British scientists have confirmed with DNA testing that an African tribe in northern South Africa that claims Semitic origins is telling the truth. The Lemba, whose oral traditions state that their ancestors were Jews, practice customs that are remarkably similar to those of the House of Israel. They keep one day of the week holy, bless the new moon, circumcise their boys, slaughter meat in a ritual manner, avoid eating food with blood and do not eat pork. Some of the men wear yarmulkas (kippot), they strongly discourage marriage outside the tribe, and the custom of the tribe is to inscribe a Star of David on the gravestone of the deceased.

None of these practices are common among the peoples of Zimbabwe or South Africa. The Lemba are also divided into 12 tribes, and among the Buba, the priestly class, was found the exact same DNA element as among those Jews of the priestly class elsewhere around the world.

A number of genetic studies have confirmed the findings. Initial research in 1996 indicated that more than half of the Lemba Y chromosomes (the male chromosome) are Semitic in origin. That study was followed by another in 2000, that reported more specifically that a significant group of Lemba males carry the “Cohen [Kohen] modal haplotype” (CHM) on the Y chromosome, which indicates the Y-DNA Haplogroup J found among Jews and some other populations across the Middle East.

The Buba clan carried most of the CMH markers among the Lemba, similar to other Jewish groups around the world where the males of the priestly class, the Kohenim, carry the CHM marker. Lemba tradition states that it was the Buba clan that had a “leadership role in bringing the Lemba out of Israel” and into southern Africa.

The oral tradition handed down among the Yemenite Jews is similar, stating that after the expulsion following the destruction of the First Temple, the Levi’im (assistant priests) and Kohenim fled towards Yemen; the group then split, with some continuing on towards the south, in the direction of Africa.

The University of London’s Professor Tudor Parfitt , who spent six months living with the tribe, and 20 years researching their people, expressed his amazement in an interview this week with the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC). Parfitt stated that it appears that the Jewish priesthood continued in the West by people called Cohen, and in the same way it was continued by the priestly clan of the Lemba. They have a common ancestor who geneticists state lived about 3,000 years ago somewhere in north Arabia, which is the time of Moses and Aaron, when the Jewish priesthood started.

The Lemba tradition states that their ancestors fled the Holy Land some 2,500 years ago, traveling first to “Sen’a” and then south to Africa. Their sacred prayer language is comprised of a mixture of Hebrew and Arabic. The tribe, approximately 80,000 strong, lives in central Zimbabwe and the northern part of South Africa, and prizes above all its holiest object: the ngoma lungundu, “the drum that thunders.” According to tribal leaders, it is this, a wooden replica of the Biblical Ark of the Covenant, that connects the Lemba to their Jewish ancestry.

The oral traditions regarding the ngoma lungundu said it had been used in battles, and thus was rebuilt several times, possibly from original remnants, Parfitt explained. He added that the replica that recently went on display at the Harare museum, about 700 years old, is “the closest descendant of the Ark that we know of.”

The Lemba people of today, however, are Christians and Muslims, although many define their ties to Judaism as their “culture.”

The relationship between the Jewish people and the tasty almond is traced back to the Torah. Almonds were among the produce of the Land of Israel presented by Jacob to the Egyptian Pharaoh via his sons in Genesis 43, when they went down to Egypt to buy food during the famine in Canaan.

When leadership roles were being clarified, the staff of Aaron sprouted almond buds to show that he was chosen by G-d in Numbers 17.  Jeremiah also was shown an almond branch by G-d in his first prophetic vision (Jeremiah 1). The beautifully-blossomed almond tree featured prominently in Israeli celebrations of Tu b’Shevat has a dark side.

Nectar of almond flowers contains 4-10 milligrams per litre of amygdalin, which yields the potent poison cyanide. While sweet almonds are safe for eating (though causing an allergic reaction in some people), wild bitter almonds also contain amounts of amygdalin and could be toxic, especially for young children.

A group of researchers at the Department of Environmental and Evolutionary Biology and the Department of Science Education at the University of Haifa-Oranim investigated why the almond tree produces poison, especially when the purpose of flower nectar is to attract bees, which will pollinate them. They discovered that the lethal substance is actually there to give the lushly-flowered tree an advantage over nearby competitors.

The research team exposed honey bees to plates of nectar that had varying concentrations of the toxin and a plate of nectar without the toxin. The team first monitored four different amygdalin concentrations in the range of the natural levels of toxin typically found in almond tree nectar. A second experiment monitored levels much higher than those found in the natural form. In all cases, the bees preferred nectar containing amygdalin over the amygdalin-free variety. While amygdalin is poisonous for mammals, it is not poisonous for insects, such as the honey bee. In fact, it may act as a stimulant which attracts them.

Another theory is that “expert” bees”, the ones who have been pollinating for some time – will have built up a tolerance to amygdalin, resulting in the arrival of only the most seasoned pollinators at the almond tree. There is a posibility that the nectar toxin prevents bacteria from harming the nectar and threatening the pollination of the tree. Honey made from these almond trees is known to have medicinal properties, such as natural anti-biotics

Scientists have discovered a second “new” form of “bad” cholesterol they say can contribute to heart disease. Lipoprotein(a), or Lp(a), does not respond to diet or cholesterol medication – but neither does it carry the same risk as the first-generation “bad” cholesterol, LDL. According to the findings of a study reported this month in the New England Journal of Medicine, lead author Professor Martin Farrall said Lp(a) appears to upset the blood-clotting process.

Two genetic factors were identified. The study, funded by the British Heart Foundation, used gene-chip technology to scan DNA that had previously been identified to contain potential risk areas for heart disease. Farrall emphasized that “the increase in risk to people from high Lp(a) levels is significantly less severe that the risk from high LDL cholesterol levels. Lp(a) doesn’t trump LDL, which has a larger impact and which we can already control pretty effectively.” The aim, he added, is to find a medication that will simultaneously control both.

Another new form of “bad” cholesterol was identified earlier this year by a researcher at the Chinese University of Hong Kong. Khen-Yu Chen, Ph.D. presented his findings at the 238th National Meeting of the American Chemical Society earlier in the year. In an interview published by Science Daily this past August, Chen stated oxycholesterol which at present cannot be controlled by diet or current medications on the market might turn out to be the most serious threat of all to gene-chip technology health.

Oxycholesterol was proved to reduce the elasticity of arteries and impaired their ability to expand and carry more blood throughout the body. It also produced more deposits of cholesterol in the lining of arteries and a tendency to develop larger fatty deposits or atherosclerotic plaques which increase the risk for heart attack and stroke. The work demonstrated that oxycholesterol boosts total cholesterol levels and promotes atherosclerosis (hardening of the arteries) more than non-oxidized cholesterol.

Oxidation occurs when fatty foods are heated. Foods containing high amounts of oxycholesterol include anything fried or highly processed, including the average “fast food.” The good news is that a diet rich in antioxidants can counter these effects and might block the process that forms oxycholesterol. Such a diet includes fresh fruit and vegetables, whole grains, nuts and seeds, and certain herbs and spices.