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Mystery of
the Ten Lost Tribes
Ecuador
by Rabbi Marvin
Tokayer |
Intensified attention to the subject took place in the 17th
century in England. It was all due to the writings of Manasseh Ben
Israel, an Amsterdam Rabbi, who convinced Oliver Cromwell to allow
the Jews to Return to England after their banishment from that
country four centuries previously.
Manasseh was fully
convinced of the authenticity of the Sambatyon legend. He wrote in
his book that all think that the Ten Tribes dwelled beyond this
Sabbatical river. He cites many authorities in support of his belief
including the statement of Josephus that Titus himself had seen the
river. Later on, after his meetings with a remarkable missionary,
the Marrano Jew (Jew who was forced to convert to Christianity in
Spain and Portugal), Antonio de Montezinus, he became fully
convinced that the American Indians constituted some of the Ten Lost
Tribes of Israel.
Manasseh heard a very remarkable thing from Montezinus that in
1642 when Montezinus was deep into the mountainous wilderness of
Ecuador, he met with four Indians who greeted him with "Shema
Israel" which is the traditional creed of Israelites beginning with
"Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one!" (Deuteronomy
6:4). He claimed that he spoke with them in Hebrew and claimed they
were from the Lost Tribe of Reuben and Levi.
Through the
conversation with Montezinus, Rabbi Manase Ben Israel was convinced
that the American Indians were from several tribes of the Lost
Tribes of Israel. He wrote on Dec. 23, 1649, in a letter to John
Drury, the Puritan divine, "I think the Ten Tribes lived not only
there in America, but also in other lands scattered everywhere,
these never did come back to the second temple, and they keep to
this day still the Jewish religion seeing that all the prophecies
which speak of the bringing back into their native soil must be
fulfilled."
Menorah Was Found in South
America
As for the Indians in South America and the Lost
Tribes of Israel, there was an interesting article in a newspaper
published in Israel (Maariv, Dec 31, 1974) as
follows:
 In 1587, a Jesuit Nicholas Delttsu was sent to South
America by the king of Spain to convert the Indians. In Argentina,
he found a tribe with Hebrew names, Abraham, David, Moshe, etc..
When he asked them if they were circumcised, they answered, "Yes,
just as our ancestors." In the same area were found knives of stone
used for circumcision. Sharpened stone knives are cited in the Bible
as used for circumcision.
Of equal interest is the recent
find of a tribe in Argentina related to the Incas of Peru. On a
stone tablet were found 3 commandments - "Do not steal." "Do not
lie." and "Do not murder." Scholars concluded that these
commandments come from the Ten Commandments of Moses but existed
hundreds of years before the Spaniards arrived.
And in 1974
in the same area, round stones were found with Hebrew Menorah
(candlestick with 7 arms of ancient Israel) on the stone, and on the
side is written in Aramaic, Pascha (Passover). Aramaic is an ancient
language which ancient Israelites used and this itself means very
old.
A few meters away was found a long stone in the shape of a
brick with an engraving of a boat (the emblem of Zevulun is ship)
with the word Tzipora (the same name as the wife of Moses and one of
names of Israelites. The name of the ship?) written on it. Does this
mean that they came here on boat? Scholars believe it is 3000 years
old.
Overview
 Afghanistan
Burma
Pakistan
- The Pathans Kashmir
Japan
Ecuador China Reprinted
from "Nihon-Yudaya, Huuin no Kodaishi" by Rabbi Marvin Tokayer,
translated from Japanese by Arimasa Kubo. Following
his ordination, Rabbi Tokayer served as a U.S. Air Force Chaplain in
Japan, and upon his discharge from the military, returned to Tokyo
to serve for many years as rabbi of the Jewish Community of Japan as
well as Vice President and Director of Culture, Religion and
Education for the Jewish communities of the Far East.
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