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Do all Jews "look the same?"
Thanks to conversions, interfaith marriages, migration
and assimilation, there is no one kind of Jew, either
in origin, looks, or background. Jews have existed all
over the Mediterranean region long before and long after
they were expelled from their homeland Judea in 70 CE,
and have spread all over the globe.
-- Sephardic
Jews, Ashkenazi Jews, Ethiopian Jews
Jews have adapted the customs and pronunciations of their respective countries, resulting
in two main types of ethnic traditions: Sephardim and Ashkenazim. The Sephardim and
Ashkenazim differ in their Hebrew pronunciation, certain features of their prayer rites,
and many customs and traditions. Generally, Sephardic Jewry traces its origin to the
Iberian Peninsula and, before, that, Babylonia. The Ashkenazim largely follow the
traditions and customs that originated among German Jews, which eventually spread
throughout Europe and Russia.
Ancient Jewish merchants reached as far as China through the Silk Route, and
communities of Chinese Jews existed until the early part of the 20th Century.
Communities of Jews in India still exist, also founded by ancient Jewish traders. Most of
the ancient Jewish community from Ethiopia has been brought to Israel over the last
twenty years, and now Israel's citizenry runs the gamut of all shades of humanity.
-- Legend of
the Ten Lost Tribes
The twelve tribes of Israel were the descendants of the twelve sons of the biblical Jacob.
With the establishment of a united monarchy under King David, Israel was organized into
twelve units, structured heavily along tribal lines. However, after the death of King
Solomon, the tribes split, with ten tribes, Reuben, Simeon, Dan, Naphtali, Gad, Asher,
Issachar, Zebulon, Ephraim, and Manasseh forming the northern kingdom of Israel, and
the remaining two tribes, Judah and Benjamin, forming the southern kingdom of Judah.
The northern kingdom lasted for about two hundred years; it fell to the Assyrians in 721
BCE, and the ten tribes were scattered over the Earth, their subsequent history unclear.
The Jews have never accepted the loss of the ten tribes as final. Such prophets as
Jeremiah and Ezekiel predicted their return, and the Legend of the Lost Tribes has
worked its way into Jewish folklore. Some people believe this explains the presence of
Jews is Asia and Africa.
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