Jews in China and Japan. Story

The strategically located Japanese city of Kobe has been a key location since the 8th century and an important port since the late 1200s. In the 19th century, this port became one of the first to open to foreign trade. In this cosmopolitan city with a population of 1.5 million people, there are 50 thousand Koreans, Chinese, Indians, Americans, and British people who do business, own restaurants and shops.

It is not surprising that among this diversity of cultures there are also Jews. The first Jews to come to Japan were mainly traders. They were naturally drawn to port cities. They began arriving soon after 1862, when Japan opened to Western trade. By the end of the 1860s, about 50 Jewish families from different countries lived in Yokohama. In the 1880s, Jews settled in Nagasaki, a port city important for trade with Russia. At the turn of the century, Nagasaki had the largest Jewish community in Japan. By that time, Kobe also had a Jewish community with religious institutions and a Zionist organization. In 1923, Yokohama experienced a powerful earthquake. Then trade with Russia began to decline, forcing the Jews of Nagasaki to move to Kobe. Kobe now has the oldest surviving Jewish community in Japan.

Long before World War II, the Jewish community in Kobe was quite large. Trade brought here Sephardim from Baghdad and Aleppo, Ashkenazim from Poland and Russia - Jews fled from pogroms. Kobe served as a center for Sephardic Jews. Rahmo Sassoon, born in Syria in 1912, was in charge of the synagogue. The synagogue was called "Ohel Shlomo" in honor of Rahmo's father, Shlomo Sassoon. After the outbreak of World War II, Rahmo and other Jews found themselves trapped in Kobe, unable to travel or conduct business. However, the Japanese authorities treated the Jews relatively well. For example, during the war, German officers began to appear on the streets of Kobe, which began to alarm local Jews who were helping to smuggle European Jews to the safety of Japan. Under pressure from the community, Rahmo Sassoon painted over the gold letters on the synagogue to make it less eye-catching. Soon Sassoon received an invitation to meet with the Kobe police chief. At the meeting, the police chief asked why the letters were painted over, and Sassoon explained that the reason was the anxiety that Jews felt about the presence of German officers and about Japan's alliance with Germany. The police chief assured Sassoon that the community had nothing to fear in Japan and ordered him to restore the letters at the entrance to the synagogue.

During World War II, the Japanese accepted quite a few Jews who settled in Kobe. Even though Japan was an ally of Nazi Germany, the Kobe community helped rescue Jewish refugees. Japan's policy towards the Jews was very different from that of its allies. The Japanese, responsible for accepting Jewish refugees, knew almost nothing about Jewish traditions and customs. They took these actions because they believed that Jews were very influential in the world. Their views of Jews were shaped by individuals such as Jacob Schiff, a Jewish financier who raised a lot of money for Japan during the Russo-Japanese War in 1904. Schiff greatly helped the Japanese and showed them that Jews were professional in business and had contacts all over the world. Yasue Norihiro and Inuzuka Koreshige, the Manchu leaders, hoped to recruit Jews to help them gain control of Manchuria in order to exploit its vast resources. They believed that if they treated Russian and Sephardic Jews and German refugees well, the Jews of Asia would persuade their rich and powerful compatriots in the United States to help with war loans. They also hoped that the Americans would see good treatment of Jews and change their Japanese policy. Finally, these Japanese believed that refugees from Germany had important scientific knowledge that would help in the exploration of Manchuria.

Individual Japanese also participated in the rescue of Jewish refugees for purely charitable humanitarian reasons. Dr. Kotsuji Setsuzo, who received a doctorate in Semitic studies from the Pacific School of Religion in Berkeley (California), promoted Jewish refugees. He was a former official of the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs. In late 1940, he visited Japanese Foreign Minister Matsuoka Yosuke and asked him to allow the refugees to remain in Japan. The minister, after much deliberation, agreed, stipulating that the local police must agree with the presence of Jews. Kotsuji bribed the Kobe police and the Jews were allowed to stay if they renewed their visas every week. This saved Jews from deportation to the USSR. Probably the most famous person who helped rescue Jews during the Holocaust was Sempo Sugihara, the Japanese consul in Kaunas, Lithuania in 1940. That summer, defying Foreign Ministry orders to stop work, Sugihara issued transit visas to six thousand Jewish refugees from Poland and Lithuania. These visas allowed Jews to use the Trans-Siberian Railway to Vladivostok, from where they sailed to Japan. These refugees were supposedly heading to Curacao, a Dutch colony in the Caribbean that did not require visas to enter, but were allowed to remain in Kobe indefinitely. Those who could not find a third country that would accept them were allowed to remain in the Japanese-controlled part of Shanghai, where they waited out the war. In 1985, Sugihara, at the age of 85, received the title of Righteous Among the Nations at Yad Vashem, and a grove bearing his name was planted near Jerusalem.

In Kobe, refugees were helped by various organizations, including the Joint, with whose assistance the refugees were able to find housing and obtain visas. Several thousand Jews passed through Kobe between 1939 and 1941. The most famous of them were three hundred teachers and students of the Mir yeshiva from Poland. Thanks to Japan, this yeshiva became the only one to survive the Holocaust in its entirety. By December 1941, not many Jews remained in Kobe - most moved to third countries, many settled in the Japanese part of Shanghai.

During the war, a synagogue in Kobe burned down as a result of a US air attack. The Sephardi congregation was forced to share the service with the Ashkenazim, who greeted them warmly. To escape the raids, most of Kobe's Jews moved to Arima in April 1945. They rented a dozen bungalows built by Kyoto University professors who spent their summers there. After the war, many Jews left for America and Israel.

Although the war destroyed the building that housed the synagogue, the cemetery on the other side of the mountain still preserves the memory of the people who survived the war. This cemetery is a true historical landmark. It is divided into two parts, old and new. On it you can find the graves of people who came from Amsterdam and Russia, Syria and the USA.

After the war, the Ohel Shlomo congregation found a second home. Rahmo Sassoon bought some land and built a warehouse there for a future furniture store. However, this venture was not successful, and the warehouse was turned into a synagogue. The post-war period brought with it the American occupation, and Rahmo Sassoon supplied the army with numerous goods. David Sassoon, Rahmo's cousin, helped him manage his business. David Sassoon later became president of David Sassoon & Co., which was the main supplier to the occupying forces in the post-war period. He had a Syrian passport, and Syria was officially neutral. Sassoon was an important mediator between the Japanese and the American military, helping to repair the difficult relationship.

The current community center was built in 1970. The community raised funds to build a new synagogue, Rahmo Sassoon sold his land at below market price to make a donation. The modern synagogue is located in Kitano, an area where most foreign buildings are concentrated. Kitano is located on a hill ten minutes' drive from Sannomiya Station, the center of commercial activity. In this area there is not only a synagogue, but also a Russian Orthodox Church, a Muslim mosque and a Catholic Church. At the time the synagogue was built, the Jewish community was large. There was a Jewish school and many social events were held.

The Japanese deservedly appreciated the Jews, who helped them found enterprises, establish the necessary connections, and master technology. The Japanese economy soon opened up to foreign investment. The "endaka" (sharp appreciation of the yen) that occurred in the late 1980s created significant difficulties for foreigners attempting to do business in Japan. Many closed their offices, and about 30 Kobe Jewish families left for their home countries.

The January 1995 earthquake also created many difficulties for Kobe's Jewish community. Many lost their homes and savings. They were forced to leave Kobe, renting houses in other places such as Nara and Osaka while Kobe was cleaned up and restored. The synagogue was damaged and needed repairs, the Jewish cemetery was damaged - some of the tombstones were cracked. The cost of repairs is so high that the community is still raising funds to restore the synagogue to its former glory.

Despite the sharp decline in numbers, the current members of the Kobe community are very diverse and very active. The 70 people, who live in Osaka, Kyoto and Nara, come from New Zealand, the UK, Canada, the US, France, Israel, Syria, Iran, Morocco, Iraq, the Dominican Republic and other places. The synagogue is Orthodox, which allows Jews of all denominations to participate in services and holidays. Every Shabbat everyone is invited to a kiddush with salads, challah, wine and beer. Here you can hear Japanese, English, French, German, Persian, and, of course, conversations in Hebrew.

The current Jewish community contributes to the creation of a special atmosphere in Kobe. Several people are involved in the pearl business. Others own restaurants. The current head of the Jewish community is the owner of the Moroccan restaurant “Marrakech”. Community members include one of the few Persian carpet dealers in Japan, students and teachers from Israel and the United States. There is even a participant in the 1985 and 1989 Maccabiah Games in judo.

Families vacationing in Japan often stop in Kobe to visit the synagogue.

The Jewish community of Kansai (the region that includes Kobe) is perhaps the most diverse congregation in the world. This community has endured many hardships and hopefully will continue to thrive for many years to come.

"Stanford Computer Science", sem40.ru

The Jewish people in ancient times consisted of twelve tribes, which one day divided into two kingdom-states - Israel (ten tribes) and Judah (two tribes). After the Assyrian king Sargon II captured the kingdom of Israel in 722 BC. all ten tribes of Israel were taken to an unknown direction. Today's Jews are considered the descendants of those two tribes of Israel that made up the kingdom of Judah. Ancient legends say that the ancient Israelites managed to escape from captivity. They, waging continuous wars, broke far to the East and settled somewhere beyond China. Namely in Japan. Is this true?

The ancient kingdoms of Israel, which consisted of 12 tribes, were divided in 933 BC into the southern kingdom of Judah and the northern kingdom of Israel. Ten of the 12 tribes lived in Israel. Descendants from the southern kingdom call themselves Jews. The people of the northern kingdom were exiled to Assyria in 722 BC, and did not return to Israel. They are called the "Forgotten Ten Tribes of Israel" and were scattered to the four corners of the earth. Descendants of the Israelites have been found, not only in the Western world, but also in the Eastern world especially along the Silk Road. They live in Afghanistan, Pakistan, Kashmir, India, Burma, China. These peoples celebrate the Passover holiday, have legends that they came from Israel, many speak Aramaic and use the Bible. From China, some Jews moved to Japan.

Approximately 1,700 years ago, in the fourteenth year of Emperor Ojin's reign, Yuzuki-O ("O" means "king" in Japanese) arrived in Japan, accompanied by 3,600 people. They were Jews, since in Japanese “yuzu” means “Jew.” The aliens then taught the Japanese the art of weaving, unknown to them. Under the next emperor, Yurnaku, a new group of “yuzu” arrived in Japan, whom the emperor called “Hatta” (which means “shuttle”) for their ability to weave. The "Hattas" were neither Chinese nor Korean in origin. Before Japan, they lived in China for a long time. They themselves called themselves “Izrai”. Later, the “Hatta” tribe began to be called “Uzumasa” (“Uzu” is a modified “yuzu”, i.e. “Jew”). Currently, near Kyoto there is a village called Uzumasa and a temple called Uzumasa-Deri (Japanese for "Deri" - "David"). In this temple, in September of each year, the “Feast of the Lamb” is held, on which all the sins of the people are blamed. This is reminiscent of the Day of Repentance ceremony in Israel.

Japanese at the Western Wall in Jerusalem

First of all, he points to the fact that the Japanese themselves do not know where and when they came to the islands. And in “Nihongi” - the chronicles of the Japanese people from the creation of the world to the end of the 7th century AD. there are many coincidences with the history of the Jewish people from the time of the Exodus from Egypt to the split of the Kingdom of Israel and Judah into two states. The Jewish king Shaul in Nihongi is called Shui. Very similar, considering also that there is no “l” sound in Japanese. It is said about Shui that he was of enormous stature and died in battle from an arrow that hit him in the heart. But the same thing can be read about Shaul in Jewish sources. Moreover, Shui, according to the Nihongi, is buried in an area called Anato. And Saul, according to the Bible, is buried in the inheritance of the tribe of Benjamin together called Anatot. In a Japanese temple there is a Holy of Holies called hundan - Palace of the Book. The Japanese don’t know what book it is. Perhaps we could be talking about Torah scrolls that were once taken from their homeland and were for some time in the Palace of the Book. During the service, the main Japanese priest dresses in a white robe with tassels at the ends of the sleeves, reminiscent of the Jewish “tzitzit” - the tassels at the ends of the Jewish prayer shawl. It is noteworthy that the Japanese call these brushes “tsui”.

The phonetic and semantic coincidence of many words in Hebrew and Japanese is striking. Here are some examples. In Hebrew “mistake” is “mishge”, and in Japanese “mishigi”. In Hebrew, “assembly” is “Knesset”, and in Japanese it is very similar – “Knessi”. In Hebrew, “mountain” is “har”, in Japanese it is “haro”. In Japanese, “difficulty” is “koshu”; in Hebrew, “koshi”. The list of such coincidences could be continued. There are also plenty of parallels in the customs of Jews and Japanese. The most amazing one is “Black Day,” which the Japanese celebrate annually on the fifteenth day of the eighth month. Japanese historical chronicles do not record the meaning of this date. And among the Jews, the fifteenth day of the eighth month is the day when Jeroboam, the son of Nabat, proclaimed the creation of the kingdom of Israel. It was on this day that the Israelis became a sovereign nation.

Every year for almost two millennia, the Mi-Isaku-shi religious ceremony has been held on the top of a high mountain in Nagano Prefecture. At the center of the ritual is a reenactment of the sacrifice. The priest brings the boy into the temple courtyard, then he raises a knife over the victim. The murder, however, does not occur - another priest appears, stops the hand with the knife and conveys the command of G-d - to free the boy. Then 75 deer are sacrificed. Interestingly, animal sacrifice is completely uncharacteristic of the Japanese Shinto religion. The number of deer (75) coincides with the number of rams that the Samaritans sacrificed for Passover. The Japanese historian Kubo claims that in ancient times sheep were not bred in Japan, and deer was chosen to replace them - by the way, an animal that meets all the requirements of kashrut. There are great similarities in other customs of the Japanese and Jewish peoples. For example, making “emogi-motzi” is reminiscent of the Jewish custom of preparing and eating matzah. Japanese and Jews wash their hands before praying. Japan has been known since ancient times as the Land of the Rising Sun, or "Mizuho" in Japanese. Compare with the Hebrew word “Mizracho” - “sunrise”, “rebirth”. These words are identical in both pronunciation and meaning. Many of the traditional ceremonies in Japan indicate that part of the “Lost Tribes of Israel” came to Ancient Japan. Many traditional customs and rituals in Japan are very similar to those of ancient Hebrew. Here are Japanese traditions that possibly originate from the ancient Israelites.
Coat of arms of the Imperial House of Japan

Flower Gate of Jerusalem

The coat of arms of the Imperial House of Japan has the same image as on the Flower Gate of Jerusalem. The coat of arms of the Imperial House of Japan is a round symbol in the shape of a flower with 16 petals. This coat of arms of the Imperial House of Japan has existed since very ancient times. The current form looks like a chrysanthemum, but the coat of arms originally appeared as a sunflower. The type of sunflower is the same as the sign on Herod's Gate in Jerusalem. The coat of arms of Herod's gate also has 16 petals. Help - Herod's Gate.

This gate was also known as the Flower Gate due to the floral design that adorns its façade. But the gate was originally called Bab a-Sahairad in association with the Muslim cemetery grounds located opposite the gate. "A-Sahairad" in Arabic means "those who do not sleep at night" and contains an allusion to the subsequent resurrection of those who are buried here. However, this name was distorted and turned into A-Zahar, which in Arabic means Flower Gate. This gate is also called Herod's Gate because the road to the house of Herod Antipas, where Jesus Christ was sent by Pontius Pilate, passes through it. Another name for this gate is the Sheepskin Gate - every week a sheepskin market was held right behind these gates outside the city walls.

Yamabushi

The Yamabushi were mountain hermits in ancient Japan, mainly representatives of the Shingon and Tendai schools of Buddhism, who formed a loose community and were initially loosely associated with Buddhist shrines and monasteries. Today they belong to Japanese Buddhism. But Buddhists in China, Korea and India do not have such a custom. The yamabushi tradition existed in Japan before Buddhism and was introduced to Japan in the seventh century. Yamabushi have small black boxes on their foreheads called tokin, which are tied to their heads with a black cord. They are largely reminiscent of a Jewish amulet.

The original Jewish talisman with a cord was placed on the forehead of the high priest Aaron (Exodus 28:36-38). The amulet measured about 4 cm (1.6 in) and some scholars claim that it was flower-shaped. It turns out that the Jewish talisman is very similar to the form of the Japanese tokin worn by the yamabushi. Israel and Japan are the only two countries in the world that use the forehead for religious purposes.

In addition, yamabushi use large shells as horns that produce sound. This is very similar to Jewish ram's horns. Since there are no sheep in Japan, the Yamabushi had to use shells instead of ram horns.

The Yamabushi are people who revere mountains as holy places for religious rites. The Israelites also viewed mountains as holy places. The Ten Commandments of the Torah were given on Mount Sinai.

AaronAaron is the hero of the Pentateuch, the first Jewish high priest of Israel. Aaron was born in Egypt and died on Mount Hor on the border of Edom at the age of 123. Aaron was the son of Amram and Jochebed, who came from the tribe of Levi, and took Elizabeth as his wife, with whom he had four sons - Nadab, Abihu, Eleazar and Ithamar. After Moses, Aaron is the most important figure in the Pentateuch. He was three years older than his brother Moses and was his companion in the liberation of the Jews from Egyptian slavery. Aaron spoke on behalf of Moses to Pharaoh, the elders, and the people of Israel in Egypt. After the exodus from Egypt, when the tribe of Levi was elected to the priesthood, he became high priest. In the absence of Moses, Aaron was persuaded to take part in the making of a golden calf intended to represent the deity.

Omikoshi

In the Bible, in the First Chronicle, in chapter 15, it is written that David kept the ark of the covenant of the Lord in Jerusalem. “David and the elders of Israel, and the commanders of the thousands of divisions, went to bring up the ark of the Lord in the house of Abeddar, with joy. …David was dressed in a robe of fine linen, like all the Levites who carried the Ark of the Covenant, and were the singers and Kenaniah, who was responsible for the singing of the choirs. David also wore a linen ephod. So all Israel brought out the ark from the Lord, shouting, with the sound of rams' horns and trumpets and cymbals, and playing with harps and harps." (15:25-28)

Jewish Ark of the Covenant Japanese Ark “Omikoshi”

This is similar to what happens during the Ontohsai festival when people bring out Omikoshi. The shape of Omikoshi is very similar to that of the Ark of the Covenant. At this time, the Japanese sing and dance, play musical instruments. This is very reminiscent of the biblical story. The Japanese carry Omikoshi on two poles, which they place on their shoulders. The ancient Israelites did the same: “And the sons of the Levites carried the ark of God, as Moses commanded according to the word of the Lord, on their shoulders on poles.” It is believed that the Ark of the Covenant was supported by two poles attached to the top of it. But the Bible says that these poles were secured with four gold rings, “set on the four lower corners” of the ark (Exodus 25:12). This means that the poles had to be attached to the base of the ark. It is on this principle that the Japanese omikoshi is built. On both ends of the lid of the Ark of the Covenant were minted golden cherubs - angels with wings. There are also golden birds called "Ho-oh" on the top of the omikoshi; they are considered celestial beings. The Ark of the Covenant itself was completely covered with gold. Omikoshi is gilded only in places, but sometimes it is completely covered with gold. King David and the Israelites sang and danced around the ark to the sound of musical instruments. We Japanese also sing and dance to music around omikoshi.

At the Gion-jinya Shinto festival in Kyoto, people carrying omikoshi enter and cross a river. I can't think of any other associations other than the following: the ancient Israelites carried the Ark of the Covenant, then crossed the Jordan. All this happened at the end of the exodus from Egypt, before entering Eretz Israel. On a Japanese island in the Inland Sea of ​​Japan (Seto-Nikai), those chosen to carry omikoshi live together for a whole week before participating in the festival. This is done in order to protect them from blasphemy to which they may expose themselves in front of other people. Moreover, the day before the start of the event, they bathe in sea water to cleanse themselves. This is very similar to the ancient Israelite custom: “And the priests and Levites were sanctified to bear the ark of the God of Israel” (1 Chronicles). The Bible says that after the ark was brought into Jerusalem and the Jews' long journey through the desert was over, David "distributed to all the Israelites, both men and women, one piece of bread, and a piece of meat, and a cup of wine" (1 Chronicles 16:3). This again resembles the Japanese tradition - after the festival, sweets are distributed to everyone.

Shinto shrines

Herod's Temple

The internal structure of Shinto shrines is identical to that of the First and Second Jerusalem Temples. Like the Jerusalem temples, Shinto has a Holy Place and a Holy of Holies. As in the First Temple, the entrance is guarded by figures of lions, which were never found in Japan. The clothing of a Shinto priest has tzitzit.

The interior of the temple in ancient Israel was divided into two parts. The Japanese Shinto shrine is also divided into two parts. The functions performed in the Japanese temple are similar to the Israeli tabernacle. Japanese people pray in front of his holy place. They can't go inside. Only Shinto priests are allowed to enter. This is similar to the Israelite tabernacle. The Japanese Holy of Holies is typically located in the far west and far north of the temple. The Israelite Holy of Holies was located far to the west of the temple. Shinto in the Holy of Holies is also at a higher level than the Holy Place, and there are actions in between. Scholars claim that when Solomon's Temple was built in Israel, the Holy of Holies was on elevated levels, and between them there are steps about 2.7 meters (9 feet) wide.

Typical Japanese Shinto shrine

At the front of the Japanese temple, there are two lion statues, known as "komainu", which sit on either side of this approach. They are not idols, but guards for the temple. This custom was also in ancient Israel. There were statues and reliefs of lions in the temple of God in Israel and in Solomon's palace (1 Kings 7:36, 10:19). There were absolutely no lions in Japan's early history. But lion statues have been placed in Japanese temples since ancient times. It has already been proven by scientists that the lion statues located in front of the Japanese shrine originated in the Middle East. Located near the entrance to the Japanese temple, temizuya is a place for worshipers to wash their hands and mouth. They were also used to wash feet in the old days. This similar custom was in Jewish synagogues. The ancient Tabernacle Temple in Israel also has a laver for washing hands and feet at the entrance.

At the front of a Japanese temple there is a gate called a torii. This type of gate does not exist in China or Korea, it is specific to Japan. The "torii" gate consists of two vertical pillars and a bar connecting the top. But the old form consists of two vertical posts and a rope connecting the top. When a Shinto priest bows to the gate, he bows in two main directions separately. It is believed that the torii gate was originally constructed from just two components. The Israelite temples had two pillars and were used as gates (1 Kings 7:21). And in the Aramaic language that the ancient Israelites used, the word for gate was “taraa.” This word may have changed somewhat and became the Japanese "torii". Some toriis, especially in old temples, are painted red. This is an image of two posts, a door and a window or door on which the blood of a lamb was introduced on the night before the exodus from Egypt.

A Shinto shrine typically rests on mountains or hills. Almost all mountains in Japan have a temple at the top of the mountain. In ancient Israel, places of worship called “high places” were usually located on the mountains. The Jerusalem Temple was built on a mountain (Mount Moriah). Moses received the Ten Commandments from God on Mount Sinai. All Shinto shrines are made of wood. Many parts of the ancient Israelite temple were also made of wood. The Israelites used stones in some places, but the walls, floors, ceilings, and interiors were lined with wood (1 Kings 6:9, 15-18), these being cedars from Lebanon (1 Kings 5:6). In Japan they don't have cedars from Lebanon, so in Shinto shrines they use Hinoki cypress. The wood from Israel's ancient temples was overlaid with gold (1 Kings 6:20-30). In Japan, important parts of temples are overlaid with gold.

Today all the media have wounded news:

In connection with this news about the expansion of military cooperation between the United States and Japan, I remembered my long-standing article, which has not lost its relevance today. I think that its republication will open the eyes of many readers to the events taking place in the modern world.

About deceit Jews The Japanese have heard it since ancient times, long before the book appeared in Japan. ABOUT Jews Many great philosophers and rulers of other nations who lived in different years spoke unflatteringly, and this information time after time reached the land of the rising sun. Here is just a small part of these statements.

“This people (the Jews) are a plague. The customs of this criminal people have become so strong that they are widespread in all countries: they have managed to acquire such influence that the vanquished dictate their laws to the victors.” . (SENECA LUCIUS ANNEUS /6-3 BC-65 AD/ Roman Stoic philosopher, politician and writer of Ancient Rome).

“Expecting honesty and truth from a Jew is the same as expecting innocence from an old prostitute.” (MANAWI AL MAULID /1376-?/ scholar of the Muslim world).

"They (the Jews) gnaw the English people to the bone." (JOHN AIDS /1552-1629/ English historian and cartographer).

“The Jews are nothing more than an ignorant, despised and barbaric people, who from ancient times have combined the filthiest greed with the most disgusting superstition and the most insurmountable hatred of all peoples among whom they are tolerated and at the expense of which they enrich themselves. They are the most evil and most scandalous of small nations. The small Jewish nation dares to show an implacable hatred of the property of other nations; they grovel when they fail, and are arrogant when things prosper." (JEAN FRANCOIS VOLTER /1694-1778/ French writer, thinker, Philosopher-educator).

"In all countries where Jews settled in large numbers, they lowered their moral level, commercial integrity, isolated themselves and did not give in to assimilation. They ridiculed and tried to undermine the Christian religion. They established a state within a state and in case of opposition to them, they strive to death strangle the country financially. If we do not expel them (from the United States) through the Constitution, then in less than two hundred years they will rush in in large numbers, take over, swallow the country and change the form of our government. If you do not expel them, then in less than two hundred years our descendants will be working in their fields to provide them with food, while the Jews will be rubbing their hands in the money changers' offices. I WARN YOU, GENTLEMEN, THAT IF YOU DO NOT EXPLUDE THE JEWS FOREVER, YOUR CHILDREN WILL BE. CURSE YOU IN YOUR GRAVES." (BENJAMIN FRANKLIN /1706-1790/ American physicist and politician. From a speech during the discussion of the US Constitution in 1787).

“Jews form their own society and, subject to their own laws, know how to circumvent the laws of the country that sheltered them. When investigating thefts, it is rare that a Jew is not involved either as an accomplice or as a concealer of stolen goods. For the accumulation of wealth, all means are good for them. In the War of 1812 Jews were spies for both sides, betraying each of them." (HELMUT von MOLTKE /1800-1891/ German general).

"The vile Jewish soul is gradually creeping into France - i"ame sordide de juif." (VICTOR HUGO /1802-1885/ French writer).

“Jews are the main troublemakers in the modern world. They are the vultures of humanity. The evil in them comes not from individuals, but from the fundamental nature of this people. The activities of the Jewish nation since the time of Moses, due to its predisposition, consisted of usury and extortion. The French government cannot look indifferently at how a low, degenerate nation, capable of all sorts of crimes, seizes into its exclusive possession both beautiful provinces of old Alsace! Entire villages were plundered by Jews, they reintroduced slavery. These are real flocks of ravens! These are the worms and locusts that are ravaging France! The Jews are a nation capable of the most terrible crimes. I wanted to make a nation of citizens out of them, but they are good for nothing except trading in second-hand goods. I was forced to proclaim laws against them for their usury and the peasants of Alsace conveyed their gratitude to me. Philosophical teachings cannot change their Jewish character; they require exceptional, special laws. Jews are treated with disgust, but we must admit that they are truly disgusting! They are despised, but they are also worthy of contempt! (Napoleon Bonaparte, from an address to the Council of State on May 7, 1806).

* * *

Should we, after such an introduction, be surprised by the fact that one day the Prime Minister of Japan Mobuchum Okuma Shigenobu /1838 - 1922/ told the Japanese people about Jews following: “This tribe has no fatherland and wherever it goes, it tries to destroy the feeling of patriotism, corrupting human minds. The Jews strive to create a world republic, then they will be the rulers of the world. We are afraid of Jews more than anything else in the world and do not allow them to come to us. We see how they took over America and Europe. We can say that all the wealth of the world has accumulated in their hands. The war largely depends on the Jews, thanks to the accumulation of capital in their hands. They play with world markets like balls. We saw this during the war. Russia was strong and strong in spirit until the Jews shook it. Jews are destroying Russia, they have shaken its foundations of patriotism. They destroyed France and other European states..."

* * *

Let's dwell on this fact: Japanese Prime Minister Shigenobu mentioned the Russo-Japanese War of 1904-1905 and said that "Russia was strong and strong in spirit until it was shaken Jews . Jews are destroying Russia, they have shaken its foundations of Patriotism..." It was at that time Jews made the first attempt to carry out a coup in Russia.

No matter who speaks now about the events of those years, and no matter what evidence is given about the so-called "the first Russian revolution", I am not inclined to believe any of the witnesses except the All-Russian Emperor Nicholas II himself. There was no need for him to lie about what "suit" there were revolutionaries in the Russian Empire, and even more so, he had no need to lie about this in private correspondence with his mother. That's why I consider his words the most truthful historical evidence.

In a letter to his mother Empress Maria, Russian Tsar Nicholas II wrote the following: “In the first days after the manifesto, bad elements raised their heads strongly, but then a strong reaction came, and the entire mass of devoted people rose up. The result was understandable and common among us: the people were outraged by the impudence and audacity of the revolutionaries and socialists, and since 9/10 of them were Jews, all the anger fell on them - hence Jewish pogroms. It is amazing how unanimously and immediately this happened in all the cities of Russia and Siberia. In England, of course, they write that these riots were organized by the police, as always - an old and familiar fable! But it wasn’t just the Jews who had it bad; Russian agitators also had it bad: engineers, lawyers and all sorts of other bad people. Incidents in Tomsk, Simferopol, Tver and Odessa clearly showed what a furious crowd could do when it surrounded the houses in which the revolutionaries had locked themselves and set them on fire, killing anyone who came out...” (“Red Archive”, volume 22. Excerpt published in the book by V.V. Shulgin “What WE Don’t Like About THEM”, Publishing House NRPR “Horse”, St. Petersburg, 1992, p. 239).

Jews began to appear in Russia revolutionary activity immediately after the so-called line of permanent Jewish settlement . This was the name in the Russian Empire from 1791 to 1917 (actually until 1915) - the border of the territory, beyond which Jews were prohibited from permanent residence, with the exception of a few categories, which at different times included, for example, merchants of the first guild, persons with higher education, served recruits, artisans assigned to craft guilds, Karaites. Territory Pale of Settlement was originally defined by a decree of Catherine II in 1791 as the territory of Russia, where Jews allowed to settle and trade. It arose after the Second Partition of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, when its eastern territories, together with the local Jewish population, ceded to the Russian Empire. Pale of Settlement covered specially designated urban-type settlements ( shtetls , since Jews were also not allowed to live in rural areas) in a significant part of the Kingdom of Poland, Lithuania, Belarus, Bessarabia, as well as part of the territory of modern Ukraine, corresponding to the southern provinces of the Russian Empire."

The Line of Permanent Jewish Settlement is designated yellow.

As long as the Jews held on to the Pale of Settlement, they were like bacilli in vitro - completely harmless creatures for the Russian state and its population. But, as soon as the Pale of Settlement was abolished by the decision of the Council of Ministers of Russia in 1915, Russia's fate was sealed.

The fact that the Abolition of the Pale of Permanent Jewish Settlement would be MONSTERAL in its consequences for all Russian people and the Russian Empire itself was known in advance only Russian PROPHET Fyodor Dostoevsky and themselvesJews .

Dostoevsky, being a man rare gift and besides, deeply religious, I was able to learn about the future, as I believe, thanks to promptings from Above.

Predicting back in the 1870s the comingJewish revolution in Russia, Fyodor DostoevskySAW in it war against Christian civilization , end of Christian culture, universal spiritual savagery of humanity and establishment"Jewish kingdom" .

“The Jews,” wrote Dostoevsky, “always live in anticipation of a wonderful revolution that will give them their “Jewish kingdom.” Come out from the nations and... know that from now on you are one with God, destroy the rest or make them slaves or exploit them. Believe in victory over the whole world, believe that everything will submit to you. Strictly disdain everyone and do not communicate with anyone in your everyday life. And even when you are deprived of your land, even when you are scattered across the face of the whole earth, among all peoples - still believe everything that is promised to you once and for all, believe that everything will come true, but for now live, abhor, unite and exploit and - wait, wait.”

Dostoevsky directly connects the appearance of demons in Rus' with the “Yids and Yids” who formed the ideological core of the revolutionaries and liberal intelligentsia. All of them are the embodiment of Satanism and Antichrist. Predicting the coming shocks and predicting that “The destruction of Russia will come from the Jews”, Dostoevsky saw in the revolution the rebellion of the Antichrist against Christ, the devil and his servants - the Jews against God. “The elite of the Jews,” wrote Dostoevsky, “reigns more and more firmly and firmly and strives to give the world its appearance and its essence.”

Scourging the demons of liberalism and socialism, Dostoevsky saw in the ideas of the communist revolution “the principles of the Antichrist, the spirit of the approaching yoke of the prince of this world, embodied in the Jewish leaders.” Socialism with its temptation (and actually deception) of creating an earthly kingdom of bliss is the religion of the Antichrist, the desire to destroy Christian civilization. Both socialism and capitalism were not opposite principles for Dostoevsky, but only two forms of the same - satanic - desire for the intoxication of earthly goods.

Socialism and capitalism are an expression of the common Judeo-Satanic ideal of the “lusts of the chosen people,” disguised by the cunning of the devil, who tempted Christ in the desert with his temptations of earthly bread and sensual pleasures.

Here are some thoughts of the great Russian writer about the coming Jewish revolution and the kingdom of the Antichrist from the “Diary of a Writer”: “Instead of the Christian idea of ​​salvation only through the closest moral and fraternal unity comes materialism and a blind, carnivorous thirst for personal material security,” “The Jewish idea embraces the whole world,”“The triumph of ideas is coming, before which Christian feelings will collapse,” “Their kingdom is approaching, their complete kingdom.”

“Throughout the 40-century history of the Jews, they were always motivated by one thing there is ruthlessness towards us... ruthlessness towards everything that is not a Jew... and only the thirst to get drunk with our sweat and blood.”, “A certain idea, driving and attracting, something so universal and deep... That there is a predominantly religious character here is already beyond doubt. That his provider (Antichrist), under the former name of Jehovah, with his ideal and with his vow, continues to lead his people to a solid goal - this is already clear”, “They are all of the same essence”, “Deep are the secrets of the law and structure of the Jewish people... The final word from humanity about this great tribe is yet to come.”

“The Jew and the bank are already masters of everything: Europe, enlightenment, civilization, and socialism, especially socialism, for with them he will uproot Christianity and destroy its civilization. And when only anarchy remains, then the Jew will become the head of everything. For, preaching socialism, he will remain united among himself, and when all the wealth of Europe perishes, what will remain is the bank of the Jew. The Antichrist will come and stand in anarchy.”

“Something will come that no one can imagine... All these parliamentarisms, all civil theories, all the accumulated wealth, banks, sciences... everything will collapse in an instant without a trace, except for the Jews, who then alone will be able to do this and tidy everything up with your own hands."

“Yes, Europe is on the verge of a terrible catastrophe... All these Bismarcks, Beaconsfields, Gambettas and others, they are all just shadows for me... Their master, the ruler of everything without exception and of the whole of Europe is the Jew and his bank... Judaism and banks now control everything and everyone, both Europe and socialism, since with its help Judaism will uproot Christianity and destroy Christian culture. And even if nothing happens, as soon as anarchy is the destiny, then it will also be controlled by the Jew. Since, although he preaches socialism, nevertheless he remains with his accomplices - the Jews outside socialism. So that when all the wealth of Europe is drained, there will be only one Jewish bank left.”

“...The Jewish revolution must begin with atheism, since the Jews need to overthrow the faith, the religion from which they came moral foundations that made Russia both holy and great!“Godless anarchism is close: our children will see it... The International ordered that the Jewish revolution begin in Russia... It is beginning, because we do not have a reliable resistance against it - neither in government nor in society. The revolt will begin with atheism and the robbery of all wealth, they will begin to corrupt religion, destroy temples and turn them into barracks, into stalls, they will flood the world with blood and then they themselves will get scared. The Jews will destroy Russia and become the leaders of anarchy. Jew and his kahal are a conspiracy against the Russians. A terrible, colossal, spontaneous revolution is foreseen, which will shake all the kingdoms of the world with a change in the face of this world. But this will require one hundred million heads. The whole world will be flooded with rivers of blood.” .

Subsequent history proved that Fyodor Dostoevsky was indeed the real Prophet. Everything he said in his writer's diary, came true with terrifying accuracy.

And when in 1905 another Russian writer Sergei Nilus published in his book "Great in small" intercepted by agents of the Tsarist secret police from Jewish rabbi so-called "The Protocols of the Elders of Zion" , all the monstrous details became knownworldwide secret conspiracy of the Jews . Read .

Russian edition "Protocols" 1905 and the same book published in Germany in 1922.

Now I want to tell you WHO and WHEN canceled in Russiathe Jewish Pale of Settlement which had consequences for everyone Russian civilization much worse than it would be ATOMIC BOMBING.

To make further clear to the reader symbolism in a series of historical events, I want to give a little information. Jews there are different ones. They are divided intoKabbalists And Talmudists . The difference is in the scale of their ministry dark force, which is usually called the devil or ANTICHRIST . Talmudists- these are Jews who live according to the Talmud, in which the texts of the books of the “Old Testament” are interpreted from cannibalistic positions. Kabbalists- these are misanthropes who use witchcraft techniques from Jewish science - Kabbalah - to establish power on earth ANTICHRIST , whom the Jews themselves callMOSHIACH.

In this regard, I think everyone will be very interested to know that what was terrible for the entire Russian civilization CANCELLATION was carried out in two steps August 6 and 9 like what happened many years later ATOMIC BOMBING Japan.

It is also symbolic that August 6, 1915 reported to the king on the meetings of the Council of Ministers on Jewish question a prime minister with a very telling surname Goremykin I.L. After listening to the report, Tsar Nicholas II approved in principle the planned measures. Further, the Council of Ministers authorized the Minister of the Interior to immediately issue a circular allowing Jews free residence in all cities of the Russian Empire, with the exception of capitals and localities subordinate to the ministers of the court and military.

The same Jewish professor Aron Chernyak wrote in his story: “The act of August 9, 1915 played a historical role in the struggle of Russian Jewry for their rights. According to Pale of Settlement , symbol state anti-Semitism, a severe blow was dealt. He contributed to a slight decrease in the level of state anti-Semitism, demonstrated the priority of Russia’s national interests, and recognized the harmfulness of the existing level of anti-Semitism for the country. This forced line received some support in public opinion. Even some inveterate anti-Semites were forced to admit the legitimacy of a radical change in the Pale of Settlement. Thus, P. Krupensky stated at a meeting of the State Duma: “I am a born anti-Semite, but I have come to the conclusion that it is now necessary for the good of the homeland to make concessions for the Jews. Our state currently needs the support of its allies. It cannot be denied that the Jews are a great international force and that a hostile policy towards the Jews weakens the credit of the state abroad... Thus, I consciously abandoned my previous views and agreed with the demands of the Cadets-A.Ch..

That's what ultimately happened. Therefore, Mikhail Menshikov can be considered the same Russian prophet as Fyodor Dostoevsky. He clearly saw and understood that the cancellation features of permanent Jewish settlement would be the same as letting it out of a bottle scary genie or strain terrible disease - cholera or plague, for example.

And so this is scary it did happen. On August 6, 1915, the Prime Minister notified Tsar Nicholas II of a meeting of the Council of Ministers on the Jewish Question, and on August 9, 1915, an Act was signed authorizing "to the whole to foreign people make an invasion of Russia..."

Is it a coincidence that the same August 6 and 9, but already in 1945 the barbaric bombing of the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki was carried out?

VIDEO: Dropping an atomic bomb on the Japanese city of Hiroshima.

* * *

Now, it seems to me, it’s time to read a fragment of an interesting book "A LIE THAT DOESN'T WANT TO DIE" which I wrote half-Japanese half-Jewish Hadass Ben-Itto. In this book she tries to convince the Japanese that "The Protocols of the Elders of Zion", who came to Japan at the beginning of the twentieth century along with Russian refugees fleeing organized Jews in Russia Civil War, represent - fake.

"If you're writing a book about "The Protocols of the Elders of Zion", my uncle Dani told me during one of his frequent visits to Israel“You should know that the Protocols essentially saved my life.”

“You won’t believe it,” he said, “but when Jews turned to to the consul with a request to give them Japanese visas, it turned out that he had absolutely nothing to say about Jews doesn't know. Looking for information about them he came across "The Protocols of the Elders of Zion" and completely believed them. Unlike Europeans, The Japanese were extremely pleased with the Jewish plan. In the Japanese view, the so-called Jewish conspiracy was an exemplary role model". Thanks to this sympathy everyone who contacted the Japanese ambassador Jews received Japanese visas. My uncle still believes that "The Protocols of the Elders of Zion" he was saved...

The “Protocols” were brought to Japan by Russian officers who served in a 75,000-strong expeditionary force sent to Siberia to help the White Army, which was trying to restore the rule of the Tsar. Russian officers convinced the Japanese, who were defeated by Red Guard that the instigators of the revolution were Jews, and so the Japanese brought with them to their homeland "The Protocols of the Elders of Zion", which, by order of General Semenov, were issued to each soldier White Army.

In 1924, Captain Yasui Norihiro was seconded to the headquarters of General Semenov. Believing in the authenticity of the Protocols, he translated this book into Japanese and published it under the title "Jewish Threat".

Since then, the Protocols have been published in Japan under various titles, although some Japanese writers have dismissed it as a fake. These dissenting voices died down during World War II when the Japanese adopted anti-Jewish Nazi ideology.

German and anti-Semitic books were translated and distributed in Japan, eventually Jewish conspiracy has become a popular topic. The end of the war did not stop the publication of the Protocols and other anti-Semitic books. In 1986, two books entitled "If you know Jews, you understand the world" And "If you know Jews, you understand Japan". Their author, Masami Uno, argued that behind the trade disputes between Japan and the United States, like the yen crisis, is Jewish conspiracy.

Also in 1986, Manji Yajima, a professor of world economics at Aoyama University, published the book “The Art of Reading Jewish Protocols Between the Lines.” The author claims a new interpretation "Modern Protocols of the Elders of Zion" and claims that Jews are the instigators of friction between Japan and the United States.

The book blames Jews for the Russian Revolution, both world wars, the Vietnam War, Watergate, the oil crisis, and the difficulties facing Japanese trade. The author also opens the eyes of his readers to the fact that President Nixon, and the Japanese Prime Minister Tanaka What lost their positions because both spoke out against the Jew Rockefeller. He warns that in the next ten years the Jews will completely destroy Japanese-American relations, as a result of which hunger, poverty and ruin will reign in Japan, while the Jews will continue to prosper.

Israeli diplomats in Tokyo have long ceased to be surprised by cases like those that happened to Professor Shilloni. "The Protocols of the Elders of Zion", often presented in an anti-Semitic context, at the same time admire many as a program that should be adopted how reliable path to success". .

That's it, friends! Jewish way considered in Japan - the path to success.

That's why Japanese SAMURAI for some time now they have been happy to sign up for pederasts. This brings success!

Precisely because Japan went after 1945 Jewish way development, Japanese children now study in schools history, which does not correspond to what it was In fact. And here is eloquent evidence of this:

“...Textbooks published in Japan under the control of the American authorities during the years of post-war occupation describe the atomic bombings (of the cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki) in such a way that it is difficult to understand from them who and how used weapons of mass destruction on peaceful cities. As a result, recent opinion polls in Japan show that a significant part of Japanese youth believes that the nuclear bombings were some kind of natural disaster, such as a tsunami, and not the result of a conscious desire by the Americans to inflict the greatest damage on Japan. And even that the country was bombed not by the United States, but by the Red Army, no more and no less..." (Article cited “Japan demands repentance from Russia, not the United States” ). .

That is why Japan now goes hand in hand with the United States in accumulating external public debt and spends it on militarization.

That is why Japan and the United States have now developed a joint nuclear program in case World War III.

It is appropriate to recall the sensational and only interview of the chess king Robert Fisher Russian press, which was taken from the famous chess player by correspondents of the Sports Information Agency “Ves Sport” in May 2005, after his release from Japanese prison, where he ended up due to a visa violation.

- How do you see the world in 10 or 100 years?— the journalist asked Fischer

“It seems to me that there will be a nuclear war. And the Americans will start it. When I was in prison, I read in The Japan Times on the front page a statement from the Japanese government: TOGETHER WITH THE USA WE HAVE DEVELOPED A NUCLEAR PROGRAM. This is incredible! And they also complain about North Korea , Iran, India! The USA is an evil country, it needs to be removed from the world stage. And, of course, it needs to be dealt with! Jewish question …" .

And indeed, if the whole world does not decide together Jewish question , That Jews very soon they will decide it in favor of a new one World War. Their minds don’t think about anything else except money or the war for new redistribution of the world which they call NEW WORLD ORDER. On this occasion, another 2500 years later, the prophet Jeremiah said the following words: “This is because My people are stupid, they do not know Me: they are foolish children, and they have no sense; they are clever in evil, but do not know how to do good.” (Jer. 4:22).

APPLICATION:

To understand the secret of HOW Jews manage to find themselves in leadership positions everywhere, at the head of a variety of nations, I advise you to read the story of myrmecological scientists

And Korea.

Soon after Europeans - Portuguese sailors - visited Japan (1542), a rumor spread in Europe (including among Jews) that the Japanese were descendants of one of the disappeared tribes.

At the end of the 19th century. – early 20th century Attempts were made to prove this statement scientifically (an ardent supporter and energetic promoter of such theories, which have nothing to do with reality, was, in particular, the Scottish missionary N. McLeod, who worked in Japan in the 1870s).

As some scholars suggest, among the Portuguese and Dutch merchants who visited Japan in the second half of the 16th century. – in the first half of the 17th century, there could have been Jews; in any case, these trips ceased in 1639, when the Japanese authorities imposed an almost complete ban on the entry of Europeans into the country.

Soon after the ban was lifted (1853), a number of Jews settled in the port cities of Japan.

So, in Yokohama in 1861, two brothers named Marx settled, and a little later - the American businessman R. Scheuer, who in 1865–67. headed the municipal council of the international settlement in Yokohama, published the Japan Express newspaper, one of the first periodicals in European languages ​​in Japan.

By the end of the 1860s. there were about 50 Jewish families in Yokohama from Poland, as well as (significantly fewer) from Great Britain and the United States.

Twentieth century

In 1901, the Jewish Benevolent Society was created, in 1902 - a branch of the Anglo-Jewish Association.

The Jews were mainly engaged in trade and supplying Russian merchant and military ships that often visited this port.

With the outbreak of the Russo-Japanese War (1904–1905), almost all Jews left Nagasaki; authorities confiscated the synagogue building (demolished after World War II); some ritual objects from it, discovered later, were transferred to the Jewish community of Tokyo.

During the war, significant financial assistance to Japan was provided by the largest Jewish-owned banking houses in the United States. Thus, J. G. Schiff, who headed the Kuhn-Loeb banking trust, signed an agreement with representatives of the Japanese government on May 1, 1904 to provide Japan with a loan of five million pounds sterling, and on May 10 - an agreement to provide a loan in the amount of ten million pounds sterling.

Kuhn-Loeb was the first foreign bank to provide credit to the Japanese government for the war effort. K. Takahashi, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Japan, wrote in his memoirs about the reasons for this behavior of J. Schiff: “I am very opposed to Russia because of my nationality. He was simply indignant at the Russian government's treatment of its Jewish population." J. Schiff was the first foreigner to receive special honors from the Emperor of Japan. Jewish-owned banking houses in the United States refused to provide loans to Russia for the war.

At the beginning of the 20th century. Jews also lived in the city of Kobe (immigrants from Eastern Europe and the Middle East) and Tokyo (mostly political emigrants from the Russian Empire).

The Nagasaki community disintegrated during the Russo-Japanese War and gave the Torah scroll to the Kobe community.

The famous popular revolutionary B. Orzhikh (born in 1864 - died no earlier than 1934) settled in Nagasaki in 1905 and created in 1906 an organization to provide assistance to Russian political emigrants.

After 1905, Jewish communities also arose in Southern Manchuria, which came under Japanese control, in particular in the cities of Dairen (Dalny, now Dalian), Port Arthur and Mukden.

During the Russian Civil War (1918–22), a relatively large number of Jewish emigrants arrived in Japan. In Yokohama - the main transit point on the way from Siberia to China, the USA, Canada and Latin America - in the spring of 1919 there were over a thousand Jews.

Some emigrants settled in Japan, mainly in Tokyo and Kobe; The country's Jewish population reached several thousand people.

In 1919, businessman Sam Evans (Samuel Ivanovsky from Odessa) settled in Kobe. He became the first Jew to receive Japanese citizenship. For many years he was the head of the Kobe Jewish community. During the interwar period, there were two synagogues in Kobe (Ashkenazi and Sephardi), and one in Tokyo.

In 1923, Tokyo was destroyed by an earthquake, and the Kobe community became the main community in Japan.

Support for Zionism

The Japanese government already in December 1918 supported the formation of a Jewish national home in Palestine. In the League of Nations vote, Japan voted for a British mandate in exchange for British support for their territorial claims in China.

Influential Japanese intellectuals supported Zionism and recommended that the government establish contacts with the Zionist movement. They saw the Israeli experience in developing various forms of cooperation as a model suitable for Japan.

Impact of European antisemitism

The Japanese knew almost nothing about Jewry and Judaism. Even educated people considered it one of the branches of Christian teaching; To a large extent, the situation continues at the beginning of the 21st century.

Despite this, in the 1920s and 30s. some of them, mainly officers and soldiers of the Japanese Expeditionary Force, which was in 1918-22. in Siberia, succumbed to the influence of European anti-Semitism. Its spread was also facilitated by the fear of Japanese ruling circles of left-wing radicalism, primarily communism, the main carriers of which were Jews.

The most famous anti-Semitic books began to be published in Japanese, including “The Protocols of the Elders of Zion” translated by Colonel Norihiro Yasue. Later, they were supplemented by the writings of local anti-Semites - primarily the same colonel and sea captain Koreshige Inozuka (both of them served in military intelligence).

This kind of literature was most actively published starting in 1936, when Japan became an ally of Nazi Germany.

Since Japanese anti-Semitism was purely speculative, “intellectual” in nature, it in no way affected the situation of the Jews living in the country.

A number of army and navy officers, officials of the Japanese administration in Manchuria (including Colonel N. Yasue and Captain K. Inozuka), who believed in anti-Semitic dogmas about the “world Jewish conspiracy”, about the dominance of Jews in the financial sphere and the media of the free world ( primarily in the USA), decided to use the “power” of the Jews in the interests of Japan. In the 1920s, they visited Mandatory Palestine and met with Zionist leaders, including Weizmann and Ben-Gurion.

Thirties

Individual Jews from European and other countries came to Japan proper on business. The most famous among them is the musician Leo Sirota, who taught at the Imperial Conservatory. European classical music became popular in Japan following the influx of Jewish refugees from Germany in the 1930s. Joseph Rosenstock left Berlin in 1936 for Tokyo, where he became conductor of the Japan Philharmonic Orchestra and subsequently worked as conductor at the New York Metropolitan Opera.

After the occupation in 1931–32. Manchuria, and in 1933–41. - also some regions of China N. Yasue and his supporters occupied responsible administrative positions in the occupied areas of China and directed Japan's policy towards the Jews.

Among the representatives of the Japanese administration in Manchuria there were also supporters of the policy of reducing the Jewish population of China, who were under the influence of Russian fascists. But in the mid-1930s. N. Yasue's point of view became dominant.

N. Yasue resolutely opposed the anti-Semitic antics of Russian fascists and at the end of 1937, shortly after the occupation of Shanghai by Japanese troops, he closed the Russian fascist anti-Semitic newspaper “Our Way”.

In December 1937, with the active assistance of N. Yasue, a congress of Jewish communities of the Far East was convened in Harbin, in which about a thousand representatives of Harbin, Mukden, Tianjin, Hailar, Qingdao, as well as the Japanese city of Kobe participated.

Most of the congress participants were members of various Zionist movements, mainly Betar.

In 1938, Lieutenant General Kiishiro Higuchi proposed allowing Jewish refugees from Europe into Japanese-controlled parts of China.

On December 6, 1938, at a meeting attended by five Japanese government ministers, the country's policy towards Jews was developed in the situation that developed after Kristallnacht (November 9, 1938), when tens of thousands of Jews fled Germany and Austria .

The decision was made to allow thousands of Jewish refugees to come to occupied Shanghai and settle in the international settlement, even if they did not have visas or other documents allowing entry into Japan or China.

In June and July 1939, proponents of the use of Jews sent a series of memorandums containing proposals now known as the "Fugu Plan" to senior Japanese leaders in occupied China.

They wanted to provide refuge in Manchuria for between 18,000 and 600,000 Jewish refugees from Europe, who were to play a decisive role in the economic development of the area. In addition, they hoped that Jewish settlements would attract investment from American Jews for the development of Manchuria and help establish contacts with the United States.

They seriously studied the principles of kibbutz organization and were planning to organize something similar. Extensive contacts were planned between American rabbis and Japanese cult priests Shinto with the aim of finding similarities between the two religions. Measures were proposed to establish contacts in Hollywood.

Issues of settlements, infrastructure, hospitals, etc. were worked out. for each of the possible population levels. The authors of the memorandums pointed out the need for complete religious freedom for Jews and a certain degree of autonomy for the convenience of governing them. At the same time, they warned (in the spirit of the Protocols) about the need to ensure that Jews did not penetrate the governing structures of Japan.

In general, this project competed with Birobidzhan. Although the highest ranks of the Japanese administration approved of it, the outbreak of World War II took it off the agenda.

Forties

During World War II, Japanese authorities ignored German pressure to worsen the situation of the Jews.

Refugees in Kobe

Professor Kotsui Setsuzo obtained the consent of the Japanese authorities to allow Jewish refugees from Eastern Europe to stay in Kobe (on their way to further destinations). When the police objected to this, he bribed police commanders with personal funds.

When German agents began to roam the streets of Kobe, the local community transported refugees from Europe to the countryside.

After the Nazis' "visits" became more frequent, community members demanded that the gold letters on the wall of the Ohel Shlomo synagogue be painted over to make the building less noticeable. After this, the governor of Kobe summoned the head of the community Rahmo Sasona and asked why this was done. Having heard the answer, he ordered everything to be restored as it was and declared that the Jews in Kobe had nothing to fear.

During the war, several thousand Jewish refugees passed through Kobe. The synagogue was destroyed during the bombing of Kobe.

Refugees from Lithuania and Sugihara

A number of Jewish refugees from Poland and Lithuania received transit visas from Japanese consuls in various cities of the Soviet Union.

In early 1941, the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs allowed Jewish refugees to remain in Japan or in Japanese-occupied areas of China.

Only a few dozen Jews settled in Curaçao.

Most of the refugees were placed in the international settlement of Shanghai, despite the objections of many of the settlement's residents, mostly US and English citizens.

After Japan entered World War II in December 1941 and its troops took over the international settlements of Tianjin and Shanghai, the subjects of the anti-Hitler coalition states living there (including Jews) were interned. At the same time, the arrest and confiscation of the property of several Harbin Jews followed.

In Japan itself, Jews with citizenship that caused difficulties for the Japanese authorities were expelled to remote areas under police supervision.

Shanghai and Inozuka

The commission that drafted a democratic constitution for Japan included Beata Sirota, who grew up in Tokyo. She insisted on introducing laws giving women equal rights with men.

The first head of the Japanese Jewish community was Chaplain Major Hermann Dicker, who came to Tokyo with his wife Eileen in the late 1950s. He and Hilda Naim, wife of Israeli Ambassador Asher Naim, established the first religious school in Tokyo in October 1956. They started with nearly 50 children between the ages of 6 and 12, who were taught Hebrew and Jewish customs and history.

Seventies - nineties

In the 1970s – first half of the 1990s. about 1000 lived in Japan (of which only about 200 lived permanently); Among them, representatives of international financial and trade corporations, businessmen, and journalists predominated.

In 1970, the Ohel Shlomo synagogue in Kobe was restored.

Organization of Jewish Life

In the mid-1970s. in the Tokyo community there were about 500 people (155 families, of which 76 had American citizenship, 38 - Israeli), in the Kobe community - 82 people (26 families, mostly Sephardic).

In the mid-1990s. in Tokyo there was a synagogue (services were held only on Saturdays and holidays), a mikveh, a chevra kadisha, a Jewish Sunday school (45 students), courses in Hebrew and Jewish traditions (for adults).

Antisemitism

Relatively many books of a Judeophobic nature were published in the country (especially in the second half of the 1980s - the first half of the 1990s) (the Japanese authorities did not try to ban or limit the distribution of such works).

For Japan, the phenomenon of “anti-Semitism without Jews” remained characteristic: some Japanese, not knowing how the Jewish people differ from other peoples of the world, are nevertheless convinced that they are the bearer of evil and are plotting against their country, and these are negative the stereotypes are clearly of European origin.

Japanese extremist organizations associated with the world communist movement contributed to anti-Israeli terrorism. In 1972, terrorists from the Japanese Red Army Faction, in cahoots with Arab terrorists, entered Ben Gurion Airport and killed dozens of passengers.

Studies of Judaism and Israel

At the same time, in the post-war period, many educated Japanese, including some members of the imperial family, began to show a benevolent interest in the history and culture of the Jewish people. On the initiative of the historian M. Kobayashi, a professor at the prestigious Waseda University (Tokyo), the Japanese Association for Jewish Studies was created (collections of its works have been published since 1961).

In 1976, a Jewish studies department was opened at the Institute of Social Sciences at Waseda University.

Religious support for Israel

Several Japanese converted to Judaism (the most widespread response was caused in 1959 by the conversion to Judaism of S. Kotsuji, who belonged to a family of priests of the national Japanese cult of Shinto).

Several Protestant sects and organizations have also arisen in Japan, supporting Israel and being more or less Judaizing.

The largest of them is makuya (Japanese translation of the biblical term ohel moed- `Tent of Meeting`, the closest thing to Judaism, was founded in 1948 by businessman Ikiro Teshima (who took the name Abraham), a charismatic leader whom his supporters considered a miracle worker.

The religious doctrine of this sect is a combination of evangelical Protestantism with the teachings of Rabbi A. I. Cook, M. Buber and A. Heschel. Its adherents (there are about 50,000 of them in Japan, the USA, Brazil, Mexico, Greece and other countries) consider the creation of the State of Israel and the unification of Jerusalem as the realization of biblical prophecies and believe that the resettlement of Jews in Eretz Israel will be the first stage in the establishment of the Kingdom of God on earth.

Many traditional Japanese ceremonies and Japanese and Jewish DNA indicate that the lost tribes of Israel reached ancient Japan.

Dear friends around the world, I am a Japanese Christian writer living in Japan. As I studied the Bible, I began to realize that many traditional customs and rituals in Japan were very similar to those in ancient Israel. I thought that perhaps these rituals came from the religion and customs of the Jews of the Ten Lost Tribes of Israel, who were able to reach ancient Japan.

The ancient kingdom of Israel, consisting of twelve tribes, split into the Southern Kingdom of Judah and the Northern Kingdom of Israel in 933 BC. Ten tribes were part of the Northern Kingdom and the remaining two were part of the Southern Kingdom. The descendants of the inhabitants of the Kingdom of Judah are called Jews. The inhabitants of the Northern Kingdom were driven away to Assyria in 722 BC, and did not return to Israel. They are called the "ten lost tribes of Israel", scattered throughout the world. We find descendants of the Israelites not only in the Western but also in the Eastern world, especially along the Silk Road. The descendants of the lost tribes of Israel, according to Jewish researchers, are among the following peoples.

Yousafzai. They live in Afghanistan. Yusafzai means children of Joseph. They preserved the customs of the ancient Israelites.

Pathans (apparently Pashtuns). They live in Afghanistan and Pakistan. They observe the customs of circumcision on the 8th day after birth, tzitzit, Shabbat, kashrut, tefillim, etc.

Kashmiri tribes. They live in Kashmir, their names repeat the names of lands in the ancient Northern Kingdom of Israel. They celebrate Passover, and according to legend they are the descendants of aliens from Israel.

Hanites. In India there live a people called Hanites, which means people from Canaan. They speak Aramaic and use the Aramaic Bible.

Shinlung tribe. They live in the province of Myanmar (Burma) and India. They call themselves Bnei Menashe (sons of Menashe) and are considered descendants of the tribe of Menashe, one of the ten lost tribes of Israel. They preserved ancient Israeli customs.

Chiang tribe (Qiang or Chiang-Min). They live in China, preserved the ancient customs of Israel, believe in one God and, according to oral legend, came from the distant West. They say that their ancestor had twelve sons. They retained the customs of celebrating the Passover, the day of atonement, levirate marriage (a type of marriage obligation in which the brother of a deceased man was obliged to marry a widow, and the widow was obliged to marry the brother of her deceased husband), and so on, as among the ancient Israelites.

Kaifeng, China. It is known that a large Jewish community lived there before our era.
Japanese festival illustrates the story of Isaac

In Nagano Prefecture, Japan, there is a large Shinto shrine called "Suwa-Taisha" (Shinto is the national religion of Japan). This traditional festival, called "Ontohsai", is held on April 15th of every year (when the Japanese used the lunar calendar, it fell in March-April). The festival illustrates the story of Isaac, when Abraham was about to sacrifice him, his son. The Ontohsai Festival has been held since ancient times and is considered the most important festival in Suwa-Taisha.

Behind the back of the temple there is a mountain called Moriya-san. The people of the Suwa region call her "Moriya no kami" - the god Moriya. This temple is built to worship the god Moriya. During the festival, the boy is placed on a bamboo mat and tied to a wooden pillar. The Shinto priest approaches him with a knife ready and cuts off part of the tree, then the "messenger of God" (another priest) comes there and the boy is released. This is reminiscent of the biblical story in which Isaac was freed after an angel came to Abraham. At this festival, animals are sacrificed in place of Isaac. 75 deer are slaughtered, but among them there is one with a split ear. It is believed that God marked him this way. The deer has some connection with the ram in the Bible, which God designated for sacrifice after Isaac was freed. It is believed that the ram was caught by the horns in the net, causing the ear to be injured. In ancient times, there were no sheep in Japan, which led to the use of deer for sacrifice (deer is a kosher animal). Even in prehistoric times, it was strange for the Japanese people to sacrifice a deer, since such a ritual did not exist in the tradition of the Shinto religion. People call this festival "Festival in Honor of the God Misakuchi". "Misakuchi" can be interpreted as "mi-isaku-chi". "Mi" means "great", "isaku" is most likely Isaac, and "chi" is something that ends a word. It seems that the people of the Suwa region made Isaac a god. Today the custom of (sort of) sacrificing a boy and then releasing him is not practiced, but the custom of erecting a wooden pillar called “oniye-bashira”, which means a sacrificial pillar, remains.

Nowadays people use stuffed animals instead of real sacrifices. Tying a boy and sacrificing animals was considered savage by people in the Meiji era (about 100 years ago), and this practice was stopped. However, the festival itself still remains. The custom itself continued until the beginning of the Meiji era. Japanese scholar and traveler Masumi Sugae of the Edo era (about 200 years ago) wrote an account of his stay in Suwa. He described in detail all the details of the Ontohsai festival, and spoke of the custom that existed in those days of repeating the rite of sacrificing a boy, followed by his happy release and performing animal sacrifice instead. His notes are kept in a museum near Suwa-Taisha. The Ontohsai festival has been held since ancient times. The Moriya people believe that "Moriya-no-kami" (god Moriya) is the god of their ancestors. And these people believe that Mount Moriya is their holy place. The name "Moriya," could come from "Moriah" (in Hebrew מוֹרִיָּה - the place where Isaac was to be sacrificed by Abraham). . In meaning, it is similar to today's Temple Mount in Jerusalem. Among the Jews, God Moriah means the one true God spoken of in the Bible.

Moriya people have been participating in the festival for at least 78(?) generations. The museum curator told me that the belief in the god Moriya dates back to pre-Christian times.

Apparently no other country has a festival illustrating the biblical story of Abraham and Isaac, but Japan does. And this tradition, as it seems to me, is convincing evidence that the ancient Israelites managed to get to ancient Japan.

The insignia of the Imperial House of Japan is similar to that depicted on the gates of Jerusalem

The symbol of the Imperial House of Japan is a round flower with 16 petals. Today's form of this sign looks like a chrysanthemum, but scientists say that in ancient times this sign looked like a sunflower. The appearance of the sunflower is the same as the sign on Nimrod's Gate in Jerusalem. The sign on the Nimrod Gate also has 16 petals, and this sign of the Imperial House in Japan has existed since very ancient times. The same sign as on the Gate of Nimrod was found in excavations of Jerusalem from the Second Temple period, as well as in Assyrian relics dating back to the period before the New Era.

Japanese Yamabushi religious clerics place a small black box called a tokin on the forehead. It is attached to the head with a black cord, similar to how Jewish believers place a phylactery on the forehead. The size of the black box "tokin" is the same as that of the Jews, but the shape is rounded, similar to a flower.
The original placement of the Jewish phylactery on the forehead appears to be associated with a "plate" attached by a cord to the forehead of the High Priest Aaron. According to folklore, it measured about 4 cm in diameter, and some scholars claim that the “plate” was shaped like a flower. If so, it is very similar in shape to the Japanese "tokin" worn by the yamabushi.
As far as I know, Israel and Japan are the only two countries in the world that use a black box attached to the forehead for religious purposes.

Moreover, "yamabushi" use a large shell as a mouthpiece. This is very similar to a Jew blowing a shofar (ram's horn). The sounds of the yamabushi horn are very similar to the sounds of the shofar. There were no sheep in Japan, so yamabushi had to use a shell instead of a horn.

Yamabushi are people who consider the mountains a holy place for their religious practices. A Shinto shrine is usually built on a mountain or hill. There is a temple on almost every mountain in Japan. There is even a temple at the top of Mount Fuji. In ancient Israel, places of worship, the so-called “high places,” were also located on mountains. The Jerusalem Temple was built on Mt. The Ten Commandments of the Torah were given on Mount Sinai. Jerusalem is a city on a mountain (Mount Moriah). Jesus went up the mountain to pray. His transformation also apparently took place on the mountain. In Israel it was believed that the mountain was a place close to God.

In Japan there is a legend about a "yamabushi" named "Tengu" who lived on a mountain. He was famous for his pronounced nose and had supernatural abilities. A certain ninja (“ninja”), who in the old days was either an agent or a spy working for his master, once climbed the mountain to Tengu to learn from him his extraordinary abilities. Tengu transferred some of his power to him, and after that he handed over a “tora-no-maki” (Torah scroll). This Torah scroll is considered as a very important book that is useful in any situation in life. Japanese people now sometimes use this word in their current lives. Although there is no record of an actual Torah scroll ever being found in Japanese history, it appears that the "tora-no-maki" (Torah scroll) is a derivative of the Jewish Torah.

Japanese "Omikoshi" resembles the Ark of the Covenant

In the Bible, in the chronicles, in chapter 15, it is written that David carried the Ark of the Covenant of God to Jerusalem. David, the elders of Israel, and the commanders of thousands of soldiers carried the Ark of the Covenant from the house of Obed-Edom in triumph. “David was dressed in a robe of fine linen (linen ephod), like all the Levites who carried the Ark. They were accompanied by singers and Kenaniah, who led the singing of the choirs. So all of Israel carried the Ark of the Covenant of God to the accompaniment of enthusiastic shouts, sounds of shofars, singing of trumpets, music of cymbals, lyres and harps.
When I read these lines, I thought: “How similar it is to the festival scenes when the Japanese carry our ‘omikoshi’! The shape of the Japanese 'Omikoshi' is similar to the Ark of the Covenant. The shouting of people, the singing of the Japanese, the dancing, the sound of music in front of ‘Omikoshi’, it’s so similar to the customs of ancient Israel.”
The Japanese carry the ark "omikoshi", mounted on two sticks, on their shoulders. This is what the ancient Israelites did. “The Levites carried the ark of God, mounted on sticks, on their shoulders, as Moses commanded them according to the word of the Lord.” There are two sticks attached to the Ark of Israel. Some restored models of the ark, as imagined by their creators, had two sticks attached to the top of the ark. But the Bible says that two sticks must be attached to the ark with four rings "on its four legs." Therefore, the sticks must be attached to the bottom of the ark. This is how it was done in the Japanese ark “omikoshi”.

The Ark of Israel has two statues of golden cherubs on the lid. The cherub is a type of angel, a celestial being with wings like a bird. The Japanese "omikoshi" also has a golden bird on the cap called "Ho-oh", which is an imaginary bird and a mysterious celestial creature. The entire Israelite ark was overlaid with gold. The Japanese ark "omikoshi" is covered with gold partially, and sometimes completely. The omikoshi is almost the same size as the Ark of Israel. The Japanese "omikoshi" may be an imitation of the Ark of ancient Israel.

Many things about the ark are similar to Japanese customs

King David and the people of Israel sang and danced to the sound of music around the ark. We Japanese also sing and dance to the sound of music around "omikoshi". Several years ago, I saw an American film called “King David”, which told the story of the life of King David. In one episode, David is shown dancing around the ark as it is being transported to Jerusalem. I thought: “If the scenery of Jerusalem is replaced with Japanese ones, the stage will resemble a Japanese festival.” The atmosphere of the music is also reminiscent of Japanese style. David's dances look similar to Japanese traditional dances. At the Shinto religious festival "Gion-jinja" in Kyoto, people carrying "omikoshi" enter and then cross a river. I think this is based on the ancient Israelites' memory of carrying the ark across the Jordan River during the exodus from Egypt.

On the Japanese island of Seto in the Inland Sea, people selected to carry the ark "omikoshi" are left in a house for a week before the event. This is done to avoid any contamination. Moreover, the day before the transfer of "omikoshi," these people bathe in sea water to sanctify themselves, which is similar to the custom of the ancient Israelites. “In this way the Levites and priests were sanctified to bear the ark of the Lord God of Israel.” The Bible says that after reaching Jerusalem the march ended. “David distributed to every Israelite, men and women, a loaf of bread, a slice of meat, and a raisin cake.” This is similar to the Japanese custom. After the Japanese festival, sweets are distributed to everyone, which was the delight of my childhood.

The robes of Japanese priests resemble those of Israeli clergy

The Bible says when David carried the ark to Jerusalem, “David was dressed in a robe of fine linen.” The same is true for clergy and choir members. In the Japanese Bible this passage is translated as “white linen robe.” Although in ancient Israel the high priest wore colorful robes, ordinary priests and priests wore plain white robes during ceremonial occasions. Japanese priests also wear white robes during ceremonial occasions.

At Ise-jingu, one of Japan's oldest shrines, all priests wear white robes. And in many Japanese Shinto shrines, especially traditional ones, people wear white robes when they carry "omikoshi" just like the Israelites did. Buddhist priests wear luxurious, colorful robes. However, in the Japanese Shinto religion, white is considered the color of holiness. The Emperor of Japan, only after he has completed his accession ceremony, appears alone before the Shinto God, arriving at the Temple in a completely white robe covering his entire body except his bare feet. This is similar to the actions of Moses and Joshua, who took off their sandals before God so that they could be barefoot. Marvin Tokayer, a rabbi who lived in Japan for 10 years, wrote in his book: “The linen robes worn by Japanese Shinto priests have the same pattern as the white linen robes of the ancient priests of Israel.”
The Japanese Shinto priest's robe has cords 20-30 cm long hanging at the corners of the robe. These stripes are similar to those in the clothing of the ancient Israelites. It is said: “Make fringes on the edges of your clothes in all your generations.” The fringes (tassels) were a sign that the person was an Israelite. The Gospel of the New Testament also says that the Pharisees make “tassels on their long robes.” A woman suffering from hemorrhage approached Jesus and touched “the tassels of his garment.” (New Testament in Vernacular English. Translated by Charles B. Williams.) In imaginary pictures, ancient Israelite clothing sometimes has no fringe. But their clothes actually had fringes. The Jewish tallit, which is used to cover oneself during prayer, according to tradition, has fringe at the corners. Shinto priests wear a rectangle of cloth on their robe from the shoulders to the hips. This is the same as the robe (ephod/ אפוד) on David’s shoulders: “David also wore a linen ephod.” . Although the colorful ephod was decorated with precious stones, ordinary priests wore an ephod made of plain white linen. Rabbi Tokayer states that the rectangular cloth on the robe of a Shinto priest is very similar to the ephod of a kohen, a Jewish priest. A Japanese Shinto priest wears a headdress in the same way as the Israeli priest did. The Japanese priest also wore a sash around his waist. An Israeli priest did the same. The clothing of Japanese Shinto priests appears to be similar to that of the ancient Israelites.

Blessing by fanning a sheaf after the harvest is also a Japanese custom.

Jews sanctify someone by fanning a sheaf of wheat from the first harvest seven weeks before Shevuot. On Sukkot they use a bunch of plants for this - a tradition since the time of Moses. Israeli priests in ancient times also sanctified someone by fanning them with a bunch of plants. David said, “Cleanse me with a bunch of zatra (hyssop/זעתר) and I will be clean.” And this is also a traditional Japanese custom.
When a Japanese priest blesses someone or something, he waves a tree branch, or uses a "harainusa," which consists of a stick and white papers, and looks like a plant. Today "harainusa" is simplified and made of white paper that is folded in a zigzag pattern like little zippers, but in the old days it was a branch of a plant or a sheaf of grain. A Christian woman I know used to think of this tradition only as a pagan custom. Later, when she traveled to the United States, she had the opportunity to attend the Sukkot ceremony. When she saw the Jewish woman waving the harvest sheaf, she cried out, “Oh, that's the same thing the Japanese priest is doing! This is the home of the Japanese!”

The structure of the Japanese Shinto Temple is similar to the Temple of God of Ancient Israel.
Inside, the Temple of God in ancient Israel was divided into two parts. The first part was called the Holy Place, and the second - the Holy of Holies. The Japanese Shinto shrine is also divided into two parts. The functions of the seats in the Japanese Temple are similar to those in the Israelite Temple. The Japanese pray inside the Holy Place; they are not allowed to enter the Holy of Holies. Only selected Shinto priests have this right. Shinto priests enter the Holy of Holies of a Japanese Temple only at special times. It is similar to the Israelite Temple. The Japanese Holy of Holies is located in the western or northern part of the Temple. The Israelite Holy of Holies was located in the western part of the Temple. Shinto's Holy of Holies is also on a higher ground compared to the Holy Place, and there are steps between them. Scientists claim that in the Israelite Temple built by Solomon, the Holy of Holies was elevated, and between them there were steps about 2.7 meters wide.

At the front of a typical Japanese Shinto shrine there are two lion statues called "Komainu". Lions sit on both sides of the entrance. These are not idols, but guards of the Temple. But this was also the custom of ancient Israel. God's Temple of Israel and King Solomon's palace had statues or reliefs of lions. There were absolutely no lions in Japan's early history. But lion statues have been placed in Japanese temples since ancient times. Scientists have proven that lion statues placed in front of Japanese shrines are of Middle Eastern origin.
Not far from the entrance to the Japanese temple there is a “temizuya” - a place for washing the hands and mouths of worshipers. In the old days they used to wash their feet too. A similar custom took place in Jewish synagogues. The ancient Temple of Israel also had lavers for washing hands and feet before entering the Temple. At the front of the Japanese Temple there is a gate called "torii". This type of gate does not exist in either China or Korea; it is unique to Japan. The gate consists of two vertical posts and a crossbar connecting the upper parts. But the oldest form of gate consisted of only two vertical posts and a rope connecting the top parts. When a Shinto priest approached the gate, he bowed to each gate post individually. It is assumed that the torii gate originally consisted of only two pillars. The Israelite temple also had two pillars used as gates. According to Joseph Eidelberg, in the Aramaic language used by the ancient Israelites, the word for gate was "tar'a." The word may have changed slightly to become the Japanese "torii". Some torii, especially in older temples, were painted red. I have no evidence, but I think the red color of the gate (two pillars with a lintel) is related to the color of the blood of the lamb sacrificed the night before the Jews left Egypt.

In the Japanese Shinto religion, there is a custom of surrounding the holy place with a rope called "shimenawa". Pieces of white paper are inserted into its lower edge, and it symbolizes the border. The Bible says that when Moses received the Ten Commandments on Mount Sinai, he "set boundaries" around the tablets to keep the Israelites from approaching. Although the nature of these boundaries is not known, ropes may have been used. The Japanese custom of using shimenawa rope probably dates back to the time of Moses. I associate the zigzag white pieces of paper inserted along the rope with thunder and lightning on Mount Sinai. The main difference between the Japanese Shinto Temple and the ancient Israeli Temple is that the Japanese Temple does not have an altar for animal sacrifice. I have always wondered why the Shinto religion, if it comes from the religion of ancient Israel, does not have the custom of animal sacrifice. But then I found the answer. Moses commanded the people not to sacrifice animals anywhere except in certain places in the Land of Canaan. Therefore, when the Israelites came to ancient Japan, they were not allowed to sacrifice animals.

Many Shinto shrines are built with the gate to the east, with the "Holy of Holies" located to the west, as we have seen at the Great Matsuo Shrine (Matsuo-taisya) in Kyoto and other places. At the same time, other buildings were built with gates to the south, and the “Holy of Holies” is located to the north. The reason for placing the gate to the east (and the "Holy of Holies" to the west) is because the sun rises in the east. This arrangement was based on the Israeli belief that the glory of God came from the East. All Shinto shrines are made of wood. Many parts of the ancient Israelite Temple were also made of wood. The Israelites used stone in some places, but the walls, floor, ceiling and everything inside were lined with wood, more specifically Lebanese cedar. There is no Lebanese cedar in Japan, so Shinto shrines use Hinoki cypress, which, like Lebanese cedar, is not on the beetles menu. All the wood of the ancient Israelite Temple was covered with gold. In Japan, important parts of the Ise-jingu Main Temple, for example, are also plated with gold.

Many Japanese Customs repeat the Customs of ancient Israel

When the Japanese pray at the "Holy Place" of a Shinto Shrine, they first ring the golden bell that hangs in the center of the entrance. The same custom existed in ancient Israel. The High Priest Aaron attached a golden bell to his robe. He did this so that he could be heard during the service if necessary.
The Japanese clap their hands twice when they pray here. It was the same in ancient Israel. This custom meant: “I keep my promises.” In You can find this word translated as “commitment.” The original meaning of this word in Hebrew is "to clap one's hands". It seems that the ancient Israelites clapped their hands when they committed to doing something, or had already done something very important.

The Japanese bow to the shrine before and after clapping their hands and before and after praying. They also bow as a polite greeting when they meet each other. Bowing was also a custom in ancient Israel. Jacob bowed as he approached Esau. As a rule, modern Jews do not bow. However, they bow when reciting the prayer. Modern Ethiopians have the custom of bowing, probably because the ancient Jews had contact with ancient Ethiopia. Ethiopians bow like the Japanese. We Japanese have a custom of using salt for consecration. People sometimes scatter salt when someone they don't like leaves them. When I was once watching a samurai drama on TV, a woman was scattering salt at the place where her husband, whom she hated, had left. This custom is the same as that of the ancient Israelites. After Abimelech captured the enemy city, “he scattered salt there.” The Japanese interpret this as “cleansing and sanctifying” the city.

I heard that when Jews moved into a new house, they would sprinkle salt on the floor to cleanse and sanctify it. This is also true for the Japanese. Japanese style restaurants usually place salt near the entrance. Jews used salt for kosher meat. It was purified with salt, and all dishes began with bread and salt. The Japanese place salt at the entrance to the room with the deceased. After returning from a funeral, you should sprinkle yourself with salt before entering the house. It is believed in Shinto that anyone who has attended a funeral or touched a deceased person becomes unclean. Again, this is the same concept that occurred with the ancient Israelites.
A Japanese sumo wrestler sprinkles salt on the mat before a bout. Europeans and Americans always wonder why wrestlers do this. And Rabbi Tokayer wrote that Jews understand the meaning of this procedure. The Japanese use salt every time they perform a religious ceremony. The ancient Israelites had the same custom: “Use salt in all rituals.” The Japanese in old times had a custom of putting a little salt in their child's first bath. The ancient Israelites washed the newborn with water after a gentle rubdown with salt. Blessing and purification with salt and/or water is a common custom among the Japanese and ancient Israelites. In Hebrew texts, the words “clean” and “unclean” appear quite often. Europeans and Americans are not familiar with these concepts, but the Japanese understand them. The central concept of Shinto is to value the "pure" and avoid the "impure". This concept apparently came from ancient Israel.

Like Judaism, the Japanese shinto religion has no idols

Buddhist temples have their own idols, which are carved in the shape of Buddha and other gods. However, Japanese Shinto shrines do not have idols.

In the center of the "Holy of Holies" of Shinto Shrine there is a mirror, a sword and a pendant. However, Shinto believers do not consider these items sacred. In the Shinto religion, God is believed to be invisible. The mirror, sword and pendant are not idols, but simply objects showing that invisible gods descended in this holy place. The Ark of the Covenant of ancient Israel contained the stone tablets of God's Ten Commandments, a vessel of manna, and Aaron's rod. The last objects were not sacred, but showed that this place was holy, the invisible God descended here. The same can be said about objects in Japanese temples.

Old Japanese Words of Hebrew Origin

Josef Eidelberg once arrived in Japan and lived here for many years in a Shinto shrine. In his book “The Japanese and the Ten Lost Tribes of Israel.” (“The Japanese and the Ten Lost Tribes of Israel”) he wrote that many Japanese words came from ancient Hebrew. For example, the Japanese say "hazukashime", which means "shame or humiliation". In Hebrew it sounds like "hadak hashem" ["omitted, (humiliated) name", see text. The pronunciation and meaning of both expressions are almost the same. We say "anta", which means "you", in Hebrew "ata", almost the same. Kings in ancient Japan were called "mikoto," which may be derived from the Hebrew word "malhuto," meaning "majesty." The Emperor of Japan is called "mikado". This is reminiscent of the Hebrew: "migadol" means "big man." The ancient Japanese word for the leader of a society is "agata-nushi;" "agata" - "society/region" and "nushi" - "leader". In Hebrew, it sounds like "aguda" and "nasi."

When we count in Japanese, “one, two, three... ten,” we sometimes say: “Hi, fu, mi, yo, itsu, mu, nana, ya, kokono, towo.” This is a traditional expression, but its meaning is unknown, although it is believed to be Japanese. It is said to have its origins in an ancient Japanese Shinto myth. In this myth, a female god named "Amaterasu," who controls sunlight, once hid in a celestial cave, and the world fell into darkness. Then, according to the oldest book of Japanese history, a priest called "Koyane" prayed to the other gods to bring "Amaterasu" out of the cave. Although the words spoken by the priest were not written down, legend says the words were "Hi, fu, mi...."
Amaterasu hides in the heavenly cave, Koyane prays and Uzume dances.

Joseph Eidelberg stated that it is a beautiful Hebrew expression, assuming that some changes in pronunciation have occurred throughout history. These words are pronounced like

“Hifa mi yotsia ma na’ne ykakhena tavo.”

It means: “Beautiful (Goddess). Who will bring her out? How should we cry (in the choir) to encourage her to come out?” This is remarkably consistent with the situation in the myth. Moreover, we not only say “Hi, hu, mi...,” but also mean the same meaning: “Hitotsu, futatsu, mittsu, yottsu, itsutsu, muttsu, nanatsu, yattsu, kokonotsu, towo.”

Here, "totsu" or "tsu" is added to each syllable of "Hi, hu, mi...". But the last "towo" (meaning ten) remains unchanged. "Totsu" may be the Hebrew word "tetse," which means "she comes out" (according to Eidelberg). The author of the translation does not think so: תיצא means “come out” (pronounced “tice”). Let's continue the translation.

And "tsu" could be the Hebrew word "tse", which also means "come out" (צא).

Eidelberg believed that these words were spoken by the gods, who were addressed by the priest "Koyane." That is, when "Koyane" said "Hi," the gods added "totsu" (she comes out), and when "Koyane" said "Fu," the gods added "totsu" (tatsu), and so on. Thus it became “Hitotsu, futatsu, mittsu....”

The author of the translation has doubts about the interpretation of the added “tsu”; I would interpret the added as an insistent request to “go out”, added to each word. What the gods said, only God knows. I continue the translation.

The last word "towo" the priest "Koyane," and the gods said together. In Hebrew, the word “tavo” means “(She) will come” (according to Eidelberg) and “come” (תבוא, according to the author of the translation). After these words, the goddess "Amaterasu" came out. The words "Hi, fu, mi..." and "Hitotsu, futatsu, mittsu..." were later used for counting.

In addition, the cleric's name "Koyane," is similar to the Hebrew word "cohen," which means "priest." Eidelberg showed many other examples of Japanese words (several thousand) of Hebrew origin. It doesn't look random. In ancient Japanese folk songs, there are many words that are not understood by the Japanese. Dr. Eiji Kawamorita believes that many of them are of Hebrew origin. Among the Japanese folk songs in Kumamoto Prefecture, there is a song that goes like this: "Hallelujah, haliya, haliya, tohse, Yahweh, Yahweh, yoitonnah..." It also sounds like it's Hebrew. Youtube: Similarities between Hebrew and Japanese

Similarities between Biblical Genealogy and Japanese Mythology

There are remarkable similarities between the biblical text and Japanese mythology. A Japanese scholar points out that the stories of Ninigi in Japanese mythology are very similar to the stories of Jacob in the Bible. In Japanese mythology, the imperial dynasty and the entire Yamato nation (Japanese) are descendants of Ninigi, who came from the sky. While Jacob is the ancestor of the Israelites. In Japanese mythology, it was not Ninigi who was supposed to descend from heaven, but someone else. But when he was preparing for this event, Ninigi was born, and as a result, instead of that other Ninigi, he came down from heaven and became the ancestor of the Japanese nation. In the same way, according to the Bible, Esaf, Jacob's elder brother, was supposed to become the founder of the nation, but God's blessing fell on Jacob, and he became the founder of the Israelites. In Japanese mythology, after Ninigi descended from heaven, he fell in love with a beautiful woman named Konohana-sakuya-hime and wanted to marry her. But her father asked him to also marry his beloved’s older sister, since he could not marry off his younger sister before the older one. The elder sister was ugly, and Ninigi returned her to her father. In the same way, according to the Bible, Jacob fell in love with the beautiful Rachel and tried to marry her. But her father told Jacob that he could not marry off his younger sister before his older one, and suggested that Jacob marry his older sister Leah at the same time. The older sister was not beautiful, and Yakov did not like her. Thus, there is a parallelism between Ninigi and Jacob.

In Japanese mythology, Ninigi and his wife Konohana-sakuya-hime gave birth to a boy named Yamasachi-hiko. But Yamasachi-hiko was bullied by his older brother, and he had to leave for the land of the sea god. There Yamasachi-hiko acquired mystical power, and forgave the sin of his elder brother, who used to starve him. In the same way, according to the Bible, Jacob and his wife Rachel had a son named Joseph. But Joseph was bullied by his older brothers, and as a result he ended up in Egypt. There Joseph becomes the Chief Minister and receives great power, and when the older brothers came to Egypt due to famine in their homeland, Joseph helped them and forgave them their sins. Thus, there is a parallelism between Yamasachi-hiko and Joseph.
In Japanese mythology, Yamasachi-hiko marries the daughter of the sea god and gives birth to a boy named Ugaya-fukiaezu. Ugaya-fukiaezu had four sons. The second and third sons left him, the fourth son became Emperor Jinmu, who conquered the Land of Yamato. The imperial dynasty of Japan is a continuation of this line.

What's in the Bible? Joseph marries the daughter of a priest in Egypt, and they have Manasseh and Ephraim. Ephraim resembles Ugaya-fukiaezu in the sense that he had 4 sons, but his second and third sons were killed at an early age, and the fourth son's descendant Joshua conquered the Land of Canaan (Land of Israel). Along the line of Ephraim, the Royal House of the people of Israel arose.

Thus we see marked similarities between biblical genealogy and Japanese mythology - between Ninigi and Jacob, Yamasachi-hiko and Joseph, the imperial dynasty of Japan and the royal dynasty of the tribe of Ephraim.

Additionally, in Japanese mythology, the sky is called Hara from Takama (Takama-ga-hara or Takama-no-hara). Ninigi came from there. Japanese researcher Zen'ichirou Oyabe suggests that Hara of Takama is the city of Haran in the Togarmah region, where Jacob and his ancestors once lived; Jacob lived there for some time, and then came to Canaan, where he became the founder of the Israelite people.

Jacob once saw in a dream angels, messengers of God, hovering between heaven and earth, conveying to him God's promise that his descendants would inherit the Land of Canaan. This is different from the story of Ninigi's descent from heaven, but the imagery is similar.

Thus, details aside, the outline of Japanese mythology closely resembles the texts of the Bible. It is easy to assume that the Kojiki and Nihon-shoki myths, in Japanese chronicles written in the eighth century, were originally based on biblical stories, but were later supplemented with various pagan elements. One might even think that Japanese mythology was originally a kind of genealogy, showing that the Japanese are the descendants of Jacob, Joseph and Ephraim.

Uncleanness during menstruation and childbirth

The concept of impurity during menstruation and childbirth has existed in Japan since ancient times. For a long time, it was the custom for women in Japan not to attend holy events in the temple during menstruation. She could not have sex with her husband, and she had to lock herself in a hut during menstruation and for several days after (about 7 days), which was built in the village for such needs (in Japanese it was called Gekkei-goya). This custom was widespread in Japan during the Meiji era (about 100 years ago). After the end of the period of seclusion, she had to cleanse herself with the water of a river, spring or sea. If there is no natural water, then you could use a bath. All this is very reminiscent of the custom in ancient Israel. A woman during her menstruation could not attend services in the temple, had to be separated from her husband, and it was the custom to lock herself in a hut during her menstruation and 7 days after it. The purpose of this retreat is said to be “to continue the purification of the blood,” and this purification must take place outside the home or village.
Hut for menstruating women used by Ethiopian Jews

This remains true today. There is no sexual intercourse during menstruation and in the next 7 days. Then the woman goes to the mikveh for ritual ablution. The water in the mikvah must be natural. To do this, rainwater is collected and the mikvah is filled with it. If there is not enough natural water, add tap water.

Modern people may feel uncomfortable with the concept presented, but a woman during menstruation or who has just given birth needs physical and mental rest. The woman herself says that she feels unclean blood during this period. The desire to “continue purifying the blood” also applies to the need for rest. Not only the concept of behavior during menstruation, but also the concept of behavior of a woman who has just given birth in the Japanese Shinto religion resembles the corresponding concepts of ancient Israel. A mother who has just given birth is considered unclean for a certain period.

This concept is poorly accepted by modern Japanese, but was common in old times. The old religious book Shinto Engishiki (tenth century C.E.) stipulates a seven-day period when a woman cannot participate in temple services after giving birth. This is reminiscent of an ancient custom in Israel because the Bible says that when a woman gives birth to a boy, she has “7 unclean days.” She must then “continue purifying the blood for 33 days.” If she gives birth to a girl, she has “two weeks of unclean days.” Then she must “continue purifying the blood for 66 days.”

In Japan before the Meiji era, it was a widespread custom for a woman to close herself and live in a hut (called Ubu-goya in Japanese) during pregnancy and after the birth of a child. This period usually lasted during pregnancy and 30 days after the birth of the child (in the longest case it was approximately 100 days). This is reminiscent of the custom of ancient Israel.

In ancient Israel, after the end of the period of purification, a mother and child could come to the temple. Also in the Japanese Shinto tradition, after a period of purification, the mother could come to the temple with her child. In modern Japan, a mother can usually come to the temple after the birth of her child after 32 days (or 31 days if the birth is a boy, and after 33 days in the case of a girl). But according to tradition, when they come to the temple, the child should not be held by the mother who gave birth to him, but usually by the husband’s mother (mother-in-law). This is a striking similarity between the custom of purifying the mother after childbirth and the traditions of ancient Israel.

Japanese "Mizura" and Jewish sidelocks

The photo below (right) shows a statue of an ancient Japanese samurai found in excavations dating back to the late fifth century in Nara Japan. This statue realistically depicts the ancient Japanese style of curling men's hair, called "mizura," in which the hair hangs from under a cap in front of the ears and is slightly curly. This style was widespread among the Japanese samurai, and this custom is unique to Japan and did not come from the cultures of China or Korea.
Is it just a coincidence that it is so reminiscent of the curly hair of Jewish believers hanging down in front of the ears? Sidelocks are a unique style of "hair" among Jews and date back to very ancient times. The Bible says, “Do not cut the hair on the sides of your head.” Thus, this custom came from the ancient Israelites. Hasidic Jews restored this ancient custom. Yemenite Jews have observed it since ancient times. There is a statue found in Syria dating back to the 8th or 9th century BC that depicts a Jew with sidelocks and a fringed shawl.

DNA research of Japanese and Jews
Recent studies of Y chromosome DNA (which is found only in males and is passed on from father to son) have shown that about 40% of Japanese men have haplogroup D on the Y chromosome, and about 50% have haplogroup O.

Most Chinese and Koreans have haplogroup O. This group is typical of Asia. And they do not have haplogroup D. Even if they have it, it is no more than 1-2 percent. So, the Japanese have haplogroup D, reaching 40%, which is absent in the Chinese, Koreans and most other Asians. This indicator is very unusual in the world. According to geneticists, haplogroup D is related to haplogroup E, which is also noted in the Wikipedia encyclopedia.

“Along with haplogroup E, D contains a characteristic YAP polymorphism, which indicates their common origin [haplogroup D (Y-DNA)]

Among Ashkenazi and Sephardic DNA, many modern Jews have the Y chromosome halogroup E (20-30%). Other Jews have haplogroup J (about 30%) and R (20-30%), and so on. Haplogroup R may have appeared among Jews during the diaspora in Europe, while haplogroup J is widespread in the Middle East and elsewhere

The halogroup E type E1b1b1 from the DNA family tree is the information provider for DNA testing, and it “is found in all Jewish populations: Ashkenazi, Sephardic, Kurdish, Yemenite, Samaritan and even Djerba Jews. This genetic marker is also used to find Jewish descendants.

Haplogroups D and E were once one and have a common origin. They both emerged from the DE haplogroup in the Middle East, and later split based on time and place.

And now the question is, “What haplogroup did the ancient Jews have?” In general, it seems that haplogroups E and J existed among Jews for a very long time - before 70 C.E.

The reason for this is that haplogroup E is present in every Jewish population in the world, as noted earlier. As for haplogroup J, more than half of the Jews with the surname Cohen (the paternal Cohens are descendants of the biblical high priest Aaron) have haplogroup J (J1 or J2).

If every Jew with the surname Cohen is descended from the High Priest Aaron in ancient Israel, we can think that the ancient Jews had haplogroup J; however, things are not that simple. Because the Kohanim have two types of haplogroup J; J1 and J2. The Kohanim also have haplogroup E and others in a small proportion. The Kohanim are Levites, and Levite DNA contains haplogroup E and other groups, as in other Jewish tribes.

Geneticists think that haplogroups E and J have been present among Jews since ancient times. We don't yet know which group is older. Nevertheless, it is advisable, when examining the fate of the lost 10 tribes of Israel, to pay more attention to haplogroup E. Consider the study of the DNA of the Samaritan priests.

Samaria is the area where the ten lost tribes once lived. Today about 650 Samaritans live there. Most of them have haplogroup J; Samaritan men are characterized by mixed blood. On the other hand, the Samaritan Levite priests have haplogroup E. The Levites did not interbreed, and they strictly inherited Jewish blood from ancient times. According to the Bible, their purpose was to transmit Torah knowledge to the Samaritans after the Assyrian exile, and to pass on the traditions through their father's line. Additionally, many of the so-called descendants of the lost tribes of Israel are carriers of haplogroups E or D.

Pathans (possibly Pashtuns - translator's note) in Afghanistan and Pakistan, who are said to be descendants of the lost tribes of Israel, have a prominent haplogroup E. Bukharian Jews, who are also said to be descendants of the lost tribes, have haplogroup E with frequency 28%. The Falasha, Ethiopian Jews, have haplogroup E with a frequency of 50%. Igbo (Nigerian Jews) have haplogroup E with a frequency of 90%. It is haplogroup E that was found among claimants to be descendants of the lost tribes of Israel. On the other hand, most peoples who are said to be descendants of the lost tribes of Israel do not have haplogroup J, or have it to a very small extent. Pathans have haplogroup J at only 6%, and the following peoples either have haplogroup J at a lower level or do not have it at all: Igbo (Nigeria), Bene Ephraim (southern India), Falasha (Ethiopia) and Bukharan Jews (Persian Jews) . The Lost Tribes of Israel also have haplogroup D. The people of the Chiang (Qiang) people (southwest China near Tibet) do not have haplogroup J, but have haplogroup D at a high frequency of 23%. According to “The Tribes of Israel,” written by Rabbi Eliyahu Avichail, founder of the Amishav Society, the Chiang people have retained many of the traditional customs of the Israelites, and he thinks that they are descendants of the Lost Tribes of Israel. According to Rabbi Avichail, the Shinlung people (Bnei Menashe, Northeast India) and the Karen people (Myanmar-Myanmar), also descendants of the Lost Tribes of Israel, were once one with the Chiang people. However, the Shinlung and Karen peoples lost haplogroup D because most of their men were killed by the Chinese during ancient times of persecution. They do not have haplogroup J. However, their traditional customs simply show that they were Israelites. These peoples (Chiang, Shinlung and Karen) are called Tibetans because they speak the Tibetan-Burmese dialect and live near Tibet. But they all retained customs and oral traditions of Israeli origin. They could be called “Israeli Tibetans.” They once lived in Kaifeng (China) in ancient times, but due to Chinese persecution, some fled south to the mountainous regions of Tibet, and became “Israeli Tibetans,” while others fled far to the east

Like the Chiang people, the Japanese have Y-chromosome haplogroup D, the highest in the world at 40%. This is very unusual for Asia and for the whole world. This haplogroup D is the brother of the Jewish haplogroup E, sharing a common ancestry and sharing the same YAP.

It can be reliably stated that about 40% of the Japanese are closely related to the Jews and the Lost Tribes of Israel