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Semitic is a Language Group, Not a Racial or Ethnic Group
by
Sam Hamod, Ph.D.
One of the myths that has been
perpetrated on the world is that only Jews are Semites.
This is totally inaccurate. Unfortunately the ADL (the
Anti-Defamation League) has made a fortune in donations
and has conned most media networks and most people in
the world into believing this untruth. |
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If one looks into the history of the word “Semite”, it
references a language group and no more. The Semitic languages
are:
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Amharic:
Spoken in Ethiopia, Eritrea and the lands once known as
Abyssinia
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Arabic:
The language of the Qur’an is spoken in all the Arab countries and in
many Muslim dominated countries
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Hebrew:
Spoken in Israel and by some Jews and others
outside of Israel
-
Aramaic:
Spoken primarily by the Chaldeans
of Iraq and by some Catholic and Maronite Christians in the
world, at least during their church services if not in their homes
or business
-
Syriac:
Spoken by a few in various parts of Syria and in the Middle
East
Incidentally, according to most
linguists, Abraham, the father of the Jews and Arabs spoke
Aramaic; this was the language of the land at the time, not
Hebrew. TOP
To get back to facts about Semites, Jews, language and
genetics, let me go further. The actual genetic Jews were born
in the Middle East and are known as Sephardic Jews. These Jews
did speak a Semitic language, Hebrew, from their earliest
incarnation. Some at the time of Christ also spoke Aramaic,
Arabic and Amharic because of their location in Jerusalem and
other Middle Eastern cities including modern day Addis
Abbabba, Cairo, Baghdad and Damascus. One rarely hears a
Sephardic Jew yelling, ”Anti-Semite” because he/she knows better.
Sephardic Jews are aware of their history within Semitic
language speaking lands.
TOP
Let me be clear about another important matter; I am not
touting for people who are anti-Jewish, anti-Arab or
anti-any ethnic or racial group; those people who stereotype
or attack others based on their race or ethnicity are dead
wrong and should be condemned. So too should those that abuse
labels and use them wrongly to stop others from being
justifiably critical. These people and organizations should also be condemned.
In this
case I am referring to the ADL and other groups of that sort
which label people with impunity and carelessness. This
carelessness has wrecked careers, reputations,
businesses and lives! TOP
Thus, when a person from the ADL
calls someone who is critical of Israel,
Zionists or Zionism an “anti-Semite”, this is pure nonsense.
The person speaking is simply critical of Israel or Zionism.
If a person speaks against an Arab as I pointed
out, Arabs speak a Semitic language; he may be anti-Arab, but
he is not “anti-Semitic”. In both cases, the person may be
anti-Zionist or may be a racist and be anti-Jewish or
anti-Arab; but the person is SIMPLY NOT ANTI-SEMITIC.
TOP
This abuse of the term and our language reached new heights
recently when some of the Zionists in the American media began
saying that Robert Novak, himself a Jew, was “anti-Semitic.”
First, most Ashkenazim Jews who were born and raised in
America like Paul Wolfowitz, Richard Perle and
Feith, are not Jews genetically. They are
descended from Slavic tribes known as the Khazars who
converted to Judaism in the 8th Century AD. Khazars' native language was Slavic and
their first language in America has been English. This is the
case of Robert Novak. I am not saying all Ashkenazim are not
Jews, but the way some of them behave is certainly not in the
way Moses brought Judaism from God through the Torah. Simply look at the haters and war-mongers in the Bush circle
of influence to see this evident; no God would want this
behavior to be
associated with his name.
Thus, as a friend of mine, Rabbi
Shmuel Handelman put it, "They may call themselves Jews, but I
doubt very much if I'd call them that. And if I did, I'd say they
were the worst of what any person might be. I'd rather not be
associated with them."
TOP
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However, Novak is intelligent and
educated enough to know the difference between a Jew,
a Zionist and what Semitic actually is! An excellent
and accurate source for this history is Ashkenazi, Arthur Koestler's,
book:
THE THIRTEENTH TRIBE.
The ADL and others have attacked
and continue attacking this book, but scholars know of
its truth.
This is not a condemnation of
Ashkenazis or their conversion to Judaism; it does mean they have enough genetic DNA in them not
to have the same feelings about Judaism and life in
the Middle East as do the Sephardic or "genetic" Jews.
TOP
Unfortunately, the misuse of the label, “Anti-Semitic”
and its consequences have been so bad that even
presidents, senators, congress people, media giants
and others in the world cringe at being labeled,
“Anti-Semitic” by some Zionist, Israeli or ignorant
religious, media or social group. Little do they know
they are being victimized by charlatans of the
language who have found a label that they throw around
with impunity and for which there has been little or
no come-back. Those who read this article and do
further research may now correct those who speak this
nonsense; throw this nonsense back in the
faces of the ignorant or the charlatans.
TOP
It is time our media people and
non-linguistically literate scholars, politicians,
religious leaders and others became educated about the
truths about the meaning of Semitic, including its misuse
whether intentional or
unintentional. If not, we’ll keep allowing
charlatans to abuse our language and to continue their
name-calling, abusing others, including Jews, Arabs,
Americans, British and others.
Once again I am referring those
individuals and groups who label people with impunity
and carelessness, sometimes wrecking careers, reputations, businesses and lives
by calling them Anti-Semitic if they speak against
Israel, (which is not a Semitic state) or Zionists (a
political group, not exclusively Jewish that has
nothing to do with Semitic or Semitism).
TOP
Until we clean up our language and stop this incorrect
name-calling, as a society we will continue to be at the whim of a few politically
ambitious and unscrupulous people. We shall remain
victims of a misuse of a legitimate language
categor-ization, a language that is abused for the benefit of
a few.
Related Articles:
Killing the First Amendment
Making the Gospels
Anti-Semitic
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Sam Hamod, Ph.D. is a former advisor to the State
Department, an expert on Middle Eastern and Islamic
affairs, professor at Princeton & Michigan &
publishes regularly at
Copyright, Sam Hamod, 2003
Reproduced with Permission.
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A Letter
From
Jewish Leaders to President Bush... |
June 27, 2003
Hon. President
George W. Bush
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW
Washington, DC 20500
Dear Mr. President:
I am writing to you
because of your deep and abiding interest in the
suffering of the peoples of the Middle East and your
desire to finally bring an end to all the bloodshed
and violence there. We pray for peace and
brotherhood.
However, I would like to respectfully bring to your
attention that although you are aware that there are
many Jews who support the State of Israel, what you
may not have heard about is that there is a silent
majority of Jews opposed to Zionism who remain
ignored by the media, and who remain steadfast in
loyalty to the teachings of our rabbis that
the ideology of Zionism is in utter opposition to
our religion. For more information there are a
number of websites on the Internet that discuss this
subject, e.g.
JewsAgainstZionism.com,
which we know you will find most interesting as it
includes historical documents and photographs
relating to the long-time opposition of revered
rabbis to Zionism.
TOP
Ever since the
destruction of the holy Temple in Jerusalem and the
exile of the Jewish People some two thousand years
ago, we have been enjoined to be scrupulously loyal
to the countries we reside in, and never seek to
undertake to establish independent sovereignty in
the Holy Land or anywhere throughout the world. One
of the great biblical prophets, Jeremiah, in chapter
29 of his book proclaimed G-d's message to all the
exiled; verse seven reads,
"Seek out the
welfare of the city to which I have exiled you and
pray for it to the Almighty, for through its welfare
will you have welfare." This has been a
cornerstone of Jewish morality throughout our
history to this very day.
The
Zionist movement rejects all of the fundamental
principles of our Torah and rabbis.
Jews
do not need a state of their own. The very
establishment of a “Jewish” state is a grave
violation of Jewish tradition and law.
TOP
Therefore they don’t represent the Jewish people in
any way whatsoever. They have no right to speak in
the name of the Jewish people. Therefore, their
words, declarations and actions are not in any way
representative of the Jewish people. We deplore
acts and policies of violence carried out by those
who – misusing the name of Israel – have substituted
the ideal of nationalism for the teachings of the
holy Torah.
Therefore, Mr. President, it is of the utmost
urgency that the State of Israel should not be
referred as a Jewish State, but as the Zionist
State. The foundation of its existence is not
Judaism, but the Zionist ideology. We are extremely
concerned that referring to it as a “Jewish” state
endangers the welfare of Jews worldwide by linking
Jews and Judaism to the terrible actions of the
Zionist State.
TOP
The Zionist state with its supporters worldwide
seeks to take all measures possible, including
provoking hatred of Jews through Israeli policies,
in order to convince Jews to move from their native
countries to the State of Israel!! Indeed, hatred of
Jews is the very lifeblood and oxygen of the Zionist
movement and their state, which are stand in total
opposition to Judaism.
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We also feel
great pain about the misplaced sympathy of Christian
evangelicals for Zionism. If they knew the truth about Zionism
they would not support the Zionist movement.
Throughout
history when persecution resulted in expulsions, there were
always other nations who opened their doors to the Jews, and
were blessed by G-d for doing so. We believe that our country
would even welcome those Jews who would wish to leave the State
of Israel, and bring great blessings onto the United States.
Your good intentions and kind consideration in relation to Jews
is greatly appreciated, but we strongly believe that G-d’s
blessings upon the United States will grow if there is greater
understanding and different policies in relation to this issue
of the difference between Judaism and Zionism.
TOP
We await the days when all the world will recognize the
sovereignty of the Creator, and the words of the prophet Isaiah
will yet be fulfilled: "And they will beat their swords into
plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks. No nation will
lift its sword against any other, nor will they learn warfare
anymore."
Yours very
truly,
Russell Waxman
In behalf of
the silent
majority,
American Jewry
Torah True Jews, Inc.
Brooklyn NY
Letter Authenticated
07/03/2003 |
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