The ‘Second Israel’ - How being Kurdish is like being Jewish.

Halabja, Iraq — Twenty-two years ago, in this dusty town hard up against the mountainous border with Iran, Saddam Hussein’s military used chemical weapons to murder 5,000 Kurdish men, women, and children.

The Halabja massacre was only the most infamous atrocity of Operation Anfal, a name Saddam took from a sura of the Koran that details permissible conduct against enemies of Islam. Of course, most Kurds are Muslims. But they are not Arabs. Kurds have had their own distinctive culture and language since long before armies from Arabia embarked on the first jihads — wars of Islamic conquest — in the seventh century.

The goal of Operation Anfal was genocide. At least 150,000 Kurds were slaughtered, many having first been herded into concentration camps, where mass executions were conducted. More than a million Kurds were driven from their homes.

Kurds have not forgotten that, in 1991, Americans established a “no-fly zone” over Iraq’s Switzerland-sized Kurdish region, to provide them some protection from Saddam’s predations. They regard America’s 2003 military intervention in Iraq as their liberation. Iraqi Kurds now enjoy substantial self-rule. Kurds living as minorities in Syria, Iran, and Turkey do not.

Six months after the collapse of Saddam’s regime, the Kurds erected a memorial on the edge of Halabja. It includes haunting photos; those of mothers clutching babies to their breasts as they died in the streets are perhaps the most heart-wrenching. A sign, in fractured English, gets its point across nonetheless: “Live and victory for all nations. Death for all kinds of racism.”

One result of this experience: Kurds see Americans as their allies and friends. “We appreciate the sacrifices Americans have made to liberate Iraq and bring the possibility of freedom,” Masoud Barzani, president of the Kurdish Regional Government, tells me and other members of a delegation of journalists and think-tank analysts.

Many Kurds also have empathy for — and even feel an affinity with — Israelis and Jews. Unusual as this is within the “Muslim world,” it makes sense when you think about it: Like Kurds, Jews are an ancient Middle Eastern people. Like Kurds, Jews have been targeted for genocide. Like Kurds, Israelis face an uncertain future among neighbors who range from merely hostile to openly exterminationist.

At a university in the Kurdish capital of Erbil, students meeting with our delegation express admiration for Israelis’ courage – somewhat to the chagrin of their American professor.

A Kurdish driver, discovering that he and I both speak Russian, launches into a lively conversation that begins with praise for America. He soon tells me there is one other country he’d like to visit: Israel. Why? Because Israelis, like Kurds, have been persecuted yet have managed to survive, achieve, and prosper.

A Kurdish journalist says that Iran’s Islamist rulers cannot be trusted, noting that they recently executed five Kurds “because they were Kurds.” He adds that Iran “supports Hezbollah. And we know what Hezbollah does to Israel.”

Publicly, Kurdish officials state that Iraq ought to have peaceful relations with all its neighbors – without exception. Some go farther: “We have no problems with Israel,” explains Falah Mustafa Bakir, head of the Kurdistan Regional Government’s Department of Foreign Relations. “They have not harmed us. We can’t be hating them because Arabs hate them. We think it is in the interest of Iraq to have relations with Israel. And the day after the Israelis open an embassy in Baghdad, we will invite them to open a consulate here.”

He notes that Israel is one of the few functioning democracies in the region and that Kurds, too, are attempting to build durable democratic institutions both in their homeland and in the rest of Iraq. Kurdistan, Bakir adds, is sometimes called “the second Israel.”

Historically, Jews are not strangers in this land. They settled here as early as the eighth century B.C. In pre-Islamic times, some Kurdish royalty is believed to have converted to Judaism. Even today, such prominent families as the Barzanis have Jewish members.

Of course, Jews once lived throughout the broader Middle East, from Morocco to Afghanistan. However, after World War II and the founding of the state of Israel, Arab governments turned on their Jewish minorities. As recently as the 1940s, Jews constituted as much as a third of Baghdad’s population. By the early 1950s, almost all had been expelled, their properties confiscated. The Iraqi government forced Kurdish Jews into exile as well. Many went to Israel, where they harbored an understandable resentment toward Iraqi Arabs — but not toward Iraqi Kurds. In the 1960s and 70s, Israelis provided assistance to Kurdish rebels.

Kurds today appear to grasp this equation: If there is no place for Jews in the Middle East, there is not likely to be a place for Kurds either. The ongoing religious and ethnic cleansing of the “Muslim world” may be the biggest story journalists are not telling, political leaders are not highlighting, and human-rights activists are not protesting.

Ancient Middle Eastern Christian communities — e.g., Copts, Maronites, Chaldeans — are under assault, virtually powerless, their numbers shrinking in Egypt, Lebanon, the Palestinian territories, Pakistan, and elsewhere. Somewhat more attention — though little meaningful action — has focused on the plight of the Darfurians of Sudan and the Baha’i of Iran.

Kurds say that, in their land, they are committed to tolerance — and they use the word not in the literal sense of abiding those who are distasteful but in the American sense of respecting minority rights and valuing diversity.

This is not a common perspective in the modern “Muslim world.” But Kurdistan is unique in many ways. Here it is recalled that Saddam Hussein not only had weapons of mass destruction — he used them. Here the arrival of Americans troops did cause people to dance in the streets. Here, it is possible to imagine Middle Eastern Muslims, Jews, and Christians living in peace, improbable as that has come to seem.

— Clifford D. May, a former New York Times foreign correspondent, is president of the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, a policy institute focusing on terrorism and Islamism.

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Israel and the Kurds

Israelis are incensed that in spite of repeated denials, many Kurds blame them for playing a part in the abduction by Turkish agents in Nairobi of the Kurdish rebel leader Abdullah Ocalan.

While most Kurds are Muslims, there are also a number who are Jewish. Most of them - about 50,000 - now live in Israel. The Kurdish-Jewish community is an ancient one, possibly dating back to Babylonian times. It was naturally set apart from other Kurds by religion, but in most other respects integrated into the broader Kurdish community.
Kurdish Jews have a number of distinctive traditions.

Uniquely among Orthodox Jews one of their greatest religious leaders was a woman. Asenath Barazani, who lived in the late 16th and early 17th centuries, studied along side her father and eventually inherited his position as head of an eminent Talmudic college. She went on to write a notable interpretation of the Book of Proverbs.

Of the Kurdish Jews, Yitzhak Mordechai is much the most successful. He served as Israel’s defence minister until January, when he was sacked by Benjamin Netanyahu. Kurds have generally been looked down on as less intelligent and sophisticated.

In contrast with their jaundiced view of Kurdish Jews, Israelis have tended to hold the Kurdish people as a whole in high regard. Even after Kurdish guerrilla chiefs vowed to strike against Jewish targets, Israeli chat-shows were full of politicians expressing sympathy with the Kurdish plight. As a stateless people without powerful friends, the Kurdish situation is similar to the one Jews were familiar with for centuries. To emphasise the closeness of the ties between the two peoples, old photographs of the legendary Kurdish leader, Mustafa Barzani, embracing Moshe Dayan have been dug out of the archives and repeatedly shown on television.

In the past, Israel has helped the Kurds. According to a former director-general of the Israeli foreign ministry, this was part of a strategy that sought alliances with other non-Arab nations in the region. Pro-Kurdish feelings were also reinforced by the assistance the Kurds provided in the 1950’s when Iraqi Jews were fleeing to Israel.

Israel’s clandestine relations with the Kurds were officially acknowledged in 1980 by Menachem Begin, the prime minister at the time. He confirmed that Israel had sent the Kurds not only humanitarian aid but also military advisers and weapons. Even today, the state-owned Israeli communications company Bezek transmits broadcasts on behalf of the Kurdish democratic Party in northern Iraq every evening.

The last thing Israel needs is to add 5 million Kurds to the ranks of its enemies. Israel has been at pains to persuade the Kurds that Mossad really did have nothing to do with Ocalan’s capture.

Following the attempt by a Kurdish mob to storm the Israeli consulate in Berlin, which resulted in three Kurds being shot dead, the head of Mossad, Efraim Halevy, took the unprecedented step of publicly dissociating Israel from the capture of Ocalan. Mossad does not usually comment publicly on intelligence matters, but Halevy, a British-born nephew of the late Isaiah Berlin, released a statement categorically denying any involvement.

While Israel has forged an alliance with Turkey, this is directed at containing the threat that both face from Syria, Iraq and Iran. Since the angry recriminations that followed the help Mossad gave to the Moroccan royal family in the 1960’s, when a Moroccan opposition leader in exile was abducted in France, it has been a strict policy that the Jewish state will not risk its own agents on behalf of any other country.

Turkey knows this, and Israel has scrupulously avoided involvement in what it views as an internal Turkish conflict. In fact, Mossad believes that the Italians or Ocalan’s former backers, the Syrians, may have betrayed him and then spread charges against Mossad as misinformation.
From The Spectator

Scribe: Israel’s friendship towards the Kurds does not mean that she cannot be an ally of Turkey. Nor does it mean that Israel must sympathise with the PKK in their pursuit of terrorism in the region. It is a political minefield that Israel must steer clear of.

Moreover, it is in Israel’s long-term interest to find a solution to the long-standing Kurdish problem satisfactory to the Kurds who deserve no less attention than the Palestinians. Such a solution can take the form of a Kurdish national home in north Iraq, and full autonomy for the Kurds in neighbouring countries.

The land of Turkey belongs to the State of Turkey and it is wrong to think that some people living on parts of it can opt for a separate state.

The same principle applies to Israel and Kosovo!

The Twelve Tribes ... Where are they now?

Q: What happened to the 12 tribes of Israel? Where are they now?

A: Long before the Israelites were taken into captivity, they divided into
two nations: Israel in the north and Judah in the south. This occurred
more than 900 years before the time of Christ. These two nations were not
conquered at the same time and not even by the same enemy. We must look
at them separately.

JUDAH

Judah was taken captive by the Babylonians. The accepted year for the
destruction of Jerusalem is 586BC. They were taken captive by the
Babylonians, though some were left in the land and others fled to Egypt.
Seventy years later, many of the Jews taken captive into Babylon returned
to the land of Israel, rebuilt the temple, and eventually rebuilt the
city walls of Jerusalem. These Jews have a long history of being
scattered, and being driven or moving willingly from country to country
all over the world. These are the Jews that have retained their identity
over the centuries.

Now, of the twelve tribes, which Jews are among those Jews known as Jews
today? They are mainly from Judah, Benjamin (the tribe of the apostle
Paul), and Levi (the priestly tribe). However, there are certainly Jews
from most of the other tribes who are joined with them. I have an entire
article on this on the web site at
www.learnthebible.org/ten_lost_tribes.htm. However, since I have written
this article, I have been challenged on some verses and have come to the
conclusion that there are still Jews from the lost tribes that will be
found in the future.

ISRAEL

This brings us to the northern kingdom of Israel. It was initially made
up of ten of the twelve tribes of Israel. It was taken into captivity by
the Assyrians more than 130 years before Judah was taken captive. I am
dealing with Israel last because this is where most of the controversy
lies. Although I am still convinced that there are people from most, if
not all, of the original tribes among those known as Jews today,
scripture has convinced me that there will be others to come in the fold
in the future Jewish kingdom if not before. Let me give you some of these
prophetic scriptures:

(a) Isaiah 11:12 - “And he shall set up an ensign for the nations, and
shall assemble the outcasts of Israel, and gather together the dispersed
of Judah from the four corners of the earth.”
(b) Jeremiah 3:18 - “In those days the house of Judah shall walk with the
house of Israel, and they shall come together out of the land of the
north to the land that I have given for an inheritance unto your
fathers.”
(c) Jeremiah 31:31 - “Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will
make a new covenant with the house of Israel, and with the house of
Judah:”
(d) Jeremiah 33:7 - “And I will cause the captivity of Judah and the
captivity of Israel to return, and will build them, as at the first.”
(e) Jeremiah 50:4 - “In those days, and in that time, saith the LORD, the
children of Israel shall come, they and the children of Judah together,
going and weeping: they shall go, and seek the LORD their God.”
(f) Ezekiel 37:15-28 - the two sticks brought together; Verse 19 - “Say
unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I will take the stick of
Joseph, which is in the hand of Ephraim, and the tribes of Israel his
fellows, and will put them with him, even with the stick of Judah, and
make them one stick, and they shall be one in mine hand.”

Each of these verses deals with the bringing back together of Judah and
Israel at some future time. There are other verses as well that support
this. So, now comes the question: Where are the lost tribes today? My
answer is, if we knew where they were they would not be lost. Many groups
today seize upon the lost tribes so that they can claim to be part of
them. Most commonly, I have heard claims that England and America make up
some of the lost tribes. I have noticed that these claims are almost
always made by someone who thinks that they are in one of the lost
tribes. Mostly, it is a bunch of foolishness. Perhaps most telling is the
testimony of the apostle John in the book of Revelation. Consider these
two verses:

Revelation 2:9 I know thy works, and tribulation, and poverty, (but thou
art rich) and I know the blasphemy of them which say they are Jews, and
are not, but are the synagogue of Satan.
Revelation 3:9 Behold, I will make them of the synagogue of Satan, which
say they are Jews, and are not, but do lie; behold, I will make them to
come and worship before thy feet, and to know that I have loved thee.

John is dealing with those who say they are Jews and are not. He says
that they blaspheme and that they are of the synagogue of Satan. I would
be careful at making foolish claims to be Jews for the sake of gain,
spiritual or otherwise.

Therefore, who make up the lost Jews today is entirely speculation. Now,
I will speculate a little. Please understand, this is only a possible
conclusion from the best real facts I have—the Bible record and the
present world situation. When Israel was taken captive, they were carried
by the Assyrians into Halah and Habor by the river Gozan (2Kings 17:5-6).
This probably refers to an upper tributary of the Euphrates River. The
names point to an area about 100 miles east of the location of ancient
Haran. They were also placed in the cities of the Medes. I have never
heard of a reliable record of them leaving this area as a people. So, is
it possible that the people who dwell in this area today are related to
the lost tribes? And, who might these people be?

The areas of Gozan and Media are roughly that which is today inhabited by
the Kurds (northern Syria, northern Iraq, and eastern Turkey). This is
especially interesting because recent studies have shown a strong genetic
link between the Jews and Kurds. You can check the following sources for
yourself.

(a) “The Genetic Bonds Between Kurds and Jews” by Kevin Alan Brook on an
online Kurdish Newspaper at www.barzan.com/kevin_brook.htm.
(b) Brook, Kevin A. The Jews of Khazaria. Northvale, NJ: Jason Aronson,
1999.
(c) Siegel, Judy. “Genetic evidence links Jews to their ancient tribe.”
Jerusalem Post (November 20, 2001)
(d) Traubman, Tamara. “Study finds close genetic connection between Jews,
Kurds.” Ha’aretz (November 21, 2001).

Though it is probably impossible to prove at this time, there is a real
possibility that the Kurds, who presently are devout Sunnite Moslems,
could be related to the lost tribes of Israel that were taken from the
land at the time of the Assyrian Captivity. Perhaps this could explain
why the Kurds have for centuries been the punching bags of the Moslems in
that part of the world. They are an unusual people and the above sources
show that they accept a certain amount of connection with the Jews.

Does this settle the issue? No. The truth is, we do not need to know the
identity of the lost tribes. God knows who they are and He will reveal
their identity at the proper time. Those who get carried away in
identifying them and especially in claiming to be one of them need to
listen to some of the advice Paul gave to his young preachers about
genealogies.

1Timothy 1:4 Neither give heed to fables and endless genealogies, which
minister questions, rather than godly edifying which is in faith: so do.
Titus 3:9 But avoid foolish questions, and genealogies, and contentions,
and strivings about the law; for they are unprofitable and vain.

I hope this is a help to you. May the Lord bless you. And, finally, I
will not argue these points but will let them stand or fall on their own
merit.

Till He comes, Pastor David Reagan

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