselves facing discrimination, and unwanton harassment and killing. The sudden and unprecedented killing of over 30,000 Igbos in the North in 1966 purely out of growing resentment in the North to the domination of yanmiris(Igbos) in the North. It started little by little as northerners began to lay complaints that most public officers at civil work places were of eastern extraction(Igbo). The best restaurants in the North were owned by Igbo women, the best mechanic shops were run by Igbo men, the best retail outlets were Igbo-owned. Igbos were like parasites and everywhere and it was time to put an end to this 'Igbo problem'. Why would foreigners come to our land to dominate us like this? Never. One fateful morning, to the suprise of everyone, arms and ammunitions were taken up and over the next few days, thousands of Igbo men, women and children were slaughtered like animals. A further 3 million were to be killed over the next 3 years in the civil war.

Post civil war era, Igboland was ravished and desolated. The civil war was fought in Igboland, not in Nigeria. Places, houses, schools and hospitals were bombed. Successful Igbo business men in foreign lands before the civil war lost all their businesses, homes and properties to locals. Igbo people holding federal government positions lost their positions as they all fled to the east on declaration of Biafra in 1967. Stories of the fainting of Igbo men abound who, on returning to former places of abode after the civil war, found their homes and businesses seized and taken over by the locals of that area. The Igbo were poor and had to start life all over from scratch with very little or no financial assistance from the federal government. The Igbo movie industry was started in the 80s, while other zones had already had theirs running since 1960, and within 20 years achieved worldwide success to become the second-largest movie industry in the whole world. Barely 45 years after, Igboland has bounced back in development, suprassing some zones in the country and having the lowest poverty index of all regions in the country. All attributed to the hardwork and brain power of the Igbo. They have consistently topped in education at all levels (primary, secondary, university, JAMB/WAEC statistics etc) nationwide and abroad(the top 4 graduating students from a US university recently were all Igbo girls), women and men beauty pagents, etc. By virute of their faithfulness, dedication, good house-keeping skills, hardwork, and beauty, Igbo women are highly sought after by non Igbo men in the country and it is very common nowadays to find Igbo women married to men from other tribes than to find other tribeswomen married to Igbo men. Similarly, Israel was a desert full of only sands when it was created in 1948. Today, Israel has the best living conditions and economy on the middle east region, all atrributed to the hardwork and brain power of the Hebrews.

Like I said, I am only recounting the similarities I have observed between both peoples. What you make out of it is left to you.

^^^Plz what are you implying?

Be honest with me? Do you believe yourself descended from jews?

PAGAN9JA: ^^^Plz what are you implying?

Be honest with me? Do you believe yourself descended from jews?

Both groups may be related and may have dispersed thousands of years ago during the expulsion of the Hebrews from their homeland during the invasion of the babylonians before the time of Christ. One particular stock branched westwards towards Igboland to establish residency there.

bigfrancis21:

Both groups may be related and may have dispersed thousands of years ago during the expulsion of the Hebrews from their homeland during the invasion of the babylonians before the time of Christ. One particular stock branched westwards towards Igboland to establish residency there.

This is my problem. The Babylonian Captivity began in the 500's BC. Archaeology and linguistics suggest that Igbo antecedents go farther back than that: to at least 4000 B.C.

The Jews of 500's BC were a fully literate people. They had the wheel and the plough, and had elaborate dressing. Why did they lose all these when they moved to south eastern Nigeria?

Archaeological work have been done in Nsukka, Okigwe, Afikpo, Igbo-Ukwu, Aguleri, etc. Why haven't all these diggings turned up a single Jewish coin, a single stone or structure with Hebrew inscriptions, a single sample of Levantine pottery,anything at all that could link this place to migrations from the middle east? There is just no way these migrants could have left no physical remains at all of their original homeland. Yes, I know that some years ago in Aguleri there were claims that some Hebrew inscriptions were discovered, but this has since been shown to be a forgery, a hoax by proponents of this 'Hebrew hypothesis', a very poor one at that.

Why aren't there any genetic evidence for the Hebrew origin of the Igbos? The genetic studies that i have seen indicate that Igbos are entirely of sub-Saharan African origin. There is no Middle Eastern contribution to their genetic make-up. The Lemba of Southern Africa, who also claim Jewish origin, have at least, had their claims verified by DNA studies. For the Igbos, the genetic evidence has so far been entirely negative.

Most of the cultural similarities between Igbos and Hebrews, which people like to point to, also occur widely in sub-Saharan Africa. Check out the book 'Hebraisms in West Africa' (I forget the author's name) for some of these similarities as they occur throughout West Africa.

Are we then to assume that the bulk of the peoples of West Africa descend from Hebrew colonists? Why would such a large-scale colonizing enterprise, occurring at a time when the Jews were a fully literate people, not be recorded in any of the vast existing jewish literature?

Cultural similarities exist among people who never had any form of contact, and if one really wanted to, one could (using cultural and pseudo-linguistic similarities) 'show' that Igbos were descended from the Ancient Greeks or the Chinese, or the Batak people.


NB: If you had pronounced your ethnic group's name the way it should be and with the right intonation: Igbo (rather than 'Ibo'), I doubt that your Palestinian friend would have thought you said 'Hebrew'. Lol.

Radoillo, ya diri gh' la nma.

@Topic: I honestly cannot come to terms with how this pseudo history still remains afloat. I've seen countless articles and books on the topic. I've seen people contort transpose Igbo names in an attempt to prove a pseudo linguistic stance. Each time, it baffles my mind how such a mistaken view became so blindly entrenched. My biggest issue in all of these discussions has always been the fact that these pseudo historians and Hebrew theorist blatantly ignore the vast amounts of traditions which make no reference whatsoever to anything Hebraic. Proponents of this pseudo history have never [and will seemingly never ever] address this complete and overwhelming lack of traditions. Even more so, the theorist just straight up ignore the wealth of traditions which emphasize an in situ origin for a good number of Igbo communities. It is as if they do not even know their own people's traditions that they feel it is okay to make up BS.

ChinenyeN: Radoillo, ya diri gh' la nma.

@Topic: I honestly cannot come to terms with how this pseudo history still remains afloat. I've seen countless articles and books on the topic. I've seen people contort transpose Igbo names in an attempt to prove a pseudo linguistic stance. Each time, it baffles my mind how such a mistaken view became so blindly entrenched. My biggest issue in all of these discussions has always been the fact that these pseudo historians and Hebrew theorist blatantly ignore the vast amounts of traditions which make no reference whatsoever to anything Hebraic. Proponents of this pseudo history have never [and will seemingly never ever] address this complete and overwhelming lack of traditions. Even more so, the theorist just straight up ignore the wealth of traditions which emphasize an in situ origin for a good number of Igbo communities. It is as if they do not even know their own people's traditions that they feel it is okay to make up BS.

Moses grew up in africa and he died in africa after he pass his authority to Joshua to lead Israelites,he stood on mountain NEBO to view the land of Israel which is across Jericho Isreal later conquer Jericho when God told joshua to sing his praise and walk round the Jericho wall with his men he obeyed and the wall collapsed in less than few minutes and Israelite walked in and slaughter their enemies.And we can remember they fought till night dawn but darkness never surface because joshua command the Sun to stand still till the Israelites are through with their enemies..
You cannot disproved it,moses,joshua jesus, are from levi tribe of Isreal, and till date.You cannot be a rabbi if you are not descendant of levi tribe i believe God knows reason why even for our Lord to send Jesus through levi tribe

ChinenyeN: Radoillo, ya diri gh' la nma.

I've seen people contort transpose Igbo names in an attempt to prove a pseudo linguistic stance.

The other day, someone told me that 'Netanyahu' is the same as 'Neta Anyanwu', which he then translated as 'Look to the sun'. I quickly googled the meaning of 'Netanyahu' and told him it actually means 'Gift of God'. Trust resourceful pseudo-linguists! He quickly told me that because Anyanwu (the sun) is closely associated with the high god in Igbo cosmology, one could translate 'Anyanwu' in this case as 'God'; and that 'Neta' contains the root -nye from which the Igbo word 'onyinye', meaning 'gift' is derived. The weird things I have heard!

Radoillo:

The other day, someone told me that 'Netanyahu' is the same as 'Neta Anyanwu', which he then translated as 'Look to the sun'. I quickly googled the meaning of 'Netanyahu' and told him it actually means 'Gift of God'. Trust resourceful pseudo-linguists! He quickly told me that because Anyanwu (the sun) is closely associated with the high god in Igbo cosmology, one could translate 'Anyanwu' in this case as 'God'; and that 'Neta' contains the root -nye from which the Igbo word 'onyinye', meaning 'gift' is derived. The weird things I have heard!

netanyahu is the hebrew name for Nathan in the bible yahu in igbo is (let him/her see) the guy does not know what his talking about even though am not very good in bible studies

bigfrancis21:

Both groups may be related and may have dispersed thousands of years ago during the expulsion of the Hebrews from their homeland during the invasion of the babylonians before the time of Christ. One particular stock branched westwards towards Igboland to establish residency there.

oh really?

Then how come they survived the Tse-Tse fly and other diseases?

What happened to their hebrew/israeilte religion?

How did their physical features change and become Congoid?

Why did they take to head-hunting?

Why come all the way to this far-off jungle.

How did their language,attire,etc., change?


I can name many other groups in the world who also share more similar characterisitcs to Igbos.


And btw why are comparing recent post-colonial history ? Biafra war, dispersion,etc.
This has no basis.

I'm not sure about whether Igbos truly descended from jews but the connection that many Igbos try to establish is not surprising.

Many groups that deal with persecution (and seem to tread above waters despite this) try to find a spiritual connection to Jews since the suffering of the hebrews of the bible speaks to them on a personal level.

If you think about it, many of the "official" Jews today aren't really related to the ancient semitic jews of the bible. Lots come from oppressed groups in Eastern Europe who assimilated into Israel but not many people deny these people their Jewishness because Eastern Europeans are caucasian. Caucasians tend to have the most freedom to pursue whatever inclinations they choose due to the power structure of the world.

In the case of Igbos, the case is far different. We don't even have much power in Nigeria lol (offshoot of the civil war). Nigerians in particular deride Igbos for wanting to have anything to do Jews because they subconsciously associate Igbos with powerlessness, lack of culture, and everything bad.

Let's just be honest.

The Lemba people who are bantu in the southern part of the continent are related to Jews by blood, but even before this was proven they were not met with this sort of hostility for claiming they were jews.

I have heard that the Kikuyus of Kenya have sections that believe that they descended from Jews. Not sure how the dynamic with this claim plays out in Kenya though.

That the Yorubas claim ties to Saudi Arabia (i.e. Mecca) and other parts of the semitic world is also not met with derision or claims of "identity issues." Evidence of how certain groups are seen to others.

Even African Americans claim ties to Israel as well. I noticed that people who harbor racist or prejudiced tendencies towards African Americans deride them the most. But this is another discussion for another day.

My thinking is...If certain groups are pursuing spiritual goals of their own volition, how does it hurt or bother you? Unless you have pre-conceived notions or prejudices (which many Nigerians ACTUALLY DO towards Igbos) I see no reason why this would affect you.

That being said, the only way to test the authenticity of these claims is by some DNA tests, but even if such turns out wrong, I see nothing to some Igbos wanting to find affinity with Jews or convert to Judaism.

I am Igbo myself and actually don't give a toss about Jews but how does this trend concern me, really?

I think Igbos who try to counter these claims are embarrassed because of how others see them. Me... I don't give a fck.

Radoillo:

This is my problem. The Babylonian Captivity began in the 500's BC. Archaeology and linguistics suggest that Igbo antecedents go farther back than that: to at least 4000 B.C.

The Jews of 500's BC were a fully literate people. They had the wheel and the plough, and had elaborate dressing. Why did they lose all these when they moved to south eastern Nigeria?

Archaeological work have been done in Nsukka, Okigwe, Afikpo, Igbo-Ukwu, Aguleri, etc. Why haven't all these diggings turned up a single Jewish coin, a single stone or structure with Hebrew inscriptions, a single sample of Levantine pottery,anything at all that could link this place to migrations from the middle east? There is just no way these migrants could have left no physical remains at all of their original homeland. Yes, I know that some years ago in Aguleri there were claims that some Hebrew inscriptions were discovered, but this has since been shown to be a forgery, a hoax by proponents of this 'Hebrew hypothesis', a very poor one at that.

Why aren't there any genetic evidence for the Hebrew origin of the Igbos? The genetic studies that i have seen indicate that Igbos are entirely of sub-Saharan African origin. There is no Middle Eastern contribution to their genetic make-up. The Lemba of Southern Africa, who also claim Jewish origin, have at least, had their claims verified by DNA studies. For the Igbos, the genetic evidence has so far been entirely negative.

Most of the cultural similarities between Igbos and Hebrews, which people like to point to, also occur widely in sub-Saharan Africa. Check out the book 'Hebraisms in West Africa' (I forget the author's name) for some of these similarities as they occur throughout West Africa.

Are we then to assume that the bulk of the peoples of West Africa descend from Hebrew colonists? Why would such a large-scale colonizing enterprise, occurring at a time when the Jews were a fully literate people, not be recorded in any of the vast existing jewish literature?

Cultural similarities exist among people who never had any form of contact, and if one really wanted to, one could (using cultural and pseudo-linguistic similarities) 'show' that Igbos were descended from the Ancient Greeks or the Chinese, or the Batak people.


NB: If you had pronounced your ethnic group's name the way it should be and with the right intonation: Igbo (rather than 'Ibo'), I doubt that your Palestinian friend would have thought you said 'Hebrew'. Lol.

1) Carbon dating tests performed on Igbo-ukwu pottery predates the presence of the Igbo people in their land to the 9th/10th century (800AD to 900AD). AD, short for 'anno domino' or 'a fter the d eath of christ' started counting after the times of Jesus and BC refers to 'before the time of Christ'. Now, the babylonian expulsion occurred around 500BC, and the cradle of the Igbo race began at around 800AD, which logically follows in the sequence of linear time.

2) Archaeological physical evidence of Hebrew presence in Igboland was discovered in 1997. 'In 1997, a team of Bani-Israelites from King Solomon Igbo-Israelites (Bani-Israel) Federation visited Nigeria and came to Aguleri to fine-tune the research findings of 1995. The team’s discovery at Obugad in Enugwu- Aguleri attracted comments from a renowned historian, Prof. O.Alaezi as follows:

“There is a very significant concentration of Eri, the fifth son of Gad (See Gen. 46:16) in Aguleri, Anambra state where recently a very important discovery of a clear evidence of Israel ancestral origin of the Igbo was made in the domain of Eze Eri in Enugwu Aguleri at the instance of the Bani-Israel team which was on a fact-finding mission in 1997.

There and then one of the memorial onyx stones for the sons of Israel as the lord commanded Moses (see exodus 39:7) was discovered and identified as such by the team leader from King Solomon Israelite (Bani-Israelite) federation. On the stone discovered in Enugwu Aguleri was engraved the name Gad in the Aramaic language reminding one of the writings in Exodus 39:14, there were twelve stones, one for each of the names of the sons of Israel, each engraved like a seal with the name of the twelve tribes.”
http://raybash..com/2011/03/lost-tribe-of-gad-part-ii.html
http://iduueri./2010/06/18/obugad-the-house-of-gad/

Attached below is an image of the onyx stone that bore the Paleo-Hebrew inscription “GAD” upon it which the King Solomon Sephardic Federation confirmed the authenticity of the inscription.

3) No specific Igbo-Hebrew DNA testing has been conducted actually to confirm the Igbo-Hebrew speculation. Specific DNA testing if to be conducted, will be conducted paternally on the Y-chromosome (the Y-chromosome is transmitted paternally from grandfather, to father to son to grandson and is transferred unchanged from generation to generation and hence still contains the original set of genes of the founding father of a group of people) of Aguleri-Nri-Umunri males where the Jewish origin particularly holds, and not just on any average Igbo male. The fact that the wandering Jews may have met some Igbo people already living here lends support to the need to perform the test on certain families/Igbo areas where it is speculated the early Jews may have settled and not performed on just any family at random.

PS: Israel will be more willing to confirm the authenticity of the small-numbered Lemba people who are only 50,000 in population or the Ethiopian Jews who are 150,000 in population than they will be for the Igbo who are numerous in population, at a staggering figure of 40 million plus. Confirmation of a sect of people as Jewish automatically leads to the granting of Aliyyah (return home) rights to the people to return back to Israel. Though a tiny country, Israel can accommodate an extra population influx of 200,000. However, a population of 6 million Jews vs 40 million Igbo, or considering only the actual Igbo Hebraic population, say 3 million, will be too much to handle for Israel. The main reason Israel has been reluctant to pursue the Igbo-Hebraic theory speculation.

Excerpts from the Oba of Benin, Oba Akenzua's book on the Igbo in 1965:

An Igbo man in search of residential accommodation is prepared to pay rent for even your kitchen store. Within a week of his moving in, about half a dozen “brothers” come to “visit” him; within a fortnight more of them arrive. He then pleads with you to allow them temporary accommodation in the house but soon they have become permanent and taken every available space in your house.

There would be nothing wrong with this if they remained as tenant. But the sad part of it is that before the owner knows what is happening these tenants are dangling money before his eyes for the purchase of the house itself or the adjoining land.

The money comes to hand quite easily either through concerted efforts or some wealthy “brothers” or the tribal union, and overnight the owner of the house becomes a tenant on his own land.

In like manner, they have surreptitiously ousted “nationals” of the other regions from their market stalls, from their shops, from the rubber plantations and other forms of human endeavour. One may say, it is the stupidity of the other people.

Is it any wonder then that some other regions in the federation entertain fear of possible Igbo domination?

IT IS TO BE HOPED THAT THEY DO NOT BECOME LIKE THE JEWS , objects of castigation and contempt for their industry and adventurous spirit.

chulla12: I'm not sure about whether Igbos truly descended from jews but the connection that many Igbos try to establish is not surprising.

Many groups that deal with persecution (and seem to tread above waters despite this) try to find a spiritual connection to Jews since the suffering of the hebrews of the bible speaks to them on a personal level.

If you think about it, many of the "official" Jews today aren't really related to the ancient semitic jews of the bible. Lots come from oppressed groups in Eastern Europe who assimilated into Israel but not many people deny these people their Jewishness because Eastern Europeans are caucasian. Caucasians tend to have the most freedom to pursue whatever inclinations they choose due to the power structure of the world.

In the case of Igbos, the case is far different. We don't even have much power in Nigeria lol (offshoot of the civil war). Nigerians in particular deride Igbos for wanting to have anything to do Jews because they subconsciously associate Igbos with powerlessness, lack of culture, and everything bad.

Let's just be honest.

The Lemba people who are bantu in the southern part of the continent are related to Jews by blood, but even before this was proven they were not met with this sort of hostility for claiming they were jews.

I have heard that the Kikuyus of Kenya have sections that believe that they descended from Jews. Not sure how the dynamic with this claim plays out in Kenya though.

That the Yorubas claim ties to Saudi Arabia (i.e. Mecca) and other parts of the semitic world is also not met with derision or claims of "identity issues." Evidence of how certain groups are seen to others.

Even African Americans claim ties to Israel as well. I noticed that people who harbor racist or prejudiced tendencies towards African Americans deride them the most. But this is another discussion for another day.

My thinking is...If certain groups are pursuing spiritual goals of their own volition, how does it hurt or bother you? Unless you have pre-conceived notions or prejudices (which many Nigerians ACTUALLY DO towards Igbos) I see no reason why this would affect you.

That being said, the only way to test the authenticity of these claims is by some DNA tests, but even if such turns out wrong, I see nothing to some Igbos wanting to find affinity with Jews or convert to Judaism.

I am Igbo myself and actually don't a toss about Jews but how does this trend concern me, really?

I think Igbos who try to counter these claims are embarrassed because of how others see them. Me... I don't give a fck.

The problem is that many nigerians lack information some people didn't know that many centuries ago a well learner-ed former igbo slave later became a land owner and slave master,he freed many slaves from his plantation.This man in his book talked about igbo characteristic cultural connection with hebrews, go and read his book.He wrote this when there is no countries in west africa just different congregation of settlers of different tribes dotted around west africa.

His name is (OLAUDA EQUANO)

Be proud of who you are is not our doing

Mean while enjoy igbo praising songS to ODOGWU NA AHA,CHUKWU ABIAMA, MAKA NA IHI NA OHURUM NA ANYA

Ekwensu nuru onu ya gba oso




https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g-6rXWYsTS4

Olaudah Equiano, more properly spelt natively in Igbo as 'Olauda Ikwuano'.

bigfrancis21: Olaudah Equiano, more properly spelt natively in Igbo as 'Olauda Ikwuano'.

thanks for that

bigfrancis21:

1) Carbon dating tests performed on Igbo-ukwu pottery predates the presence of the Igbo people in their land to the 9th/10th century (800AD to 900AD). AD, short for 'anno domino' or 'a fter the d eath of christ' started counting after the times of Jesus and BC refers to 'before the time of Christ'. Now, the babylonian expulsion occurred around 500BC, and the cradle of the Igbo race began at around 800AD, which logically follows in the sequence of linear time.

No, no, the Igbo, as a distinct linguistic and cultural group, did not begin around 800AD. Why do some of us believe that the Igbo-Ukwu bronzes and pottery represent the earliest archaeological material we have about the presence of Igbo groups in SE Nigeria? Dr Hartle's excavations in Nsukka uncovered pottery that dates back to 2,555 BC. And when Dr Hartle compared the ancient pottery to contemporary Nsukka pottery, he observed that their similarities suggested that they belonged to the same artistic tradition, which indicated that one and the same cultural group has occupied the Nsukka area since at least 2,555 BC. Groups in the Nsukka area (Lejja, etc) claim that they have been working iron 'from the beginning of time.' The archaeologist Dr Eme Okafor has radio-carbon dated iron technology in many sites in the Nsukka area. We now know that iron was being worked by the ancestors of the modern Northern Igbo groups from at least 800 BC. Some 300 years before the Jews were expelled from Jerusalem. So we have at least two dates well-established in the archaeological community of the the presence of the ancestors of the modern-day Igbos in Igboland before ever the Babylonians sacked Jerusalem.

2) Archaeological physical evidence of Hebrew presence in Igboland was discovered in 1997. 'In 1997, a team of Bani-Israelites from King Solomon Igbo-Israelites (Bani-Israel) Federation visited Nigeria and came to Aguleri to fine-tune the research findings of 1995. The team’s discovery at Obugad in Enugwu- Aguleri attracted comments from a renowned historian, Prof. O.Alaezi as follows:

“There is a very significant concentration of Eri, the fifth son of Gad (See Gen. 46:16) in Aguleri, Anambra state where recently a very important discovery of a clear evidence of Israel ancestral origin of the Igbo was made in the domain of Eze Eri in Enugwu Aguleri at the instance of the Bani-Israel team which was on a fact-finding mission in 1997.

There and then one of the memorial onyx stones for the sons of Israel as the lord commanded Moses (see exodus 39:7) was discovered and identified as such by the team leader from King Solomon Israelite (Bani-Israelite) federation. On the stone discovered in Enugwu Aguleri was engraved the name Gad in the Aramaic language reminding one of the writings in Exodus 39:14, there were twelve stones, one for each of the names of the sons of Israel, each engraved like a seal with the name of the twelve tribes.”
http://raybash..com/2011/03/lost-tribe-of-gad-part-ii.html
http://iduueri./2010/06/18/obugad-the-house-of-gad/

Attached below is an image of the onyx stone that bore the Paleo-Hebrew inscription “GAD” upon it which the King Solomon Sephardic Federation confirmed the authenticity of the inscription.

The inscription in that picture is actually the one I was referring to which I said has been proven to be a fake. Professor Alaezi is no historian. His doctorate is in education, and he heads a group, 'Hebrew Renaissance' or something like that. He and groups of Igbo converts to Judaism have been at the forefront of pushing this Hebrew thing, for obvious reasons. I read once where they claimed that they had discovered Eri's Jewish robes. It turned out to be an Igala-made gown. The funniest thing is that they do not even know Jewish history, thus most of their 'facts' are nothing short of ridiculous.

First, why would Jews fleeing the wrath of the Babylonians around 500 BC write in the Aramaic language? The Hebrews only became Aramaic-speakers AFTER they had gone into Exile in Babylon. Those who fled Jerusalem before then spoke only Hebrew. The earliest Jewish document written in Aramaic date from about 300 BC: after our 'Hebrews' have arrived in Igboland.

Second, where does Eri and his father Gad fit in this story? That part of the story is even more embarrassing. The historic Hebrew Eri and his father Gad lived in Egypt before the time of Moses (c. 1750 BC). Did a figure from the 1700s BC lead the Israelites into Igboland in the 500s BC? How does one explain that a man who came from a clime that cultivated barley and wheats is remembered in Igbo legends as having introduced yams and cocoyams, crops that were not staples in the Middle East and much of the territory he would have to pass through to get to Igboland? Isn't it reasonable to accept that both figures (the Biblical Eri and the Eri of Umueri legends) bear no relationship?

Even if we contend that Eri himself did not come to Igboland, but that it was his descendants, a branch of the tribe of Gad, who made their way here in the 500s BC, we still run into problems. The Hebrews who went into exile in the 500s BC were of the tribes of Judah and Benjamin. There were no Gadites among them. Northern Israel where the Gadites dwelt had already been destroyed in the 700s BC by (I think) the Assyrians.
Are we going to adjust the dates now and say that the children of Eri came to Igboland following the 700s BC destruction of Northern Israel, and not Jerusalem anymore? If the Hebrews of the 500s BC did not write Aramaic, do you think that the Hebrews of the 700s did? I don't!

The inconsistencies are just bewildering, man! I only ask these that the fabricators at least get their facts right and make their stories consistent.

3) No specific Igbo-Hebrew DNA testing has been conducted actually to confirm the Igbo-Hebrew speculation. Specific DNA testing if to be conducted, will be conducted paternally on the Y-chromosomes(the Y-chromosome is transmitted paternally from grandfather, to father to son and remains unchanged from generation to generation and hence still contains the original set of genes of the founding father of a group of people) of Aguleri-Nri-Umunri males where the Jewish origins particularly holds, and not just on any average Igbo male. The fact that the wandering Jews may have met some Igbo people already living here lends support to the need to perform the test on certain families/Igbo areas where it is speculated the early Jews may have settled and not performed on just any family at random.

Let them do the testing already. Until then I call BS on the entire hypothesis.

Radoillo:


Even if we contend that Eri himself did not come to Igboland, but that it was his descendants, a branch of the tribe of Gad, who made their way here in the 500s BC, we still run into problems. The Hebrews who went into exile in the 500s BC were of the tribes of Judah and Benjamin. There were no Gadites among them. Northern Israel where the Gadites dwelt had already been destroyed in the 700s BC by (I think) the Assyrians.
Are we going to adjust the dates now and say that the children of Eri came to Igboland following the 700s BC destruction of Northern Israel, and not Jerusalem anymore? If the Hebrews of the 500s BC did not write Aramaic, do you think that the Hebrews of the 700s did? I don't!

The inconsistencies are just bewildering, man! I only ask these that the fabricators at least get their facts right and make their stories consistent.

Where did you get that? During the exile from Jerusalem, 10 tribes of Jacob except the tribes of Judah and Benjamin were exiled from Jerusalem and dispersed worldwide, of which the tribes of Gad, Zevulun, Ephraim were among. A phenomenon referred to as the 10 lost tribes of Israel.

The fact that presence in Nsukka may date to 4000BC has two implications:

- it doesn't represent the whole Igboland. It doesn't imply the entire stretch of Igboland as you know it now was already existing by that same time Nsukka may have come into existence. You are quick to assume that because Nsukka existed by then, therefore the entire Igboland was already existing. You're making the assumption of quick generalization the same way the whole modern day Igbo people, who are a conglomerate of different peoples having arrived at different times in history, are being classified as related to Hebrews when in actuality, it might be only a fraction of the people who actually are hebraic. Don't forget the frequent migratory patterns of migratory groups both in different directions and at different times in history. Other Igbo groups may have arrived at their present locations at different times much later or earlier than the Nsukka group.

- it also lends credence to the fact that an Igbo group was already existing before the wandering Hebrews arrived and established their hebraic towns.

I think you're still stuck to the thinking that: 'Jews founded Igbos' when actually, that is not the case. The actual issue here is that a proportion of the Igbo people may be the ones actually related to Hebrews and not the entire Igbo people. The hebraic Igbo in question may have arrived much later and met an already existing Igbo group in their current location and founded towns of Aguleri, Umunri, etc. Notice that the Igbo-Jewish relations have been limited to mostly these towns in Anambra state, and maybe parts of Delta state. Igbo-Hebraic theory rarely mentions Abia, Imo etc. People from those states are free to deny vehemently as they are right in their denial.

bigfrancis21:
Where did you get that? During the exile from Jerusalem, 10 tribes of Jacob except the tribes of Judah and Benjamin were exiled from Jerusalem and dispersed worldwide. Who told you otherwise?

Jewish history is well-documented, bro. The kingdom of Israel split in two after King Solomon. The ten tribes (including Gad) formed the Northern kingdom and retained the name Israel. The other two tribes (Judah and Benjamin) formed the Southern kingdom and was called Judah. The Northern Kingdom was destroyed about 721 BC by the Assyrians. The Southern Kingdom and its capital Jerusalem was the one that was destroyed in the 500s BC. The tribe of Gad did not form part of that kingdom...so Gadites fleeing the destruction of Jerusalem makes no sense. This is documented in the Bible. I could also suggest half a dozen books on Jewish history you could check out.

bigfrancis21:


- it also lends credence to the fact that an Igbo group were already existing before the wandering Jews arrived and established their hebraic towns.

I think you're still stuck to the theory: 'Jews founded Igbos'. Actually, the reverse may be the case. The actual issue here is that a proportion of the Igbo people may actually be related to Hebrews and not the entire Igbo people. The hebraic Igbo in question may have arrived much later and met an already existing Igbo group in their current location and founded towns of Aguleri, Umunri, etc. Notice that the Igbo-Jewish relations have been limited to mostly these towns in Anambra state, and maybe parts of Delta state. No Hebraic theory mentions Abia, Imo etc. People from those state are free to deny vehemently as they are right in their denial.

This takes me back to my earlier position. Why are there no material remains? Why all the inconsistencies in the 'facts' presented by Alaezi and co?

Abia/Imo is also roped in in this Hebrew thing. Arodi, son of Gad (or is it Eri?) is said to be the ancestor of the Aro people.

DNA evidence, or the whole thing is hogwash.

Radoillo:

Jewish history is well-documented, bro. The kingdom of Israel split in two after King Solomon. The ten tribes (including Gad) formed the Northern kingdom and retained the name Israel. The other two tribes (Judah and Benjamin) formed the Southern kingdom and was called Judah. The Northern Kingdom was destroyed about 721 BC by the Assyrians. The Southern Kingdom and its capital Jerusalem was the one that was destroyed in the 500s BC. The tribe of Gad did not form part of that kingdom...so Gadites fleeing the destruction of Jerusalem makes no sense. This is documented in the Bible. I could also suggest half a dozen books on Jewish history you could check out.

It is well documented that 10 tribes of Israel were lost from Israel. Are you saying otherwise? Maybe we are both confusing the assyrian invasion with the Babylonian invasion. Here's an excerpt on the 10 lost tribes of Israel:

Ten Lost Tribes of Israel, 10 of the original 12 Hebrew tribes, which, under the leadership of Joshua, took possession of Canaan, the Promised Land, after the death of Moses. They were named Asher, Dan, Ephraim, Gad, Issachar, Manasseh, Naphtali, Reuben, Simeon, and Zebulun—all sons or grandsons of Jacob. In 930 bc the 10 tribes formed the independent Kingdom of Israel in the north and the 2 other tribes, Judah and Benjamin, set up the Kingdom of Judah in the south. Following the conquest of the northern kingdom by the Assyrians in 721 bc, the 10 tribes were gradually assimilated by other peoples and thus disappeared from history. Nevertheless, a belief persisted that one day the Ten Lost Tribes would be found. Eldad ha-Dani, for instance, a 9th-century Jewish traveler, reported locating the tribes “beyond the rivers of Abyssinia” on the far side of an impassable river called Sambation, a roaring torrent of stones that becomes subdued only on the sabbath, when Jews are not permitted to travel.

http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/587080/Ten-Lost-Tribes-of-Israel

Radoillo:

This takes me back to my earlier position. Why are there no material remains? Why all the inconsistencies in the 'facts' presented by Alaezi and co?

Abia/Imo is also roped in in this Hebrew thing. Arodi, son of Gad (or is it Eri?) is said to be the ancestor of the Aro people.

DNA evidence, or the whole thing is hogwash.

@bold...that is only a recent speculation brought up by contortionist fans who wish to rope themselves into the entire hebraic speculation seeing that they were obviously left out. The original hebraic theory since its formation originally pointed to the towns of Aguleri, Nri, Igbo-ukwu and Umunri.

Radoillo:

This takes me back to my earlier position. Why are there no material remains? Why all the inconsistencies in the 'facts' presented by Alaezi and co?

Abia/Imo is also roped in in this Hebrew thing. Arodi, son of Gad (or is it Eri?) is said to be the ancestor of the Aro people.

DNA evidence, or the whole thing is hogwash.

Same question can be asked of the ethiopian Jews or Lemba jews. I'm sure there are little or no material remains for these groups of people that points to Hebraic origins yet DNA testing proved right their longtime 'hebraic speculation' and similar hebraic traditions and customs.

As long as the population of the Igbo are at a staggering 40 million plus, Israel will be reluctant to pursue the Igbo-Hebrew relationship speculation.

bigfrancis21:

It is well documented that 10 tribes of Israel were lost from Israel. Are you saying otherwise? Maybe we are both confusing the assyrian invasion with the Babylonian invasion. Here's an excerpt on the 10 lost tribes of Israel:

Ten Lost Tribes of Israel, 10 of the original 12 Hebrew tribes, which, under the leadership of Joshua, took possession of Canaan, the Promised Land, after the death of Moses. They were named Asher, Dan, Ephraim, Gad, Issachar, Manasseh, Naphtali, Reuben, Simeon, and Zebulun—all sons or grandsons of Jacob. In 930 bc the 10 tribes formed the independent Kingdom of Israel in the north and the 2 other tribes, Judah and Benjamin, set up the Kingdom of Judah in the south. Following the conquest of the northern kingdom by the Assyrians in 721 bc, the 10 tribes were gradually assimilated by other peoples and thus disappeared from history. Nevertheless, a belief persisted that one day the Ten Lost Tribes would be found. Eldad ha-Dani, for instance, a 9th-century Jewish traveler, reported locating the tribes “beyond the rivers of Abyssinia” on the far side of an impassable river called Sambation, a roaring torrent of stones that becomes subdued only on the sabbath, when Jews are not permitted to travel.

http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/587080/Ten-Lost-Tribes-of-Israel

Your quote from britannica is exactly what i said in my comment which you quoted. Perhaps you failed to understand me. There were two Hebrew kingdoms: Israel in the north, Judah in the south. Igbo 'Hebraists' say the Hebrew elements in the Igbo race fled from Jerusalem (capital of Judah in the south) when the Babylonians destroyed that city in the 500s. And I'm saying there were no Gadites or Zevulunites or any of the other ten tribes in Jerusalem, in Judah at the time. Gadites dwelt in Israel in the north, which had even ceased to exist by the time Jerusalem was destroyed.

The Jews found "beyond the rivers of Abyssinia" would be either the Falasha Jews of Ethiopia (if Abyssinia in this case refers to Ethiopia), or the Bani-Israel of India (if Abyssinia in this case refers to India, as is sometimes the case.)

Radoillo:

Your quote from britannica is exactly what i said in my comment which you quoted. Perhaps you failed to understand me. There were two Hebrew kingdoms: Israel in the north, Judah in the south. Igbo 'Hebraists' say the Hebrew elements in the Igbo race fled from Jerusalem (capital of Judah in the south) when the Babylonians destroyed that city in the 500s. And I'm saying there were no Gadites or Zevulunites or any of the other ten tribes in Jerusalem, in Judah at the time. Gadites dwelt in Israel in the north, which had even ceased to exist by the time Jerusalem was destroyed.

The Jews found "beyond the rivers of Abyssinia" would be either the Falasha Jews of Ethiopia (if Abyssinia in this case refers to Ethiopia), or the Bani-Israel of India (if India in this case refers to India, as is sometimes the case.)

I was trying to show that the Gadites were indeed dispersed. You tried to give the impression that the Gadites and other tribes speculated to have birthed the relatives of Igbo-Hebrew were not dispersed. Maybe we confused ourselves with the Assyrian captivity and Babylonian captivity.

bigfrancis21:

Same question can be asked of the ethiopian Jews or Lemba jews. I'm sure there are little or no material remains for these groups of people that points to Hebraic origins yet DNA testing proved right their longtime 'hebraic speculation' and similar hebraic traditions and customs.

As long as the population of the Igbo are at a staggering 40 million plus, Israel will be reluctant to pursue the Igbo-Hebrew relationship speculation.

Trust me, brother, the Ethiopian Jews were not lacking in material evidence of their Jewishness. In fact, Israel did not accept Ethiopian Jews as part of world Jewry based on DNA evidence. These guys in Ethiopia had been practising Judaism from even the time of the Apostles! There are written records.They had the Torah, they had synagogues, etc. It was a little different for the Lembas, admittedly. But even then, they had very strong traditions of Jewish ancestry, that predate any contacts with the outside world. The earliest Europeans were told by the illiterate Lembas about how they had come from 'Sana'a' somewhere in Arabia, bearing with them the Ark of the Covenant. Sana'a had a large Jewish community in the early to late Middle Ages.

Did Igbo people have any traditions of Jewish ancestry before Western-educated, Christian converts like Olaudah Equiano and J. Horton started making speculations? They did not. The pre-literate Lembas did.

Israel doesn't have to pursue Igbo-Hebrew relationship. Let Igbo 'Hebraists' themselves pursue it, and present scientifically-sound facts. It wasn't Israel that pursued Lemba-Hebrew relationship.