Religion & Culture
the connection between jews and Roma has been well know since before the 18th century.
The Roma culture and traditions are all based on the Torah, as spiritual descendants of Abraham. While many Roma customs are strict interpretations of its law, their mystical interpretation of God’s teachings, are the base of Kabbalah - practices and beliefs that were passed down verbally for millennia, with a covenant to never put them in writing.* Rather than an institutionalized religion, the common thread among the Roma people is their personal, and direct, communication with a shared, mono-theistic deity - God.
It is only in the last decade that the common heritage of the Romani people and Jews has been the focus of theological research, led by Israel scholar Shmuel Avukia. His research on the Torah has concluded that the Romani people are descendants of the tribe of Simeon - one of the twelve tribes of Israel.
From his current work with the Romani community, Avukia notes that “the Roma people know that they are of Jewish Descent, but they have no proof.” Now, his research is shedding scientific light on what we have empirically known for centuries.
The historical connection between Jews and Roma is irrefutable. Most startling is the Nazi’s determination to annihilate only two ethnic groups - the Jews and the Gypsies. Other historical context is prevalent, as evidence of discovery of this “lost” tribe, however work continues to gain full acceptance from halachic authorities. Working with Jewish logic, Avukia notes “only that which seems impossible happens at the end.”