Taliban of Jewish Descent? Experts are Checking
by Hillel Fendel

Experts at the National Institute of Immunohaematology in Mumbai, India believe a large group of Taliban Muslims might be descended of the lost Ten Tribes of Israel – and an Israeli rabbinical expert agrees.

Israel’s government is partially funding a genetic study to establish if there is any proof of the link, bringing an Indian expert in DNA profiling and population genetics to the Technion in Haifa. The expert, Shahnaz Ali, will be supervised by Israeli genetic research expert Prof. Karl Skorecki.

Rabbi Eliyahu Avichayil, who has dedicated his life to seeking out descendants of the Ten Tribes and bringing them to Israel, says he does not need or trust genetic testing for this purpose: “Rashi’s explanation to Jeremiah 31, 20 implies that the way to identify the Ten Lost Tribes will be via the Jewish customs that they maintain – and in this case, there are many of them.”

Rabbi Avichayil says that the Jewish-like customs that have been found among the Pathans - many of whom are now of the Taliban tribe - include sidelocks, ritual circumcision at eight days, cities of refuge for accidental killers, four-cornered garments, ritual immersion for women, and more. They also practice levirate marriage - not according to Moslem custom, which allows for various relatives of the deceased to marry a widow, whether or not she has children, but rather closer to Jewish custom, in that only brothers can marry only childless-widows.

The very name of the Afridi tribe, of which many members belong to the Taliban, indicates its origin from the Israelite Tribe of Ephraim, Rabbi Avichayil says. “The Pathans,  22 million strong, include not only the Afridic tribe, some 7.5 million people, but also the Rabanis, the Gadis, the Asheris, etc. – indications that many of them are of the Ten Tribes.”

Asked if we now have to consider the possibility of absorbing millions of Moslems from the east, including Talibanis, Rabbi Avichayil said, “I originally thought that it would be sufficient to merely have a small representation of each tribe, and then the Messiah could take care of the rest. But I was then encouraged by the Lubavitcher Rebbe to continue bringing more and more – but some basic conditions must still be met, such as good absorption arrangements – not as there were with the Ethiopians – and of course a willingness on their part. I met with some Afridi members in Washington, and they were very enthusiastic about what I was saying. If I saw that some of them were interested in converting and living a Jewish lifestyle, I would immediately do what I could to help them come here.”

Regarding Al Qaeda terrorist leader and mass murderer Osama Bin Laden, Rabbi Avichayil said, "No need for concern; he's not from these tribes, but rather hails from Yemen and Saudi Arabia." IsraelNationalNews.com

EGYPTIAN IMAMS LAUNCH ATTACK ON HAMAS: Mosques across Egypt launched scathing attacks on the Hamas terrorist group in the wake of the killing of an Egyptian border guard by a Palestinian gunman last week.. According to a media report, imams throughout the country used their Friday sermons to lash out at the Islamic group which controls the Gaza Strip. One, at a Cairo mosque, asked the gunman what he would tell his God "tomorrow."  Another said that Egypt had sacrificed thousands for Palestine. Yet another blamed Hamas for the ongoing siege of Gaza at the hands of Israel, saying its leaders wished to stay in power "even at the cost of the starvation and expulsion of their people." (J.Post)

HAMAS AND EGYPT ON COLLISION COURSE:  The clashes at the Rafah border crossing between Hamas-controlled mobs and Egyptian security forces will lead to a larger conflict between the two entities, Middle East expert Dr. Mordechai Kedar estimated during a recent press interview.  He said the fighting between Egypt and the Hamas terrorists are representative of a larger struggle between two schools of thought that are fighting each other for leadership of the Arab world. “On the one hand there is Egypt, a sovereign secular country, and on the other hand there is the new state in Gaza, led by a [terrorist] organization that wants to place the world under the kingdom of Allah.”  The moment of truth for Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak has arrived, said Kedar.  “The Egyptians refuse to let Hamas continue to dig tunnels under their noses. The cooperation with Iran threatens Egypt. The Egyptians have already exposed Hamas cells that operated in the country, and Mubarak is afraid of losing power.” (INN) “In that day five of Egypt's cities will follow the Lord of Heaven's Armies…. Is 19:18

REPORT: HIZBULLAH EARNING MILLIONS FROM EUROPEAN DRUG TRADE: A report in the German magazine Der Spiegel over the weekend says one way Hizbullah has been earning money for its terror activities is by selling drugs in Europe.  German police have arrested members of a Lebanese family that illegally transferred millions of euros from Germany to known Hizbullah terrorists, including Hizbullah chief Hassan Nasrallah, in Lebanon.  Israeli authorities have long said the terror group was involved in growing and selling drugs – both for profit, and as a way to attempt to corrupt Israeli society.  A spokesman for Israel's Anti-Drug Authority, said "there are dozens of documented cases" implicating Hizbullah and its patron Syria, in growing and selling drugs, and in smuggling them into Israel.” (INN)

EVANGELICALS DESERVE OUR SUPPORT: Israel's Foreign Ministry and the Interior Ministry debated last week regarding the status of, and benefits given to, Evangelical Christians. The Foreign Ministry wanted to recognize the Evangelicals as an independent church, like other churches recognized by Israel..  An Interior Ministry representative responded that if the Evangelicals are added to the list, dozens of additional streams of Christians will demand to receive similar recognition and be eligible for benefits. He said the state is not able to withstand such a surge."  Deputy Foreign Minister Danny Ayalon remains firm that Evangelical Christians, who donate funds and support Israeli public relations within the US, deserve perks. It was decided that a mechanism composed of representatives from the two ministries will be established in order to find and reach an agreement. (J.Post)  Pray for increasing favor and good media reports in 2010 for Christians supportive of Israel.

Source of above items: JNN NEWS, PO Box 7411, Jerusalem 91073, Israel, 1/10/10

Canadian Girl ‘At Home’ as IDF Combat Soldier by Tzvi Ben Gedalyahu

A Canadian girl whose great grandfather was one of the leading Zionist kibbutz pioneers has returned to her Israeli roots and now is serving as a combat soldier in the

IDF. “I always felt that Israel was my place, that I needed to be here," IDF Pvt. Estelle Tabenkin told IDF spokeswoman Rotem Caro Weizman.

Yitzchak Tabenkin was one of the founders of a social Zionist party and the Mapam party, which David Ben-Gurion headed as Israel’s first Prime Minister. His grandson met a Jamaican Jew vacationing in Israel and eventually moved to Vancouver, Canada. They spoke Hebrew at home and frequently visited Israel, and their daughter Estelle decided to return to her roots and study at Tel Aviv University where her famous last name quickly attracted attention.

Immigrant friends from the Garin Tzabar pre-military service program for Diaspora Jews convinced her to enlist, and Estelle decided to leave her studies and part company with her home in Canada to join the group.

Her mother was not happy about her leaving Canada, but Estelle says she, as well as her father, supported her decision. Estelle decided that she wanted to become a combat soldier and joined the Home Front Command Search and Rescue Company.

"Sometimes it's hard physically, but it feels so great to me," she said. I do things that I would never have dreamed of doing, like marches or shooting. I saw completely new things. Where else in the world would I be able to do things like that?

"My dad always told me about his grandfather and also his uncle Yosef Tabenkin, who was one of the commanders of the Palmach pre-State military, and now I feel that I am doing what they did and fighting for the same principles," she explains.

"In 2008, I was a participant on the March of the Living (in Poland) and it really touched me, as did the book Exodus and the stories of the Jewish immigrants during the British mandate in Israel. I know that even if it's a bit difficult for me now, in the past people did much more difficult things than what I'm doing now, and at a much younger age," she says with tears in her eyes.

Pvt. Tabenkin says she feels as though she is “in a movie” after having holding a rifle in her hands during her swearing-in ceremony. “The fact that I am a combat soldier makes me feel even better. I am loving every second in Israel and in the IDF.”

Her off-base home is at Kibbutz Yizrael, a neighbor of Kibbutz  Ein Harod that the Tabenkin family helped found. One of the family descendants on the kibbutz was active in the protests supporting the mostly religious Jewish residents of Gush Katif. He said that the government expulsion program contradicted Zionist values. IsraelNationalNews.com 1/11/10