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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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