Customer Reviews

Thirteenth Tribe

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Unlike other reviewers I found this to be a very interesting book and it appears that some of these reviewers were more interested in debunking Arthur Koestler by labelling him anti-semitic. He was himself of Ashkenazi Jewish descent and proud of it. His book quotes many sources and his thesis should not be dismissed out of hand. In itself it is of historical interest to learn of the Khazar empire that ruled for several hundred years and who were a power equal to the Byzantine empire and one that stopped the Muslim onslaught against Byzantium. I can strongly encourage others to read this book and make up their own mind.

I also found this book to be quite informative and can understand that it may touch off a few issues. The interesting thing is that people would rather debunk something because of a belief system than actually READ and take to heart what the book has to reveal. It is well referenced and gives us much information concerning the issues we are facing today, how it is and will affect the world.

Historically, the information is all out there, published in various places. Arthur Koestler simply brought it all together and put it into comprehensive form. If this is why he is attacked, then it's a sad statement to the conditions we are living in today.

An excellent history of the Kazars, detailing the extraordinary power of this kingdom and its many influences. Having adopted Judaism in the 7th century the Kazars represent the true origins of the Ashkenazi Jews - a fact that many people will wish to suppress but which is powerfully proven by Koestler, himself an Ashkenazi Jew. The break up of the Kazar kingdom and the resulting waves of migration are explored in detail. A robustly researched and well documented history of a people whose origins are crucial to modern history.

256 pages with a classic evidential approach to discover the origin of this anti-Abrahamic **anti-semitic** dualistic double-minded culture.

I found his presentation of the data, even though he assumes the false Hebrew/tribal corollary definition of Jew, to be a very good introductory contribution from this perspective. Appropriately a bit dry and technical in style but none-the-less a reasonable presentation of the information "available to him at the time" that tends to confirm the non-Hebrew non-semitic origin of these people, (most of whom have bought into the "Jewish race" notion on uncritical faith) and refute the well-funded Western history rewrite propaganda that the global culture is expected to grant upon the same mere uncritical faith.

When one understands the racist nature of Talmudic ideology, this expose of empirical data becomes another problematic lamp for our Zioni$t Utopian deception-based Establishment, illuminating the identity theft of the non-lineage "Covenant" name of "Jew".

Rom. 2:28, 29 "For he is not a Jew, which is one outwardly; neither is that circumcision, which is outward in the flesh: 29 But he is a Jew, which is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the spirit, and not in the letter; whose praise is not of men, but of God."

This book made me to learn more about the origin of the so called Askenazi Jews who are actually Europeans and have now constituted as ninety percent of jews now.I would recommend this book for people to know that the Askenazi Jews are not the same as the Shepherdic Jews

The Thirteenth Tribe, Arthur Koestler

Arthur Koestler was born in Budapest, studied science and psychology in Vienna, and became a foreign correspondent for various European newspapers. He covered the Spanish Civil War, and later joined the French Foreign Legion, then the British Army. His most famous novel is "The Darkness at Noon". This 1976 book discusses the ancient Khazar Empire that flourished in the Dark Ages, the seventh to the tenth centuries between the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea, an area called Caucasia where the Aryans originated. They were wiped out by the forces of Genghis Khan. Some took refuge in Eastern Europe and had an impact on the racial composition and social heritage of modern Jewry.

Part One tells of the "Rise and Fall of the Khazars". Their cavalry was the origin of the word "Hussar". They adopted Judaism to avoid becoming a vassal of either the Christian ruler in Constantinople or the Moslem ruler in Babylon. Previously they worshiped pagan gods. Chapter III tells about their state at its peak. Emperor Leo the Khazar ruled Byzantium in 775-780. The invasions by Vikings or Norsemen affected many nations around Khazaria. The Khazar state disappeared by the end of the 13th century (p.132).

Part Two discusses "The Heritage" after the Mongol invasion. Khazar people migrated to the west (eastern Europe), such as in Hungary (p.142). The Black Death also depopulated the former Khazar heartland (p.144). Place names in the Ukraine and Poland are derived from `Khazar' or `Zhid' (p.145). The Polish kingdom attracted immigrants (p.149). Chapter VI discusses the migration of Jews into Europe since Roman times. The Black Death killed many, and led to the persecution of the Jews. Yiddish is an amalgam of Hebrew, medieval German, Slavonic, and other elements written in Hebrew characters (p.172). The `East-Middle German' dialects came from medieval Austria and Bavaria (p.173).

Chapter VIII discusses "Race and Myth" about the Sephardim and Ashkenazim. Physical anthropology shows too many differences among Jewish groups to form a race. In any nation there is a greater similarity between Jews and Gentiles than those in different countries. Interbreeding and proselytizing are noted in the Old Testament (p.187). The aquiline nose is found among North American Indians and various Caucasian tribes, but not among true Semites (p.191). A way of life affects not only facial expressions but also physical features (p.195).

Arthur Koestler tells about old friends who emigrated to the United States before World War II. They acquired "an American physiognomy" (p.195). [Ever notice how you can sometimes identify some Europeans as non-Americans by their face?] Koestler goes on to describe the effects of inbreeding, genetic drift, and selection. Koestler ends with his claim that world Jewry is of Khazar-Turkish rather than Semitic origin (p.199). The misconceptions about a "Jewish type" ignores geographic reality, social environment, and social inheritance. The four Appendices provide a background to this book.

First of all, Arthur Koestler deserves all our respect for showing us, that truly intelligent human beings do not cave in to popular opinion and so called scientific findings, that are then presented as the gospel truth!

This book is well written and provides factual insights and accounts, where documentary evidence is lacking.

It would help the general reader, to have some familiarity with the history of the Jewish people (specially the period of the Diaspora and post Diaspora), the Central Asian tribal groups, Western Europe (during the Dark Ages), and the Byzantine Empire. The author presents all his evidence in a concise and even humorous manner, displaying his own personal experience with bias and prejudice!

There is nothing presented here to show that the Jewish people do not deserve our respect and our admiration for retaining their unique identity and heritage in a world that has treated them with the utmost hostility throughout most of their history, save a few exceptions.

I will be looking foward to reading Arthur Koestler's novels.

Love and Peace,

Carlos Romero.

P.S. No mention is ever made of 'Bukharian Jews', and there probable link to the 'Khazars', their similar history would lead me to believe that there is a connection! Coincidentally, one of the most powerful families during the 'Soviet' era, was named 'Kaganovich'!

I found the book very interesting and useful. It does indeed suggest somewhat a controversial perspective, but I think the information he shares is very interesting. I also read some critics of Koestler and feel that it is worth to read him and further think about this. The book brings a historical review and gives hints to follow. I would recommend everyone interested in the history of Khazars, Karaims and Jews to read this book.

If some Chinese leaders

1. decide to be Religious

2. invite representatives of major religions to describe their religions so as to make a learned choice...

3. and the Chinese leaders decide to become

Roman Catholics...

And therefore many Chinese become very acquainted with all things Latin such as Latin language, Latin food, Latin music, Latin dance, Latin names, etc.

Then if, after hundreds of years, many Chinese Catholics

1. develop intense desire to live a Latin life in Italy

2. invade Italy

3. force native Italians to escape to refugee camps, to live in plenty poverty

4. and thereby cause much trauma and stress to the People of Italy and nearby lands...

And then these Chinese Catholics continually claim Italy to be their traditional, ancestral and spiritual homeland, with Rome as its sacred and holy Religious capitol...

Would it be right ?

This is the analogy I ponder when thinking about Koestler's Thirteenth Tribe and related books about the Russian ethnic group named Khazars.

Koestler gives meticulous details of historical events of the Khazars, from the Melting Pot between the hordes of Central Asia, the ancestral homeland of the Khazars, and adjacent areas.

For any serious students of Eastern European and Russian history this book is a very valuable reference.

However, The Thirteenth Tribe is NOT a source for authentic genuine Semitic cultural research since

*** Khazars are NOT Semitic ***

and Arab and Iranian People

*** ARE Semitic ***

This book has major implications for Euro Russian society, and Euro Russian foreign invasion and occupation zones, since Khazars often form the "Cream of the Crop" among human elites in many nations, to include the USA, UK and even faraway Australia, and their combined foreign policy.

In no way should all Khazars be blamed for many World problems because large numbers of Khazars are among the ruling class over Euro Russian dominant societies:

1. Khazars add plenty talent and genius to many cultures in many lands

2. Khazars helped prevent invasion and domination of Europe by the East Asian hordes of the Genghis Khan Empire

3. It is wrong to blame all members of a group for criminal acts by a minority in that group

Koestler himself was of Khazar heritage and was found dead, in less than perfectly natural circumstances, alongside his third wife, in their London apartment, several years after the publication of this book, one of the last of the famous works by this famous author

This book is an in-depth factual historical study, drawn from many sources, and is probably best used by students of Euro Russian history and displaced cultures.

When I first heard of Arthur Koestler's thesis -- that the Ashkenazi Jews might be largely descended from remnants of the Khazar Empire -- I was intrigued. I'd never heard of the Khazars, and the idea that an entire kingdom had converted to Judaism seemed both fascinating and bizarre.

Koestler's book does a great job of shining light on a historical era and people who have been ignored for centuries. It is unfortunate that so little has been written about the Khazars. There appears to be more material available today than there was when Koestler wrote his book, but the world is still waiting for a really hefty book that addresses who the Khazars were and what they accomplished and, most important, tries to reconstruct what a Jewish medieval kingdom would look like.

As for his idea that there is a link between the Khazars and the Ashkenazi, though, forget it. Modern genetic analysts have been extremely interested in the Jewish people. Among other findings, researchers have discovered that Jews around the world share genetic markers, and that those who claim priestly descent share markers that are unique. Such facts were both unknown and undreamed of in Koestler's time, and they completely refute his ideas.

The truly unfortunate thing about this book is its misuse by Jew-hating right wing groups. Koestler himself was no anti-Semite. However, his book has long been a favorite among neo-Nazis who use it to claim that the people identified as European Jews are not actually the descendants of the people written about in the Bible, making it okay to hate them and kill them en masse. Right-wing websites often sell the book alongside copies of the "Protocols of the Elders of Zion", the anti-Jewish forgery that is now so popular in the Arabic world. Koestler must be turning over in his grave.