Free Republic

Genetic evidence links Jews to their ancient tribe By Judy Siegel JERUSALEM (November 20) - Genetic evidence continues to provide additional proof to the claims that the Jewish people are descended from a common ancient Israelite father: Despite being separated for over 1,000 years, Sephardi Jews of North African origin are genetically indistinguishable from their brethren from Iraq, according to The Hebrew University of Jerusalem. They also proved that Sephardi Jews are very close genetically to the Jews of Kurdistan, and only slight differences exist between these two groups and Ashkenazi Jews from Europe. These conclusions are reached in an...

A group of rabbis in London for the country’s top Sephardi rabbi to be fired over his comments welcoming growing acceptances of homosexuality. Rabbi Joseph Dweck, who serves as senior rabbi at London’s S&P Sephardi Community, came under fire after saying at a lecture last month that societal acceptance of homosexuality is a “fantastic development” because it opens the door to a more loving society. In a letter Friday addressed to British Chief Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis and “any would-be panel of appointed Dayanim [religious judges],” the London rabbis, both Sephardi and Ashkenazi, wrote that if he did not remove Dweck...

Opposition MK Micky Rosenthal (Zionist Union) participated on Saturday in a Shabbatarbut event in Modi'in and attacked various Likud members. "The last ten people on Likud's list have the same IQ," Rosenthal said. "These are people who are not worthy of being in the Knesset." Coalition Chairman David Bitan (Likud) attacked Rosenthal for his statement, saying it "stinks of racism." "The ones who grade MKs are the voters," Bitan said. "The nation chose the Likud, even though it knows who Likud's leader is and who the last ten members of its list are. I think our third set of ten...

France's Jewish community, the largest in Europe, chose a Sephardi Jew as its leader Sunday for the first time in half a century. Francis Kalifat, 63, said his priority as president of the CRIF umbrella grouping of Jewish organizations was to "fight against anti-Semitism in all its forms." He succeeds 79-year-old Roger Cukierman for a three-year term, breaking the dominance of Ashkenazi Jews in the organization which groups together 70 associations.