Source/Original Article: Jewish Voice Ministries International
The claims of the Lemba of Zimbabwe being descendants of Israel, have long been considered the stuff of legend- fascinating, but dismissed. In 1999 DNA testing profoundly changed that perception. Geneticists from the U.S., U.K., and Israel not only found Cohen modal haplotype marker , indicating the Lemba were descended from levitical priests of the ancient Jewish Temple and Aaron, Moses' brother, but made the remarkable discovery that marker is in higher concentration among the Lemba than the general Jewish population!
Lemba are clearly Semitic in their physical features and traditions- among them, practicing circumcision, abstaining from pork, not mixing milk and meat, and use of the shofar -the Lemba have now been genetically linked to Levi, one of the Twelve Tribes of Israel.
Drawing on elaborate oral traditions and historical documents, it is believed that the Lemba migrated from Yemen from Judea before moving to the African continent. Both genetic similarities and historic documentation connect the Lemba to the Jews of Yemen, which is consistent with the Lemba narrative that traces their route from Judea to the vanished city of Sana'a, in ancient Yemen, before crossing the straits to the coast of Africa.
If you like support Jewish Voice Ministries International Medical Mission Outreach to Zimbabwe- Lemba trip or going on missions trip May 25 - June 4, 2012 please visit www.jewishvoice.org or www.jewishvoice.org/medicaloutreach .
The claims of the Lemba of Zimbabwe being descendants of Israel, have long been considered the stuff of legend- fascinating, but dismissed. In 1999 DNA testing profoundly changed that perception. Geneticists from the U.S., U.K., and Israel not only found Cohen modal haplotype marker , indicating the Lemba were descended from levitical priests of the ancient Jewish Temple and Aaron, Moses' brother, but made the remarkable discovery that marker is in higher concentration among the Lemba than the general Jewish population!Lemba are clearly Semitic in their physical features and traditions- among them, practicing circumcision, abstaining from pork, not mixing milk and meat, and use of the shofar -the Lemba have now been genetically linked to Levi, one of the Twelve Tribes of Israel.
Drawing on elaborate oral traditions and historical documents, it is believed that the Lemba migrated from Yemen from Judea before moving to the African continent. Both genetic similarities and historic documentation connect the Lemba to the Jews of Yemen, which is consistent with the Lemba narrative that traces their route from Judea to the vanished city of Sana'a, in ancient Yemen, before crossing the straits to the coast of Africa.
If you like support Jewish Voice Ministries International Medical Mission Outreach to Zimbabwe- Lemba trip or going on missions trip May 25 - June 4, 2012 please visit www.jewishvoice.org or www.jewishvoice.org/medicaloutreach .
Jewish DNA- The Kohanim Gene and Lost Tribes of Israel
