Christian Iranians Back Israel in Iran-Israel War

 Nadene Goldfoot                                               

                                             Iranian Assyrians from Urmia, Iran

Even though the Assyrians with Sargon attacked Samaria in 721 BCE, and carried off 27,290 Israelites, taking them to Assyria and Media, they replaced them with Syrian and Babylonian prisoners.   

We can see that perhaps they remained in Israel and probably are today's Assyrian Christians, having moved to other states including Iran that were Islamic.  So they were first Syrians who were captured by Assyrians that remained, only to convert to Christianity to be Christian Iranians today.  A DNA test of male haplogroup would tell us more.                                     

Christian Iranians, specifically Armenians and Assyrians, exhibit diverse Y-chromosome haplogroups, but generally show a higher frequency of haplogroup J, particularly J2a, and R1b compared to the general Iranian population. Studies on Iranian religious groups, including Christians, have revealed a reservoir of genetic variation in the Y-chromosome, with differences observed between Christian and Muslim populations in the same geographic area. 

Assyrians still speak their ancient neo-Aramaic from old Aramaic with a little Akkadian and Israelis speak ancient Hebrew-So... Shalom, everyone, meaning peace, hello and goodbye.  Iranians speak Farsi.  Farsi, also known as Persian, is an Indo-European language primarily spoken in Iran, Afghanistan, and Tajikistan. 

"The Assyrians of Iran speak Assyrian Neo-Aramaic, a neo-Aramaic language descended from the eastern dialects of the old Aramaic language with elements of Akkadian, and are Eastern Rite Christians belonging mostly to the Assyrian Church of the East and also to the Ancient Church of the East, Assyrian Pentecostal Church,  Chaldean Catholic Church and Assyrian Evangelical Church."

     Assyrians making butter in Persia

They share a common history and ethnic identity, rooted in shared linguistic, cultural and religious traditions, with Assyrians in Iraq, Assyrians in Turkey and Assyrians in Syria, as well as with the Assyrian diaspora. 

After the fall of Assyria between 612 and 599 BCE, after decades of civil war, followed by an attack by an alliance of former subject peoples; the Medes, Persians, Babylonians, Chaldeans, Scythians and Cimmerians, (its people) became an integral part of the Achaemenid Empire (as did Assyria itself), holding important military, civic and economic positions. 

The Israelites became part of the Achaemenid Empire when the Achaemenid Empire, led by Cyrus the Great, conquered the Neo-Babylonian Empire in 539 BCE. This was 60 years after the fall of Assyria.  

The Achaemenid Empire borrows its name from the ancestor of Cyrus the Great, the founder of the empire, Achaemenes. Achaemenes was himself a minor seventh-century ruler of the Anshan in southwestern Iran, and a vassal of Assyria.  A vassal or liege subject is a person regarded as having a mutual obligation to a lord or monarch, in the context of the feudal system in medieval Europe. While the subordinate party is called a vassal, the dominant party is called a suzerain

 The Achaemenid Persians, having spent centuries under Assyrian domination, were greatly influenced by Assyrian Art and Architecture, modelled their empire upon Assyrian lines, and saw themselves as the successors of the great Assyrian kings. 

Assyrians are still attested as being extant in the north west of the region during the Parthian Empire (160 BC-223 CE) and Sassanid Empire (224-650 CE), and throughout the Middle Ages, where the Bukhtishu family of physicians were held in great regard by the Persian kings.

In Iran (Persia), Christianity dates back to the early years of the religion. Through this time the Christian faith has always been followed by a minority of the population of Iran under its different state religions: Zoroastrianism in ancient Persia, followed by Sunni Islam in the Middle Ages after the Arab conquest, then Shia Islam since the Safavid conversion of the 15th century. However, Christians comprised a larger share of the population in the past than they do today. Iranian Christians have played a significant part in the historical Christian mission: currently, there are at least 600 churches and 300,000–370,000 converts.

In 1900, Assyrians numbered over 76,000 in northwestern Iran, constituting over a quarter of the Azerbaijan province's population and were the largest non-Muslim majority in Urmia. Of the 300 villages around Urmia, 60 were exclusively Assyrians and 60 were mixed villages with Assyrian, Armenian, and Azeri communities. Nevertheless, there were over 115 documented Assyrian villages to the west of Lake Urmia prior to 1918.  

The Assyrian kings began a new period of expansion in the 9th century bce, and from the mid-8th to the late 7th century bce, a series of strong Assyrian kings—among them Tiglath-pileser III, Sargon II, Sennacherib, and Esarhaddon—united most of the Middle East, from Egypt to the Persian Gulf, under Assyrian rule.                                            

The Assyrian Christians of today have experienced no freedom under the Ayatollahs according to an interview I saw either on CBN or ILTV under Youtube today.  These people are constantly being monitored.  They consider Iran to be brutal to them.  They would be happy to have Israel win this war.  They see Judaism having much in common with them.  The interviewee said that Judaism is the culture of Life.  Christians of today have had Islam forced on them in school , and of course, are rebelling, if only quietly when interviewed and feeling free to speak.  

Mohamad Faradi, once a devout Muslim, and now a Christian,  interviewed an Iranian former IRGC soldier says about the Israel Iran War. https://youtu.be/URi9KLRFNNo?si=fIbLPE0KOxWXdpHS . Faradi himself is an ex Revolutionary Guard soldier and he has his opinion also of the outcome of the Israel Iran War.

Iranian Revolutionary Guard Soldiers

Resource:

The New Standard Jewish Encyclopedia

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Assyrians_in_Iran#:~:text=The%20Assyrians%20of%20Iran%20speak,the%20East%2C%20Assyrian%20Pentecostal%20Church%2C

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Achaemenid_Empire

Kish, Very Ancient City Now In Iraq With the Jews Who Lived There: Black or White; Jewish or Muslim?

Nadene Goldfoot                                                    

  Kish was an ancient town between the Tigris and Euphrates River.  This would be in today's Iraq, which originally was called Mesopotamia.  Explanation: While both rivers originate in Turkey and flow through parts of Syria, the majority of their course and where they meet lies within Iraq.  It's NE of the ancient city of Babylon.  

There is chatter as to the race of the people of this area.  Some evidence shows that they were Black and  that the Sumerians were a North African people who migrated from the Green Sahara into the Middle East and were responsible for the spread of farming in the Middle East.  They refer to the Natufians.  The Natufians were a Neolithic hunter-gatherer culture that lived in the Levant region of Western Asia from about 15,000 to 11,500 years ago, and being Black:                    They say this is how some Jews got their curly hair. 

 Berbers had light skin.

Many had brown, not black skin, as pictured on walls. 

Others, such as our Jewish history,  say Jews are Semitic or Caucasian.  My comment is that some Iraqis could have some Jewish genes as well, for many Jews lived in this land, so fellahs, you might be fighting your cousin if you attack the IDF !!! And to think that the Arabs have fought Israel because they are not Muslims!!! Well, Judaism was only about 3,000 + years before Islam, you know. Islam was born with Mohammad after he  died in 632 CE.   Look at these dates.  

                                                          Saul, 1st king of Israel

Kish (Hebrew: קיש Qīš) was also  the father of the first king of the Israelites, Saul. (c.1030-1010 BCE) (1 Chronicles 12:1) of the 11th century BCE of the tribe of Benjamin.   We have strong evidence through DNA that genes show the Semite/Caucasian history. 

According to current genetic research, there is no substantial evidence in ancient DNA to support the presence of "Black Jews" within the J1 haplogroup, which is primarily associated with populations from the Middle East and North Africa, showing a strong connection to the historical Jewish ancestry; however, it's important to remember that genetic diversity exists within Jewish populations, and some admixture with other groups may be present in certain lineages , we have the story of the Queen of Sheba (1 Kings-10)comingfrom Ethiopia and Jews have returned to Israel from there recently in 20th century.  According to current genetic research, while Ethiopian Jews, also known as Beta Israel, do show some DNA evidence of Middle Eastern ancestry, which is shared with other Jewish populations, their genetic makeup is primarily of East African origin, indicating a significant mixture with the local Ethiopian population, and therefore cannot definitively prove their Jewish descent solely through DNA analysis;. 

 Saul had been chosen to be king by the prophet, Samuel when the Philistines and Ammonites were attacking Israel. Jews from Kish, Mesopotamia, would be considered part of the Semitic race, specifically classified as Mizrahi Jews, which refers to Jewish communities from the Middle East. The term, Semitic People, includes a group of people from the Middle East who share linguistic ancestry, including Jews, Arabs, Akkadians, and Phoenicians.  

When King of Assyria, Shalmaneser III (860-825 BCE reign)  fought against Israel's King Ahab (876-853 BCE reign)  and her alliance of Damascus and Hamath and others in Karkar in Syria in 854 and 853 BCE, and returned home unsuccessful.  Later, he ravaged Hamath and received tribute from King Jehu of Israel (842-814 reign BCE) .  His shoes have platforms to make him taller.  

                                Samaria (Shomron) was the capital of the Northern kingdom of Israel founded in 880 BCE by King Omri on a hill bought from Shemer (I Kings 16-24).   The site, 7 miles NW of Shechem (Nablus) was on an elevation on a wide countryside of 25 acres.  King Ahab of Israel had built the "ivory house).  It withstood the siege of they Syrians but fell in 721 BCE to Sargon II of Assyria who resettled it with Cutheans;  who intermingled with the remnants of the former population and were the ancestors of the Samaritans.                                         

                                                     Sargon II

King Sargon of ( Assyria) or Akkad,(721-712 BCE)  the founder of the Akkadian Empire, came from the area near Kish, called Azupiranu according to a much later Neo-Assyrian text purporting to be an autobiography of Sargon  who seized the throne of Shalmaneser III during his siege of Samaria. 

When King of Assyria, Shalmaneser IV (728 BCE reign)/722 BCE reign) he fought against the cities of  Sidon, Tyre, and Acre. In his day they were interested in titles:  Shalmaneser, strong king, king of Assyria, son of Adad-nirari, strong king, king of the Universe, king of Assyria, son of Shamshi-Adad, king of the Four Quarters.  Shalmaneser IV was the son and successor of Adad-nirari III (r. 811–783 BCE), inheriting the throne upon his father's death in 783 BC. The accession of Shalmaneser IV marks the beginning of an obscure period in Assyrian history, from which little information survives.  It must have been a peaceful era.  

 King Hoshea on the left wearing a kipa on his head, both men are barefoot.  

 Hoshea, king of Israel (732-724 BCE), last king of the kingdom of Israel, revolted against Shalmaneser, but fell into his hands. Hoshea ascended the throne with Assyrian help, but his kingdom was confined to the surroundings of Mt. Ephraim.  He finally rebelled against Assyria and was put in prison by Shalmaneser who then besieged and captured Samaria.   Shalmaneser died during the siege of Samaria.

Looks like a newer hat/crown he's wearing, and something like a watch on his right wrist.  His long hair is caught up in a hairnet.  

King Shalmaneser V had taken the land by annexing it and the deported 27,290 Israelites to Assyria and Media, and had replaced them with Syrian and Babylonian prisoners.   Sargon later also exiled many of its people.  

Here's a map of Eretz Yisrael after the fall of Israel in 721 BCE  that shows the dominions of Assyria and other regions:  Eretz Yisrael was not called Palestine until 135 C E.when the Romans fought the Jews led by Bar Kokhba for 3 previous years.  

In 721 BCE, Assyria attacked  the 10 northern tribes of Israel.  We remember Sargon, King of Assyria (721-712 BCE)  because in 720 BCE, he defeated a military alliance that included the remnants of the Israelites of Samaria which was  part of Judea.  He had many victories during his reign.  Even though he had been so successful, he was assassinated  and succeeded by Sennacherib King of Assyria (705-681 BCE) son of Sargon II.  When the king of Eretz Yisrael, led by Hezekiah, rose in revolt, Sennacherib invaded Judah in 701 BCE, 
 captured 46 cities but not Jerusalem, and took many prisoners.  A plague broke out in his camp, maybe a virus like the flu which compelled his retreat.  According to one story, Sennacherib led 2 campaigns against Judah;  the 1st resulted in Hezekiah's surrender, while the 2nd, when the latter withheld his tribute, was cut short by this plague!  

    May 15, 2013:  Ibrahim Yussef Shaleh, leader of Iraq's Jewish community  and another : During Shavuot, Iraqi Jews commemorated the 72nd anniversary of the “Farhud” – the riots that took place on Shavuot, June 1-2, 1941. In the riots reminiscent of Kristallnacht in Germany, 179 Jews were murdered, hundreds more wounded and much Jewish property looted.

The memory of the riots remains fresh in the minds of Iraqi Jews.

                                                 Revolt of Rashid Ali in 1941

 Jews continued to live in Iraq. They had little choice.   

                                                      Update

Operation Ezra & Nehemiah, also known as Operation Ali Baba, was the airlift of more than 120,000 Jews from Iraq to Israel shortly after the founding of the Jewish state.

Iraq received their independence from Turkey in 1932 and persecution of Jews living there began. Hundreds of Baghdad Jews were killed and wounded in a pogrom during the revolt of Rashid Ali in 1941--an important year of Nazi persecution of Jews in Europe with WWII.  Iraqi Jews remaining were rescued by Israel in their OPERATION EZRA and NEHEMIAH flights.  By 1948, the end of the war, 123,500 Jews had reached Israel and safety.  There were those not able to be rescued who were subject to severe restrictions, especially after the Six -Day War.  The treatment of Iraqi Jews led to international protests.  

By 1991, there were  150 Jews living in Bagdad where they had one synagogue they could still use.  As of 2022, there are fewer than five Jewish citizens in federal Iraq. In the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) of Iraq, there are possibly between 100 and 250 Jewish people. However, most Jewish people in Iraq do not openly practice their religion due to fear of violence or persecution.  

Iraq has one of the oldest Jewish communities in the world, but many of its cultural sites are in disrepair. The Jewish Cultural Heritage Initiative reported that almost 90% of Jewish cultural sites in Iraq are beyond repair or in severe disrepair. However, some efforts have been made to preserve Jewish heritage, such as the preservation of the tomb of the Jewish minor prophet Nahum in Alqosh.

Resource:

Youtube presentation:  Shocking Evidence: Sumarian Origin, reference of Black heads (hair), meaning Cushite origin-Black, going back to 13,000 BC.  Nafutians mentioned; 

***Youtube presentation of Mysterious Egypt and DNA

The New Standard Jewish Encyclopedia

How Assyria in 721 BCE Took Over 10 Israelite Tribes

 Nadene Goldfoot                                                 

      Hot weather then, too.  Notice the fan.   
                     Sargon, king of Assyria (721-712 BCE) 

What we know is that the population of the 10 northern Tribes originally  at arriving in Canaan after 40 years in about 1445 BCE was: 

Reuben: 43,730;  Simeon  22,200;  Judah 76,500;   Issachar 64,300;  Zebulun 60,500;  Dan 64,400;  Naphtali 45,400;  Gad 40,500;  Asher 53,400;  Ephraim 32,500;  Manasseh 52,700 and Benjamin 45,600.  

Judah was given the most southern piece of land and when  attacked 135 years later in 586 BCE by the Babylonians also included some Benjamin and Simeon  in their population so all of the were not at home in 721 BCE.  Originally, the population of the north after Joshua dispensed it to the tribes was 601,730 minus Judah's 76,500= 525,230.  They had been living in the North for at least the past 724 years.  Between births and deaths, the population of 525,230 could have multiplied to several million.                           

In 721 BCE, the Assyrian army with Sargon as leader, captured Samaria , the capital of the northern Kingdom of Israel, and carried away 27,290 Israelites, the best and strongest  into captivity.  (A Roman Legion was made up of 5,000 to 6,000 men, so this was like taking 5 legions of people.)  How many Assyrians came for this attack? 

Assyrian army; masters of war
 

Why were they so strong?  The Assyrians used a wide variety of weapons including swords, spears, bows and arrows, slings, and daggers. The Assyrians were the first to use iron to make their weapons. Iron was stronger than the bronze used by their enemies and gave them a distinct advantage.

                                  Lion hunting in Assyria 750 BCE

Sargon was an opportunist.  King Shalmaneser III died during the siege of Samaria, so Sargon seized the throne immediately upon pronouncement of his death.  He exiled the Israelites and  defeated a military alliance  which had included the remnants of  the Israelites of Samaria.  He had nothing but victories in his warfare.  Then, in the end, he was assassinated by Sennacherib, son of Sargon II (705-681 BCE) 

Sennacherib, until 689 BCE, was busy fighting with Elam and Babylon.  The kings of Phoenecia and Israel, led by Hezekiah (720-692 BCE) , rose in revolt, Sennacherib invaded  Judah in 701 BCE.  he captured 46 cities but not Jerusalem.  He took many prisoners.  A plague broke out in his camp, causing him to retreat.                           

Assyrians attacking Jerusalem when under  King Hezekiah

The virtual destruction of Israel left the southern kingdom, Judah, to fend for itself among warring Near-Eastern kingdoms. After the fall of the northern kingdom, the kings of Judah tried to extend their influence and protection to those inhabitants who had not been exiled. They also sought to extend their authority northward into areas previously controlled by the Kingdom of Israel. The latter part of the reigns of King Ahaz of Judah (735-720 BCE)  and King Hezekiah (720-692 BCE of Judah)  were periods of stability during which Judah was able to consolidate both politically and economically. Although Judah was a vassal of Assyria during this time and paid an annual tribute to the powerful empire, it was the most important state between Assyria and Egypt.  Hezekiah didn't pay  during the plague, though. 

Hezekiah's seal discovered in 2015 

When Hezekiah became king of Judah, he initiated widespread religious changes, including the breaking of religious idols. He re-captured Philistine-occupied lands in the Negev desert, formed alliances with Ashkelon and Egypt, and made a stand against Assyria by refusing to pay tribute. In response, Sennacherib attacked Judah, laying siege to Jerusalem.                        

What was Assyria?  Assyria, named for the god Ashur (highest in the pantheon of Assyrian gods), was located in the Mesopotamian plain. It was bordered on the west by the Syrian desert, on the south by Babylonia, and on the north and east by the Persian and Urarthian hills (see J. D. Douglas, ed., The Illustrated Bible Dictionary, s.v. “Assyria,” 1:137). This area today is primarily the nation of Iraq.

Tiglath-Pileser III (745-726 BCE) was the man who introduced the policy of exiling hostile inhabitants of conquered countries, so we know that the 10 tribes had fought hard;  whose reforms after kings Ashurnasirpal II (883 BCE; then succeeded by Shalmaneser III. Although he campaigned for 31 years of his 35-year reign, he failed to achieve or equal the conquests of his predecessor, and his death led to another period of weakness in Assyrian rule.- once again made Assyria the most powerful force in the Near East, and transformed it into a fully fledged empire – the first of its kind. Later, under Shalmaneser V, Sargon II and Sennacherib, further Assyrian offensives occurred, although these were designed not only for conquest, but also to destroy their enemies' ability to undermine Assyrian power. As such, costly battles raged taking tolls on Assyrian manpower.

What happened to the exiled Israelites?   The tribes of Asher and Reuben were never mentioned as participating in anything after the conquest, living in either Phoenician (Asher) or Moabite (Reuben) controlled territory. By the middle 9th century BCE the territory of Gad was also (re)taken by the Moabites (see Mesha Stele), so the Assyrians could at most have removed the other six tribes. Thus, the "10 tribes" appears to be a misnomer, meaning all of the Jews that were living outside the Kingdom of Judah. 

The 27,290 northern Israelites carried away were not told to us as to which tribes they all came from;  maybe more from the point of entry of the Assyrians than all the others.  Did the Assyrians come down from Syria?  Damascus?  That would mean that Asher, Dan and Naphtali were in harm's way more than the others.  Syria is giving Israel a bad time in today's news as it is.  

An answer:   About 100 miles south of Damascus was Samaria, the capital of the northern kingdom of Israel.  Tiglath-Pilesar III's mighty army headed there, crushing every town and village in the way and sending many into exile with their soldiers.  He even assigned new governors for the provinces passed through. The Galilee was said to be first to go to the Assyrians.  The entire countryside was stripped of her people.  Hoshea was made a puppet governor (vassal)  in Samaria..  King Pekah (735-730 BCE) was assassinated. 

Pekah was an interesting character.  Possibly of Gilead (region

of Transjordan, settled by tribes of Reuben, Gad, half of 

Manasseh) ;  was  captain of his predecessor Pekahiah whom he killed after a conspiracy, seizing his throne.    He allied himself with Rezin ofAram-Dammesek, then attacked Judah but King Ahaz appealed

for help from Tiglath-Pileser III of Assyria, of all people, who then invaded the kingdom and abolished Aram-Dammesek as astate,stripped Israel of Galilee and Gilead.  Pekah was murdered byHoshea.                                 

                            Jewish general-already Hellenistic, friends with Roman hierarchy, saved own life by writing History of Jews for Roman audience who would read it. Made sure to put Romans in a good light, but did not spare the gore of 70 CE-maybe something the Romans would like.    

The Jewish historian Josephus (37–100 CE) wrote that "there are but two tribes in Asia and Europe subject to the Romans, while the ten tribes are beyond Euphrates till now, and are an immense multitude, and not to be estimated by numbers".

After the fall of the Neo-Babylonian Empire to the Achaemenid Empire and its founding king Cyrus the Great at the Battle of Opis in 539 BCE, exiled Judeans were permitted by the Persians to return to  Judah.    

      Rebuilding Temple a 2nd Time  

They had been taken away in 597 and again in 586 BCE.   According to the biblical Book of Ezra, construction of the Second Temple in Jerusalem began c. 537 BCE in the new Persian province of Yehud Medinata. They had been away for about 60 years.  All of these events are considered significant to the developed history and culture of the Jewish people, and ultimately had a far-reaching impact on the development of Judaism.

Archaeological studies have revealed that, although the city of Jerusalem was utterly destroyed , including the Temple and other parts of Judah continued to be inhabited during the period of the exile. Most of the exiled did not return to their homeland, instead travelling westward and northward. Many settled in what is now northern Israel, Lebanon, and Syria. The Iraqi Jewish, Persian Jewish, Georgian Jewish, and Bukharan Jewish communities are believed to derive their ancestry in large part from these exiles; these communities have now largely immigrated to Israel.

Resource:

The New Standard Jewish Encyclopedia

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Assyrian_siege_of_Jerusalem

https://www.learnreligions.com/hezekiah-successful-king-of-judah-4089408

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Military_history_of_the_Neo-Assyrian_Empire

https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/manual/old-testament-student-manual-kings-malachi/enrichment-d?lang=eng

https://joyofmuseums.com/museums/europe/germany-museums/berlin-museums/the-pergamon-museum/lion-hunting-scene-750-bc/