The Lemba: A question of identity
Replying to an assertion that the Lemba are Christian, from a discussion on EEJH, the Eastern European Jewish History list http://groups.yahoo.com/group/eejh
Dan Leeson is mistaken from several grounds. If you ask the Lemba themselves, Rabson and otherwise, you and Dan will find that the Lemba bristle at any suggestion that they are other than one of the tribes of Israel just as you and I, and I assume, Dan, would bristle at the suggestion that he and we are descended from anything other than one of the tribes of Israel, and as such, are Jewish.
A good source with some historical perspective is Tudor Parfitt’s book, Journey to the Vanished City. Tudor sets out a remarkable story. It is difficult to come away from a reading of that book with any sense other than one of discovery of other members of our religious family. Not that the Lemba had lost track of their religion, but that WE had lost track of them, and perhaps they of us.
As a scientist, I do not believe that Tudor would claim to have proved the Lemba are Jewish. As a person, I do not believe he has reached anything other than that conclusion. In reading Tudor’s book, I was struck by a stronger sense of connection to earlier Judaism than I, and I suspect many others, could muster on my/our own behalf.
The recent work on DNA halotypes seems to reinforce the Lemba’s view of a connection reaching all the way back to the earliest priestly Cohanim. No other groups on the face of the earth, apart from the Lemba themselves and what for want of a better term I refer to as western-recognized Jews, have been found to match the DNA markers associated with the Cohen Y chromosomes.
In a field replete with claims which by their very nature are extremely difficult to prove, the Lemba from their tribal lore, their sense of their history, their religious practices, their self-identity, and now with what tools of science are newly available, are able to set out strong linkage all the way back to biblical Judaism.
That the Lemba successfully maintained a sense of their own identity in a part of the world ruled largely by Muslims, seems in my mind only to underline that linkage, just as the Jews of a Christian Europe were, with difficulty, able to similarly maintain that identity. It should come as no surprise that in both of these parts of the world, during periods of religious conquest the historic picture becomes at times somewhat murky and confused.
Now with the recent contacts between the Lemba and other Jews from Rabbinical Judaism, the Lemba have an opportunity to update themselves with what we have been up to for the past several thousand years just as from Tudor Parfitt’s book, a related BBC/PBS broadcast, and other recent visitors, we are also able to update ourselves with what they have been up to for the past several thousand years.
For further guidance on such spiritual matters, Dan Leeson may want to consult a rabbi. Rabbi Leo Abrami has visited the Lemba during the past year and I am sure he would be happy to share his perspective. I believe Rabbi Abrami is also planning a return visit soon.
Kulanu’s web pages have a number of links about the Lemba which I would encourage readers to review. These can be found under the heading, Lemba, at www.kulanu.org/communities.