How do we use Reason and Science

to determine if the Lemba claims of being a

Lost Tribe of Israel Is true?

By Allon Posen

Presentation Overview

• Video Introduction• The Lembas• Cohens• Cohen Modal Haplotype (CMH)• Who is a Jew?• Beta Israel (Falashas)• CMH and the Lemba• Darron Kline Interview• My Opinion

Video Introduction about the Lemba Tribe

More Information about the Lembas

• 70,000-80,000 Lembas in South Africa and Zimbabwe• Similarities

– Male circumcision– Ritual slaughter– Monotheistic View– Holy Day – Kosher– Star of David tombstones– Follow the Lunar Calendar

• Lemba Oral History– Left Judea 2,500 years ago– Moved through Yemen – Slowly moved down the East Africa coast

Cohen

• Cohen (Hebrew) = Priest (English)• Descendants of Aaron• Special Duties in Society• Kohen is 1 of the 12 Tribes of Israel

Cohen Modal Haplotype (CMH)

• Men have a Y-Chromosome.• Karl Skorecki first to study the CMH• CMH a signature in the Y-Chromosome• Passed on to male offspring

Who is a Jew?

• Halakha– A Jew is a person who must be born to a Jewish

mother or someone who converts• Talmud written in 2nd Century CE• Law of Return followed

Halakha principle• Now extended to

anyone with a Jewish grandparent

Beta Israel (Falashas)• Jewish Ethiopian tribe• Israeli government evacuated them to Israel• Only African Jewish tribe accepted• Still must perform semi-conversion

CMH and the Lemba

• 10% Lemba men have CMH• 4% modern Jews have CMH

• Buba Clan men = 53% CMH• Ashkanazi Cohen men= 45% CMH• Sephardic Cohen men= 56% CMH

Darron Kline Interview

• CMH transferred via male• Jewish status determined by mother• Non-Jews can have CMH signature • Decision by the Israeli Chief Rabbinate• Opinion– Not Jewish– Need to convert

My Opinion

Work Cited• Kline, Darron. Letter to the author. 03 May. 2010.• Ravetz, Jerry. "Talking Point: Knowledge in an uncertain world." Newscientist 1735 (1990): 12. Web. 12 Apr 2010. • “Mystery of the Lemba Jews of Africa,” Television, Web. 29 Apr. 2010.

<http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZaDh07w7AYo>,• Katzman, Joe. “DNA Confirms Jewish Roots of Zimbabwe’s Lemba Tribe,” WindOfChange.net. 10 Mar. 2010. Web.

23 Apr. 2010.• Bernstein, Josh. “The Lost Tries of Israel,” DiggingForTheTruth.Net. 2007. Web. 18 April. 2010.• McNaughton, David. “Ancient Zimbabwe and the Lemba Tribe.” 1997. Web. 22 April. 2010.• “Jewish tribe found in Zimbabwe.” Ynet News. Jerusalem, 07 Mar. 2010. Web. 01 May. 2010.• Schneider, Moira. “African ‘Jewish’ tribe displays its lost ark.” The JC. Wisconsin, 22 Apr. 2010. Web. 24 Apr. 2010.• Mathivha, Rudo. The Story of the Lemba People as told by Dr. Rudo Mathivha. 15 Oct 1999. Johannesburg. South

Africa. Print• “African Lemba Tribe.” Encyclopedia. Encyclopedia.Com. 2010. Web. 29 Apr. 2010.