Israel Today spoke with William Bjoraker who just returned from Africa where he taught high level Hebrew classes to the Lemba, an African tribal people who are Jewish followers of Jesus.
Is this African tribe really Jewish?
Ezra 10:10 is a key verse. Their traditions say several of the men refused to divorce their wives as Ezra commanded. These families and the women who were put away (divorced) were expelled by Ezra from the community. But they stayed together, migrating, eventually to Yemen, maintaining their Jewish identity. After centuries there they crossed the Red Sea, to the Horn of Africa. Then migrated southward, Mozambique, eventually Zimbabwe. Their tradition says that a bright star appeared at different time to lead them in their migration (like the star of Bethlehem), which they call “the star of David.”
They do not consider themselves as being part of the “Ten Lost Tribes” (as some mistakenly call them). Their tradition is that they returned to the land under Zerubbabel, Ezra and Nehemiah.
Authors note: Recent genetic DNA analyses...
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