Legends of the Lost Tribes (1996)

In the series premiere, Patinkin delves into the Samarian community whose members consider themselves descendants of the ancient Kingdom of Israel. The episode explores the small community which, at the time of filming, comprised of just 600 individuals – half of whom live in the Greater Tel Aviv suburb of Holon and the other half, in Nablus. Through a series of interviews with members of the Samarian faith, and featuring their sacrificial rite practices, Patinkin paints an intimate portrait of this scarcely known community.

Episode 2 of the series turns the spotlight onto the Israelite community (aka Bene Israel) in India. Exactly who are the members of this subset whose Judaism other Jews have previously called into question? Are they in fact, as legend has it, survivors of the great tempest? Are they descendants of King Solomon’s seamen, originally of the Zebulun tribe? The episode explores the customs and culture of the Israelites whose people moved to Israel after the establishing of the state, but then had to wait upwards of 20 years for the country’s orthodox rabbinate authorities to recognise their Judaism.

Episode 3 of the series turns its focus onto Nigeria’s Ibo tribe. Legend has it that the tribesmen are in fact descendants of the foreign workers – the cheap labour force brought over to Israel from Africa by King Solomon for the purpose of building the Temple. According to myth, when the workers came back to Africa, they returned as Jews (the name ‘Ibo’ is actually a mispronunciation of ‘Hebrew’). The Ibos consider themselves descendants of the Gad tribe and their tale is told through a series of interviews with members of the community who are eager to share their story.

In the fourth episode of the series, we meet the British Israelites – a Christian cult that rose to prominence in Victorian times, whose members believe that Britons are in fact descendants of the Hebrews who originally hail from the Dan tribe.

In the beginning of the century, the Bedouin tribe “Bedul”, living in the caves of Petra, Jordan, captured the imagination of Zionist pioneers. Among them was the historian, explorer and first president of Israel, Itzhak Ben Zvi. In this chapter we follow the observations of Ben Zvi who discovered traces of ancient Hebrew customs in the lifestyles of some Palestinian villagers and Bedouin tribes. He speculated that the inhabitants on both sides of the Jordan river may be descendants of the original Hebrew population which never left the area, despite the numerous exiles. Although 100 years ago they presented themselves to the British historians as the “Sons of Israel”, the Bedul of today deny everything...

Episode 6 of the series introduces India’s Beit Yaakov community. Legend has it that some members of the ten banished tribes who had been expelled from Israel, found a new home for themselves in India’s Kashmir Valley where they kept practising their Jewish faith and customs, that is until they were forced to convert to Islam. Members of the community – all of whom reside in a small village north of Madras, believe that they are descendants of the Ephraim tribe. In a small shack that functions as the local synagogue, they all congregate to pray and study the scriptures, despite the harsh conditions, discrimination, sense of exclusion, and abject poverty.

In this episode, Patinkin follows a small subset of the Mizo people (aka Bnei Menashe) in Mizoram on the Indo-Burmese border, who believe that they are the descendants of the long-lost tribe of Manasseh. The end of the episode sees 30 members of the community go through with their plan to move to Israel.

In this episode, Patinkin explores Jamaica’s Rastafarian movement and its members’ connection to the lost Jewish tribes: from their forced exile from their native Africa to a longing for Ethiopia – their very own ‘Zion.’ In fact, the Rastafarians’ “Messiah”, Haile Selassie, believes that he is a direct descendant of King Solomon. Throughout the episode, Patinkin shines a light on the range of unique Rasta customs, and the connection between Judaism and Rastafarianism.

Episode 9 of the series focuses on the Peruvian Israelites (aka ‘Israelitas’) – a group of devout Christians who study the Old Testament rigorously, and whose many customs are highly reminiscent of Jewish traditions: from their observance of the holy Sabbath, to making sacrificial offerings on all the Jewish high holidays including Sukkot, Passover, and Shavuoth.

In this episode, we meet the Jewish community in the Mexican village of Venta Prieta (which means ‘dark windows’). The locals who, at the turn of the 20th century when their village was first discovered, were dubbed the Jewish Indians (on account of their indigenous Mexican features) have their own synagogue and are known to observe all Jewish commandments and traditions. It is also believed that they are descended from the Spanish Jews who, in the 15th century were forced to abandon their faith or face expulsion from Spain (thereby earning the nickname, ‘anusim’ – literally meaning ‘coerced’).

Magda, a US preacher’s daughter who is based in Dallas, Texas, discovers that she is in fact descended from 15th century Spanish Jews who were forced to abandon their faith (aka the ‘anusim’ – the coerced). The deeper she dug into her roots, the more she found herself drawn to her ancestors’ traditions. Nowadays, she follows an observant Jewish lifestyle.

Episode 12 of the series follows the story of the ever-vanishing Karaite community in the former Communist states of Poland and Lithuania. The penultimate instalment in the series turns the spotlight onto this otherwise tiny sect of Judaism whose members follow the scriptures to the letter, rejecting any and all rabbinical interpretation.

In the series finale, Patinkin dives into contemporary spiritualism, club and techno culture, and communities that come together around sound, rhythm, colour, light, and people. The DJ is the shaman, the grand high priest who leads his congregation through a ceremony that is a spiritual journey in its own right. Techno prophet and DJ Nick has a dream of erecting the Third Temple in London. His vision of a modern-day Revelation at [Mount] Sinai is a massive club where ‘disciples’ will receive all his teachings of music, sights, and sounds.