Found Lost Tribe of Israel Right in Israel Since 1950-52: Jewish Kurds

Nadene Goldfoot                                                                 

Beginning , in about 740 BCE, the Northern Kingdom of Israel was conquered by the Neo-Assyrian monarchs, Tiglath-Pileser III (Pul) and Shalmaneser V. 

By 722-721 BCE, nearly twenty years after the initial deportations, the ruling city of the Northern Kingdom of Israel, Samaria, was finally taken by Sargon II after a three-year siege started by Shalmaneser V.  The Assyrian Empire attacked Israel in 721 BCE and led most of the best of the 10 tribes of Israel off into captivity. Assyrian cuneiform states that 27,290 captives were taken from Samaria,  the capital of the Northern Kingdom of Israel, by the hand of Sargon II.

Some of them  wound up in Kurdistan long ago.  The Jews of Kurdistan migrated to Palestine during the past centuries, but the majority  fled to Israel together with the Iraqi Jewish in Operation Ezra and Operation Nehemiah during 1950 to 1952.  "It has been estimated that before the establishment of the State of Israel there were between 20,000 and 30,000 Jews living in Kurdistan."

The Jews had formed the Kingdom of Adiabene in northern Mesopotamia in the 1st century BCE.  It became an independent kingdom.  Their queen was Helena who was converted to Judaism in 30 CE with her sons, Kings Monobaz II and Izates, who supported the Jews during the war against the Romans from 66 to 70 CE.  The tombs of the Kings in Jerusalem was their burial place.

Later they just faded into obscurity only to reappear in the Middle Ages.  One of many accounts of the period about them was the story of David Alroy, a Jewish leader from Amadiyah in the 12th century who revolted against the Persian rulers and tried to recapture Jerusalem.
                                                                               

Many centuries later they were found to have lived as protected subjects of the Kurdish tribal chieftains called aghas and survived in the urban centers and villages in which they lived.
                                                                         

 Kurds are known to be the closest match to Jews by DNA.  "Scientists who participated in the research said the findings seem to indicate both peoples had common ancestors who lived in the northern half of the fertile crescent, where northern Iraq and Turkey are today. Some of them, it is assumed, wandered south in pre-historic times and settled on the eastern shores of the Mediterranean.--Professor Ariella Oppenheim and Dr. Marina Feirman, who carried out the research at the Hebrew University, said they were surprised to find a closer genetic connection between the Jews and the populations of the fertile crescent than between the Jews and their Arab neighbors.  "In the article by Nebel et al.  the authors show that Kurdish and Sephardi Jews have paternal genetic heritage indistinguishable. The study shows that mixtures between Kurdish Jews and their Muslim hosts are negligible and that Kurdish Jews are closer to other Jewish groups than to their long term host population. Mr. Hammer had already shown the strong correlation between the genetic heritage of Jews from North Africa with Kurdish Jews

According to Mordechai Zaken, Kurdistani Jews survived by supporting their tribal chieftains and village aghas in times of need the through financial contributions, occasional gifts, many services as well as taxes and dues in the form of commissions of their commercial and agricultural transactions.

For they  got protection and grant them patronage in the tribal arena.  Some wealthy Jewish merchants and leaders had to deal at times with the aghas who coveted their vineyards or other things and who took what they wanted.  It became a tribal tradition to live that way; protect the Jews who provided them with treats.

These Jews spoke a different language from the main Kurdish populace, and they knew that their ancestors came from Israel, but they still thought of themselves as Kurdish Jews.  That's why they finally returned home.

One interesting note:  According to 2nd Chronicles, Chapter 30, there is evidence that at least some people of the Northern Kingdom of Israel were not exiled. These were invited by king Hezekiah (720-692 BCE) to keep the Passover in a feast at Jerusalem with the Judean population.

However, Assyria had been conquered by Babylon, and Babylon had been conquered by the Medo-Persians.

"According to the Books of Chronicles chapter 9 line 3, the Israelites, who took part in The Return to Zion, are stated to be from the Tribe of Judah alongside the Tribe of Simeon that was absorbed into it, the Tribe of Benjamin, theTribe of Levi (Levites and Priests) alongside the tribes of Ephraim and Manasseh, which according to the Book of Kings2 Chapter 7 were supposedly exiled by the Assyrians. (The Biblical scholars Umberto Cassuto and Elia Samuele Artom claimed these two tribes' names to be a reference to the remnant of all Ten Tribes that was not exiled and absorbed into the Judean population)."  Therefore, in Judah were the remnant of some of the other lost tribes.  Not all had been taken and lost.  

"There are not many female rabbis in the Jewish history. The first known female rabbi in the history is Asenath Barzanî, a Kurdish woman from South Kurdistan."

Asenath Barzanî was born in 1590. She was the daughter of the Rabbi of the Jews in the south Kurdistan Samuel Barzanî, who trained his daughter and taught her the mystic secrets of Judaism which he never revealed to anyone.	File photo
According to the historians, Asenath Barzanî wrote in his biography: “During my entire life I did not step out of the house. I was the daughter of the King of Israel. I was educated by rabbis. My father was focusing too much on me that he did not teach me any art or handicraft but divinity.”

Resource: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kurds
The Standard  Jewish Encyclopedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Assyrian_captivity_of_Israel
http://www.haaretz.com/print-edition/news/study-finds-close-genetic-connection-between-jews-kurds-1.75273
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Genetic_studies_on_Jews
http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/judaica/ejud_0002_0012_0_11698.html
http://www.ekurd.net/mismas/articles/misc2010/9/state4196.htm

Keeping Score on Muslim Adversaries

Nadene Goldfoot
It's hard to keep up with what Muslim faction is either friendly or enemies with other Muslims.  One big player is the Muslim state of Iran who happens to follow the Shi'a -Jafari Muslim path. They happen to have the 6th largest Muslim population in the world with more than 98% of  their 76,923,300 people.

 Some people from Pakistan, Turkey, Afghanistan, Yemen, Syria,  Azerbaijan Lebanon, Kuwait and Bahrain have players that are either Shi'a or Sunni.  The rest of the states follow the Sunni traditions. The state religion of Egypt's 90% of a population of 79,089,650, the 5th largest Muslim population in the world, are Sunni following the Shafi'i teachings.

President Morsi went to Iran in August of last year for a summit of the Non-Aligned Movement.  So it's news that Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad just came to Cairo, Egypt on a visit.  It's a first since the 1979 revolution,when Iran's secular Shah was replaced by the religious Ayatollah Khomeini.   Morsi and Ahmadinejad smiled, shook hands and kissed, probably because of Egypt electing a Muslim Brotherhood leader.   Ahmadinejad will meet today with the Grand Sheikh of the al-Azhar Mosque which is 1,000 years old,. one of the oldest seats of Islamic learning in the Sunni world.  Last month, Iran's foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi met the sheikh and stressed the importance of Muslim unity.

 Iran and Iraq had a war from September 22, 1980 to August 20, 1988 called the First Persian Gulf War,  so peace is not always the mode between Shi'a and Sunni Muslims.  They had some hot and heavy disputes over their borders. The attacker that time was Iraq.  Syria's ruler is not hesitant to kill its own people and neither has Iraq who gassed its Kurdish citizens on March 16, 1988 when they gassed and killed from 3,200 to 5,000 people and injured from 7,000 to 10,000.  They used bombs with chemicals.  .The idea of Iran being able to manufacture atomic weapons is making Saudi Arabia very nervous.  They are the 14th largest Sunni population with 27,601,038 people that follow Sunni's Hanbali teachings.  .  

For the past 30 years Israel and Egypt have been at peace which was started by Sadat.  Now, it looks like the only thing holding it together is the $1.3 billion in aid each year from the USA for the Egyptian military.  Morsi's government stands for wiping out Israel being that's the Muslim Brotherhood charter's goal.  They've established close ties with Hamas which is backed by Iran.  Hamas also shares that goal.  Egypt is lacking money, so that might be their first priority.

Ahmadinejad came to Cairo for Wednesday's Islamic summit.  Besides wanting to be the first astronaut in Iran, Ahmadinejad wants to visit the Gaza Strip to visit with the people on this trip.  Iran is backing Hamas financially and with weapons.   In November of last year Iran was preparing a shipment of missiles for Gaza at the same time a cease fire took place.  Sudan has been a transit site for Iranian arms to get to Gaza. They've been aiding and abetting terrorism.

One thing that bothers Egypt is Iran's support for President Bashar Assad of Syria.  An uprising that crushed the former President Mubarak and put Morsi into power is being crushed by Assad to the tune of killing 60,000 revolutionaries..  Though Egypt's revolt caused Morsi to be elected, the people are now having a change of heart and have been rebelling against him after just realizing what Sharia law is all about.  Christians are under attack.

Morsi's Egypt also maintains good relations with Gulf Arab states that supplement Cairo's finances and they are not that friendly with Iran.  Morsi also wants to remain friends with the USA in order to continue receiving their financial aid.

Hamas and Egypt have established close ties with each other that makes Iran happy but not the West as Hamas had been shooting rockets, mortars and missiles at southern Israel since 2006 and only recently stopped when Israel finally retaliated but good.  It would be a bad move if Egypt restores full relations with Iran now, the state that calls Israelis descendants of monkeys and pigs.  You can laugh off children's name calling of each other, but when a Muslim adult does it, you take their threats quite seriously.

Shi'a and Sunni are followers of different leaders.  Muhammad had a daughter, Fatima, but no son to take his place when he died, so the Shi'a are followers of his son-in-law who also happened to be his nephew.  Sunnis are followers of  Muhammad's good friend, Abu Bakr. "The fundamentals of the Islamic faith are agreed upon by all Muslims. These fundamentals include the belief in the oneness of God, the role of the Prophet Muhammad as his final messenger, prayer, the requirement to perform Hajj once in one's lifetime, and the requirement to give to charity."

Resource: http://www.jpost.com/LandedPages/PrintArticle.aspx?id=302186# Iran's Ahmadinejad lands in Egypt on historic visit by  Reuters
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iran%E2%80%93Iraq_War
http://www.beliefnet.com/Faiths/Islam/2001/02/Sunni-Shia-Differences.aspx
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iranian_Revolution
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Halabja_poison_gas_attack
http://www.jpost.com/Defense/Article.aspx?id=293324 Satellites show Iran moving quickly to rearm Hamas

What Syrian Government Has Been Manufacturing and the Burden on Israelis

Nadene Goldfoot

Israeli Jets Over Lebanon

In  March 1988, Saddam Hussein gassed 5,000 Kurdish men, women and children  in his own country of Iraq.

The entire world has been watching Syria and takes developments in the past 22 months there most seriously.  Iran can be leading Syria  in such negative directions, being they have already killed 60,000 of their own people.   Besides attacking most of their own population, they have been working on  harming Israel and the West.  "Syrian forces began combining chemicals that would be used to make deadly sarin gas for use in weapons to attack rebel and civilian populations, a U.S. official told CNN in December 2012."  Besides that, it's possible that Assad may be losing his grip on the country and its arsenal of all sorts of weapons including the non-conventional ones.  What Israel may have bombed was a "scientific research center"  which was making weapons.  The trucks outside making up the convoy were full of the Russian missiles that were hit.

Syria owns advanced anti-aircraft defense systems including the Russian-made SA-17 and possibly the Russian's S-300, which are long-range anti-aircraft missiles.  If Hezbollah got their hands onto such weapons, it would be devastating.  Then Israel would have difficulty flying over Lebanon to stop Hezbollah from wiping out Israel.

The target that Israel's jets hit in around the border of Syria and Lebanon was their anti-aircraft systems, or a convoy of components for such systems such as the SA-17 anti-aircraft missile defenses.  The target also could have been called electronic radar equipment used for the GPS system of drones.  The US unmanned aerial surveillance vehicle that went down over Iran in 2011 contained such a piece of equipment.  What I saw on TV were huge missiles.

 The site was by a building which manufactured chemical and biological weapons.  The installations were 7 miles away from Assad's palace which is guarded by Iranian Revolutionary Guards.  Trucks in the convoy were also destroyed, of course.  The installation was reported to be badly damaged.  The raid stopped immensely horrible consequences for Israel but has raised the hornet's ire, mainly from Iran.  Their Deputy, Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian,  is calling for significant implications for Israel.  Well, what's new?  Already Syria is adding fuel to the fire with threatening surprise retaliations, so Israel is patrolling the skies.  The White House offered advice to Syria saying they should not further destabilize the region by sending weapons to Hizbullah.  Doesn't Syria have enough problems?

Israel is facing Syria and Lebanon in the north who actively conspire with Iran to destroy her.  On the west and south Israel has Egypt with a new government in shatters that is in complete chaos with wild demonstrations.  Jordan on the east is under threat.  The only good thing is the snow that has come to Israel which people are enjoying.

It is at this point that the UN demands to come into Israel and inspect with their Human Rights Committee.  Israel is denying them entrance.  Enough is enough.  From Geneva through Reuters comes the news that the U.N. human rights investigators called on Israel on Thursday to halt settlement expansion and withdraw all half a million Jewish settlers from the occupied West Bank, saying that "its practices could be subject to prosecution as possible war crimes.A three-member U.N. panel said private companies should stop working in the settlements if their work adversely affected the human rights of Palestinians, and urged member states to ensure companies respected human rights."  The UN is not the law in the world.  Their actions are always centering on Israel even while Syria's government has killed 60,000 of its own people.  They get a pass.  It's Israel that concerns the Muslims.

So what are the Iranians now doing?  On Thursday they reported that they are going to upgrade their nuclear facility at Natanz and just told the UN agency about planning to install more sophisticated equipment.  Then they will be able to accelerate the processing of uranium.  This could speed enrichment by 2 or 3 times.

I would say that Netanyahu has his plate full.  To top it off, Yair Lapid, the new popular leader in the new party of Yesh Atid, who came in 2nd in the election, is following his own agenda.  He's pushy and seemingly controlling.  Chaim Weizmann once said that he was Prime Minister of 2 million prime ministers and Netanyahu is trying to work with one of them.  Everyone feels that Lapid is more interested in becoming the next prime minister and is making it hard on Netanyahu by setting impossible demands on negotiations to form a coalition.  Netanyahu is working on forming as broad a coalition as possible.

  Lapid's strong hand is pinching out the 2 very orthodox parties from the coalition because he plans to have all men called into the draft and that means yeshiva students will all go into the army like others.  This Tal Law allowing exemptions went into affect only 10 years ago and the high court in 2012 had found it unconstitutional and expires in August anyway.  This will allow 14,000 more men to be in the army.   Arab Israelis are exempt.  Druze serve as well as other Israelis from 18.  Men serve for 3 years and women for 2. For a month out of every year they are called back in for the "milueem" period until they are 55.  .

It's enough to realize that missiles heading your way just might be also carrying biological and chemical weapons from very hateful and sick people, but to have all these other problems?  I think Israel is very lucky to have such strong people at the helm of their government.  We pray for them.

Resource: http://backchannel.al-monitor.com/index.php/2013/01/4170/israeli-jets-said-to-have-struck-alleged-weapons-convoy-in-syria/#ixzz2JWahghYb.
Arutz Sheva
http://www.haaretz.com/print-edition/news/israeli-ultra-orthodox-confident-yeshiva-students-won-t-be-drafted-to-idf-1.414219
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Conscription_in_Israel
http://security.blogs.cnn.com/2012/12/03/source-syria-preparing-chemical-weapons/
http://hnn.us/articles/862.html
Oregonian newspaper 2/1/13 page A8, Israeli air attack spurs syrian  threat by Bassem Mroue AP and Israel faulted for expansion of settlements by John Heilprin, AP, Iran to upgrade nuclear facility, wire report

BLAMING ISRAEL AGAIN FOR BUSH'S DECISIONS

When I looked for comments about Frontline's two part program called "Bush's War', I stumbled on an article connected to it from Media Monitors Network that shocked me. It was by a free-lance writer in the U.K. by the name of Mesbah Uddin.

In it he spoke of the Sharonists. These, according to him, are American governmental people who are followers of Ariel Sharon of Israel. Evidently they have taken over the government of the USA. He names Paul Wolfowitz as the main leader. Paul wanted to extend Israel's boundary beyond Iraq, the country that contains Babylon . He said the aim was to take over Iraq first and then all the other Arab countries.

Now I've heard everything. Jews have been blamed for just about everything in the past. I've heard of the blood libals, where we needed Christian children's blood for Passover. The ignorance of people was overwhelming as Jews go to great length to not eat any blood of any animal. That's what the kosher laws cover. We've poisoned the wells causing people to die. Usually this was over some cause like rats infesting cities but the Jews would be blamed. And now we've taken over the government of the United States causing us to go to war against Iraq.

He goes on to say that to start anything one needs some cataclysmic event, and then 9/11 happened, insinuating that Israel also caused this, or at least the Sharonists did. He explains that the Nazi technique was to tell people that they going to be attacked, and then they had the right to attack, and their people would be gullible. He's saying that this is what we did which gave us the right to attack Iraq. It was the United States who turned good old Saddam Hussain into a villain.

This is where I felt sick. Just before 9/11, I had read a new book from the Ontario, Oregon Library called "Saddam", or "Saddam Hussain." In it I found out from the author just how horrible a man he was. His sons were following in his footsteps and were determined to be even worse, and they were soon proving it. I don't think much of many leaders, but he was horrid. He kept his people down with such an iron fist that it's no wonder that they can't think logically now that they have been freed. I think they have suffered psychologically under his leadership and it will take a long time for them to learn to think again and stop fighting each other.

Now I find out from this writer that we had sold the nerve gas that was used on the Kurds in Halabja that killed 5,000. If the United States did sell it to the Iraqis when we were acting as friends, I am totally disappointed. What a thing to sell to such a people. Whatever did we think they would do with it? Surely someone must have realized that these unstable people might decide to use it as a weapon. Even to use it against the Iranians would be against international law, I would think. It should have been outlawed after WWI. This accusation has to be researched more, and if we did sell it, I feel there needs to be some great punishment for doing so. Hopefully, this is incorrect.

This is some of the garbage being inflicted upon Israel. Whatever happens, blame the Jews. There's always people who are gullible and full of hate and resentment ready to swallow it.

As I remember, I wondered why Bush attacked Iraq when it was Saudi Arabians who flew into the Twin Towers. My feelings were that the Saudis used their money to attack their enemies and that they usually stayed behind the scenes. I didn't trust Syria at all and thought they might have also been behind the 9/11 attack. While living in Israel from 1980 to 1985, I watched Iraq and Iran wage a war with each other. I thought that perhaps that was why I had a fairly peaceful existence in Israel. They were busy at each other's throats. To think that Israel's Sharon is pulling the strings getting America to attack Iraq is ridiculous.

Really, no one in government listens to Israel very well. It's a big worry for Israel. If there is any controlling, it's the USA who controls Israel in many ways. Israel has no oil wells. What we have the most of are our brains. In the midst of being constantly attacked and on alert, our scientists have managed to invent and create things useful for the world. Now we're even exporting techniques in fighting terrorism and protecting airports.

World, get over thinking that the Jews want to take over the world. We're just fighting for our teeny-tiny piece of Israel and are tired of giving chunks of that away in the name of peace which evades us. Trying to deal with the Palestinians in Gaza was enough of a headache. Ask the Egyptians. Ask Jordan what they went through. Just stop demanding our land. You have enough. Wanting to expand and take over all the Arab countries? Oy vey, we're not out of our minds. Are you?

The Kurds and Us Jews

Nadene Goldfoot
In 2001, Israeli, German, and Indian scientists discovered that the majority of Jews were closely related to the Kurdish people. Kurdistan is primarily in northern Iraq, only a few hundred miles from the meeting place of the Tigris and the Euphrates Rivers.

DNA studies show that almost all Jewish populations have origins in the Middle East, and that the DNA of Jews from almost every corner of the diaspora is more similar to that of other Jews than to any other population. When compared with non-Jewish groups, the closest match is with the Muslims of Kurdistan, not with the European peoples alongside whom Ashkenazi Jews lived for centuries or of the the Arab neighbors of many Sephardi populations. Although all Middle Eastern populations have broad similarities, "Jews were found to be more closely related to groups in the north of the fertile Crescent (Kurds, Turks and Armenians) than to their Arab neighbors." The could mean that we all carry the genetic markers of ancient indigenous populations of the Fertile Crescent, while Palestinian Arabs and Beduins may descend from the Arab conquerors. Genetics may soon provide answers to questions like what proportion of Palestinian ancestry arrived in early or late migrations.

Who are the Kurds? Most of the 10 Tribes of Israel who were the Northern Kingdom were taken into captivity by the Assyrians in 721-715 BCE. That’s about 2800 years ago by the Assyrian king Shalmaneser. They were deported to Media, Asssyria and Mesopotamia. This area is what we call Kurdistan today. Under Persian and Parthian rule, the Jewish Kurdistanians enjoyed their own autonomy and had an exile ruler. He was of Davidic descent and was the king’s representative. They had a council of elders.

The Kurdish royal house of Adiabene was converted to Judaism in the 1st century BCE. The king was Monabazes and his queen was Helena. Their son was Izates. A large number of Kurdish citizens also converted. The Jews were given permission by the rabbinic authorities to allow conversion from the local population. This was the only country outside of Israel that sent provisions and troops to the rescue of the besieged Galilee. By the 2nd century CE, Judaism was practiced in central Kurdistan.

By the 4th and 5th centuries, Christianity was established in Adiabene, but Judaism continued with many. Kurdish Jews speak a form of ancient Aramaic called Suriyani, and in business and with their friends they speak Kurdish. Many of their folk stories that tell about their origins connect them with the Jews.

What can we find in Kurdistan that connects us to our Jewish history? Queen Esther and Mordechai have tombs in Hamadan. Biblical prophet Nahum has a tomb in Alkush. Jonah’s tomb is in Nabi Yunis (ancient Nineveh). Daniel’s tomb is in Kirkuk. Habakkuk’s tomb is in Tuisirkan. Several caves visited by Elijah are considered important Jewish shrines and are venerated by all Jews today.

The grandson of Judah the Maccabee, hero of our Chanukah holiday was named King Yannai. His widow was Queen Shlomis Alexandra "Shlomtzion".She had a brother, Rabbi Shimon Ben Shetach. He advised the Pharisees, who were the rabbinical Jews, to split with the Sadducees and other militant Jewish groups. The Pharisees also opposed Roman rule but preferred academic study to military revolt. In other words, they were on the left, or peaceniks.. Just before the downfall of Jerusalem in 70 CE, the warriors had conflicts with Rome and themselves.. The Hellenists wanted to assimilate by adopting its culture. The Pharisees wanted to continue Judasim by academics and study. The Herodians, Sadducees and their Jordanian converts plotted revolt. By 135 CE with the Bar Kochba revolt, they were crushed by Rome.

Then Sadducees or militant Jews went south to Jordan and southern Arabia and finally founded the Jewish state of Himyar (biblical Sheba) in Saudi Arabia and Yemen. There they practiced Judaism that finally became Islam by Mohammed.

The Pharisees or Rabbinic Jews moved east, then north and finally to Babylon. This is near what is now called Kurdistan. Then the Arab conquest began in 637 CE. This community assisted the Arab advance in the hope that it would afford them help from the Sassanid persecution. So the Arabs occupied their land. They expelled some Jews in Himyar, Saudi Arabia and they settled in Kufa. Over the next two centuries they were forced to convert to Islam. They were excluded from public office, were kept from building any new schools or synagogues, were subject to special taxes and experienced pograms. They were treated as Dminnis. Most of the community then converted by the end of the 9th century. Because they were heavily taxed on their farms, they left agriculture for the first time and went to live in larger towns like Baghdad, Basra and Mosul where they became traders and craftsmen. The peasants intermarried and became "The Kurds".

By 1138 Saladin was born to a family of Kurdish adventurers in the Iraqi town of Takrit. He was a Kurd in Middle East politics, and he was from Syria, a Sunni state, and he was trying to rule Egypt, a Shiite country. He finally became lord of Egypt, Syria and much of Mesopotamia. A generation before his birth, European crusaders had conquered Jerusalem and had massacred the Muslim and Jewish habitants. Many oriental Jews fought with the Moslems against the crusaders. So Saladin finally conquered Jerusalem from the Christians. He was humane and applied justice in his rule. He even allowed Christians into Jerusalem again. Maimonides, the great Jewish sage, was his physician. Of course he allowed Jews in Jerusalem and even discovered the Western Wall of the Jewish Temple. It had been buried by garbage under the Roman-Byzantine rule.

The Kurds were never accepted as equals to other Islamic groups who feared a revival of the Jewish faith. We had several men in the past who claimed they were the expected messiah such as Abu Issa Al-Isfahani who lived in about the year 700 CE, and Shabbetai Tzvi of the 16th century CE. They had looked to the Kurdish community for help to raise a Jewish army to liberate Israel. It didn’t happen.

Iraq’s Saddam Hussain killed Kurds with poison gas. They are known for the massacre of Halabja. .What happened was that Kurds make up about 17% of Iraq’s population. They were the majority in three provinces in Northern Iraq which is known as Iraqi Kurdistan. They also have a presence in Kirkuk, Mosul (50,000) , Khanaqin, and Baghdad. (300,000) About 100,000 Kurds live in southern Iraq. From 1960 to 1975 they engaged in a civil war against Iraqi regimes and were led by Mustafa Barzani. In March 1970 Iraq had a peace plan giving them Kurdish autonomy to be implemented by 1974. The peace plan did not last long and by 1974 the government began another offensive against the Kurds. By March 1975 Iraq and Iran signed the Algiers Accord where Iran cut supplies to Iraqi Kurds. Iraq started another Arabization plan by moving Arabs to Kurdistan’s oil fields, especially around Kirkuk. They deported 200,000 Kurds between 1975 to 1978 to other parts of Iraq.

During the 1980's Iran-Iraq War, Iraq implemented anti-Kurdish policies and a civil war broke out. Their campaign against the Kurds was called Anfal "Spoils of War". This led to the destruction of 2,000 villages and death of from 50,000 to 100,000 Kurds. On March 16, 1988 in the Kurdish town of Halabja, Iraqi troops used a mixture of mustard gas and other nerve agents and killed at least 5,000 civilians. This continued with both Iraqis and Iranians using it against the Kurds.

The Kurds also had problems with Turkey who practiced military actions inside Kurdistan in Northern Iraq. They killed civilians and destroyed villages, homes and property. Turkey continued its military cross-the border operations which were needed for intelligence information. They were even striking Kurdistan from the air. This went on because of the Kurds in Turkey who were fighting against Turkey for their freedom.

So it appears that the Kurds do not fit into the average Arab mentality and are not fitting into their society. They want their freedom and autonomy.

Reference: Jerusalem Post, Genetics and the Jewish Identity by Diana Muir and Paul Appelbaum. Washington-report.org.: Saddam’s Kurdish Problem,
wikipedia.org, Kurdish people,
Resource: The Standard Jewish Encyclopedia: Tribes, Lost Ten & Babylon
EretzYisroel.org: The forced conversion of the Jewish community of Persia and the beginnings of the Kurds
Kevin Alan Brook: The Genetic Bonds Between Kurds and Jews