Jim Davila links to an article about a group in India known as Bene Israel. Apparently, these people are descendants of seven Jewish couples who were shipwrecked off the coast of India 2000 years ago. They started a community, intermarried a bit, and kept some of their traditions and identity.

What is interesting is that I just saw a film called "Moving Heaven and Earth" at the Austin Jewish Film Festival this past Monday, which was about a group in Africa called the Abayudaya. These people are the product of one man's study of the Scriptures 70 years ago, by which he decided that Judaism was the proper religion to follow. The community was able to get some Conservative Rabbis to visit them and perform official conversions for everyone (in the hundreds). The Abayudaya are now having difficulty being accepted by other portions of the Jewish community (specifically the orthodox portion) because of the common differences in opinion over Torah observance, etc.

These stories bring up some interesting issues as we move toward the Messianic Era. The questions of "Who is a Jew?" and "What is valid Judaism?" are taking on more significance in our little world.

Labels: Judaism