The Thirteenth Tribe

This book is my fourth or fifth book by Arthur Koestler. My two favorites are "The Act of Creation" and "The Ghost in The Machine". I ordered this one after I saw a documentary on the history of Central Europe and Asia/Russia. I have been attempting to fill in the holes in my sense of history and global motivation and politics. There sure are so many details that are so very significant to how the world is shaped today...

Excellent book. Most people have no clue today did the majority of Jews that they meet or no or know about or hear about have very little if any genetic ties to the Israelites or the people in Palastine of the biblical days. Modern day Judaism is the modern creation is nuts isn’t fair resemblance very much of the ancient people this according to the Jewish encyclopedia don’t take my word for it the encyclopedia Judaica. yes book covers I want to see the creation of a people are so much S the conversion of a people that did so in mass by state edict so it’s not Inapropriate you use the term created. We were all created at some point to our beliefs or ideology our faith so it’s not meant as an insult. It just tells of aHistory but not many people are exposed to. It was an excellent read. Enclosing I’d like to say my prayers my best wishes my love for my fellow humans of all people in all religions in all tribes in all groups and all subdivisions there of. A greater understanding of the world around us see opportunities navigate our way through it possibly by disallowing the insane maniacs who love war to win and have their day

The history in this book clarified many false narratives I was taught.

This book is a very wonderful book and I will read it again to fully digest Mr Koestler’s finding! The beautiful thing about truth is that it usually needs no proof and when it brings light , the darkness has no place!

If you want to discuss a heated topic with one of your Jewish friends, just mention the name of this book! Despite passionate opinions, I have yet to meet A Jewish person who has actually read it. They just read the reviews.The last two chapters, particularly the last one summarizes things so well that If they were written as the first two chapters, the controversy might’ve been largely avoided.

This book has to be one of the most amazing pieces of historical research of the twentieth century. It resolves so many historical questions and enlightens current events in a way that few other books do. Among the questions that get clarified by this book are:• The real non-semitic, Caucasian origin of Ashkenazi Jews.• Why Ashkenazi Jews look “whiter” than their Sephardic or Mizrahi counterparts.• Why has Eastern Europe always been home to so many Ashkenazi Jews.• The real, non-biblical origin of the “Star of David”.• The origin of the obsession of Ashkenazi Jews with the land of Israel.• Revelation 2:9.It’s strange that the author, himself a Zionist Jew, at the end of the book included a lengthy discussion about the implications of his study, where he argues that even though most modern Jews are not ethnic Jews, that should not deprive them of the right to possess the “Holy” land (!?)Perhaps he included that little epilogue with the intention of avoiding his assassination (which he did not achieve) for publishing such inflammatory research; but the consequences of this work are undeniable, and it shatters to pieces the claim that the ancestors of most modern Jews ever lived in the land of Israel (not that the “promised land” claim should anyway have any validity to deprive a whole people —the Palestinians— of their rightful home).

One of the dimensions most important to me in a text, next to information content and quality of writing (proper format, citation of sources, grammar and punctuation, etc.) is how engaging and interesting it is. Many books of this sort are very dry, and I wind up rereading some sections several times because my mind wandered. Not so with Koestler's The Thirteenth Tribe. A fascinating and fluid narrative, with thoughtful analysis of one likely history of the Ashkenazi Jews. Even having at one time been a history major in college, this book presented information that was fresh to me. I was able to finish the text at a casual pace in just a few days. Recommended.

The truth is definitely stranger than fiction. A well written book that undoubtedly ruffles some feathers. In world that is currently reacting strangely to the truth coming out, this is definitely a must read.