Do the Palestinians have Jewish Roots?
Do the Palestinians have Jewish roots? The question may sound fanciful. But not only do many Jews and Palestinians share remarkably similar DNA, there are also numerous customs and even names that overlap....
Asia Tag
PICTURES: Shavei Israel celebrates Hanukah 5775 around the world
Hanukah was bursting out all over the Shavei Israel Jewish world - communities that Shavei Israel works with have held candle lightings, sung songs, eaten Hanukah donuts and, in general, illuminated the dark December skies with Hanukah joy. Check out this amazing selection of photos...
New emissary heads to India’s Zion Torah Center
Yishai Tzur is Shavei Israel's new emissary to the Zion Torah Center, a community of 1,500 Torah-observant Christians in Erode, India. Nearly the entire Tzur clan (7 in all) is now in India - including Yishai's wife Tamar, an Israeli gynecologist who will be learning...
The Underground Believers: Descendants of the followers of the false Messiah Sabbatai Tzvi in Turkey
In this article, which appeared originally in the Makor Rishon Weekend Magazine, reporter Zvika Klein tells the story of the descendants of the Sabbatean "Donmeh" sect that converted to Islam in the 17th century in the wake of their false messiah from Smyrna (Izmir), but...
Indonesia
[caption id="attachment_12255" align="alignleft" width="300"] Synagogue in Surabaya, Indonesia before it was destroyed[/caption] The surprising history of Jews in Indonesia returned to the news recently with the disclosure that the last remaining synagogue in the world’s largest Muslim country was destroyed in early 2013. According to a...
Spotlight on Other Communities: the Bnei Ephraim of India
The Shavei Israel website is a great place to research the many fascinating Jewish communities that can be found in the farthest corners of the globe. We write about all kinds of Jewish groups, not only those with whom we are actively involved. In this...
Spotlight on Other Communities: the Pathans of India and Afghanistan
Could a lost Jewish tribe be at the roots of Afghanistan’s Taliban? Some researchers say yes, and it’s just one of the fascinating – and perhaps inflammatory – stories we include in the “Other Communities” section of the Shavei Israel website, dedicated to Jewish groups...
Bene Israel (India)
Shavei Israel Chairman Michael Freund visited the Bene Israel community in Mumbai in June 2012. Here is a selection of pictures. [nggallery id=149]...
From Japan to Jerusalem: the story of Moshe Hattori
From Japan to Jerusalem: the story of Moshe Hattori He served as a Protestant minister in Japan’s fourth-largest city, presiding over a prominent Christian congregation where he was loved and respected by all. But growing doubts about the veracity of his faith led Nobutaka Hattori...