Joseph Eidelberg

The original Exodus map by Eidelberg

In 1969, while working in the Ivory Coast, Eidelberg claimed to have found that a tribe in Mali, named Bambara, that, according to him, spoke ancient Hebrew and ate Manna daily. His research, which followed, was detailed in his Hebrew book, “Bambara, A new Approach for solving the puzzle of Exodus and the mystery of the Ten Lost Tribes of Israel” (Hebrew: במברה גישה חדשה לפענוח חידת יציאת מצרים ותעלומת עשרת השבטים). The first edition of Bambara was published by Eidelberg in 1972 with publishing house Hamatmid.[6] The linguistics foundation of his theories was written in 1977 in a short print, "BAMBARA (A PROTO-HEBREW LANGUAGE?)".[7] Forty-two years later, in 2014, a second edition was published with Gefen Publishing House. The book title of the second edition included In Footsteps towards the Pillar of Fire (Hebrew: בעקבות עמוד האש).[8] The title change highlights one of Eidelberg's theories, that Mount Sinai is Emi Koussi, an active volcano in North Africa, which created a Pillar of Fire (Hebrew: עמוד האש). The Pillar of Fire, according to the Biblical story, led the Israelites, with its fire during the night and its smoke during daylight, to the place where Moses gave them the Ten Commandments from God. In 2021 the Hebrew book Bambara was translated to English and published by BookBaby under the title "BAMBARA Uncovering The Hidden Footsteps From the Pillar of Fire to the Rising Sun".[9] Eidelberg's theories, as presented in Bambara, were referenced in work of Aria Nasi Research.[10]

Sefer Bamidbar [ סֵפֶר בְּמִדְבַּר ], The Book of Numbers, Chapter 33 (פרק לייג) with 20 underlined location, along the Exodus route, which Eidelberg correlated to existing locations in North Africa

Comparison between Japanese and Hebrew letters

Eidelberg's theory shown in a Japanese TV Series, August 2011

In 1980, after spending a year in a Shinto Shrine, Eidelberg published his second history book “The Japanese and the Ten Lost Tribes of Israel”, by the publisher Zur-Ot. The book expanded his theory of the route, which the exiled Lost Tribes of Israel took from Samaria, though Asia and which ended up, according to his theory, in Japan. The theory also includes additional similarities in traditions, mythological stories, writings, and rituals, as well as hundreds of Japanese words and symbols whose genesis were narrated from ancient Hebrew. The book was translated into Japanese by Kazuo Nakagawa and sold at an estimated 40,000 copies.[11] Its 2nd edition was published 24 years later, in 2014, by his son with Gefen Publishing House.[12] A similar theory was presented in 2003 by Avigdor Shachan in chapter 14 of his Hebrew book, “Towards the Sambation: a Journey following the footsteps of the 10 Tribes” (Hebrew: אל עבר הסמבטיון מסע בעקבות עשרת השבטים) .[13] Shachan's book was translated into English in 2007 with the title In the Footsteps of the Lost Ten Tribes.[14] Both of these books by Shachan have considerable reference to Eidelberg's related discoveries as well as other educational organizations.[15][16] Other academic institutes raised doubts about Eidelberg's findings saying that "some of his much too far fetched, or even crude, etymological comparisons arouse doubts rather than cause convicting”.[17] A similar view is shown in the following academic publication. "In 1980, an Israeli researcher and writer, Joseph Eidelberg, published a book called The Japanese and the Ten Lost Tribes of Israel, in which he examined most of the Japanese publications on this subject and proposed the existence of a Japan-Jewish connection dating to the seventh century. In it, he claims that the word Yamato, the center of ancient Japan, is similar to Yehoamato—the people of God. He argues that the ancient Japanese began their journey in history in a year called Kinoye Tora, which he connected with the Hebrew words Kenei Torah (Torah reeds). The title “Agata Noshi,” awarded by a Japanese emperor to his nobles, was identified by Eidelberg as close to “Aguda Nassi,” or “Nessi Aguda” (meaning “chairman of the association”). All this sounds far-fetched and not plausible, although it is certainly interesting."[18]

Following the publication of his second book, Eidelberg deepened his research about the relationship between the Japanese and the ancient Hebrews, in his third book, “The Biblical Hebrew Origin of the Japanese People”. In this last book, he tabulated hundreds of words in Japanese with similar sounds and meanings to Hebrew. His research ended shortly before his death in 1985. After his death, the manuscript of the book was organized by his sister and published in 2005 by his son with Gefen Publishing House.[19] The book was translated into Japanese by Arimasa Kubo in 2012.[20] Eidelberg's theories were cited in book publications which followed, such as "Jesus From India to Japan".,[21] and theological organizations such as "The Christian Bushido" [22] His theory about the Ten Lost Tribes of Israel was also presented in a series of seven episodes by a Japanese TV broadcasting station [23] , and in Japanese Youtube videos.[24]

• Doubt: "The author's thesis does need more investigation in order to substantiate a majority off his claim"[25]
• Dispute: "The Japanese are not Hebrews!"[26]
• Combine: "Eiji Kawamorita, a hebraic scholar took a view that was a combination of Kubo and Eidelberg"[27]
• Support: "Paying thanks to the engineer, researcher, Joseph Eidelberg whose books "Bambara", and "The Japanese and the Ten Lost tribes of Israel", lightened my way for forty years until I wrote this book".[28]

• BOOK COMMENT - The Biblical Hebrew Origin of the Japanese People[29]
• Words, words, Words[30]
• Priests in Japan from the Ten tribes?[31]
• The route of Exodus,- Today[32]
• Researcher Eidelberg view of the Bambara Tribe in Mali[33]