Dear Doves:

In 2005, a friend gave me a copy of an article entitled "In 1492 Columbus
was a Jew?" from the July/August 2005 issue of the magazine "Jewish Voice
Today".  In this article, it states very convincing facts that Columbus was
a Jew.  The article states that possibly "90% or more of his crew were made
up of Jews fleeing the Spanish Inquisition" and that "It is now believed
that Columbus, having failed in his attempt to use his influence to reverse
the expulsion edict, was now assisting a Jewish exodus and hope to find a
safe haven for his kinsmen."  A Jewish researcher reported that "On August
2, 1492 (Tisha b'Av, the 9th day of Av) more than 300,000 Jews were expelled
from Spain, and on August 3, the next day, Columbus set sail for the west,
taking a group of Jews with him".  This article also states that most
Columbus historians recognize that he was not born in Genoa, Italy but that
"Columbus (Cristobal Colon - a common name among Jews that had converted to
the Catholic Church) was born in the Spanish city of Pontevedra of Jewish
parents who were forced to convert".  Historians also believe that Columbus'
religious behavior was that of the "Marranos" (which is a derogatory term
meaning pig) to describe Jews who outwardly practiced Christianity but
privately continued to practice what was considered Judaism - Old Testament
Feasts and observances".  Columbus also had some traits that make the author
conclude that he was a Messianic believer -- He was "a devoted student of
scripture spending hours in bible study which was not common for the
Catholics of that era.".  The article also stated that "Nearly all of the
important people in his personal life were Jews, from his wife to his
doctor" and that "Gentile Catholics of that time would not go to Jewish
doctors or intermarry with Jews."  It is known that Columbus freely made
very Jewish references in his writings and was fluent in Latin and literate
in Hebrew.  In the corner of letters, he wrote to his son are the Hebrew
letters bet and hay meaning "b'ezrat HaShem or "With the help of His Name
(God).  In his diary, Columbus connected the date of the expulsion of the
Jews from Spain with Tisha b'Av - the saddest day on the Jewish calendar"
and states the he first sighted land on "Hoshannah Rabbah, during the feast
of Sukkot (Tabernacles).  The article concludes with this profound paragraph
"Although we have no way to know if Columbus was a secret Jew, in his heart
and practice his Jewish heritage is clear ....His voyages, funded largely by
a Jewish financier, opened up the sailing routes to the New World, making
the founding of America possible.  Perhaps this is why God has called
America to be a friend and protector to Israel, and a safe place for Jewish
people to live and practice their faith in peace."

I thought those of you who are discussing Columbus at this time would be
interested in this information.  There is a lot more "evidence" of him being
a Jew in the article but I don't know if the group has a website or if you
can view the entire article online.  May the Lord Yeshua bless each of you.
Maranatha!!!
Carol K