Episode 88 Hour of Decision: What About Israel, Pt. 3: Are Today’s Israelis “the People of the Book”?

Over 1 million Jews migrated to the Holy Land in the 20th Century, by 1948,  joining only about 50,000 who were already there. Yet it is assumed that this mass migration was some kind of homecoming, because Jews are “the people of the Book.” Is that truly the case? Three prominent Jews have written books that dispute this.Benjamin Freedman, an advisor to three presidents, was the author of Facts Are Facts. Alfred Lilianthal, a noted Jewish journalist, wrote What Price Israel, getting the attention of a young senator named John F. Kennedy. The noted writer Arthur Koestler was the author of the celebrated book, the Thirteenth Tribe, published by CBS’s print division and highly touted by Newsweek magazine. Each one of these books state that an overwhelming percentage of the people we know today as Jews have no ancestral connection to the Mideast.Lew’s guest, Dr. Justin Prock is a biblical scholar with several deep dives into scripture and ancient history under his belt. He further scrutinizes modern Israel and the role of what we know today as Judaism in Holy writ. In that process he cited a John Hopkins study which concluded that 97.5% of today’s Jews have no genetic connection to the ancient Hebrews. Facts Are Facts, by Benjamin FreedmanWhat Price Israel by Alfred LilienthalThe Thirteenth Tribe, by Arthur KoestlerEnd Time Resources from Dr. Justin Prock. A huge amount of material related to the Bible and its relevance in these times can be found on his website.