Revealed! Is it true that Christopher Columbus actually had Jewish blood?
The Mystery of Columbus' Identity
Mounting evidence suggests that Christopher Columbus may have been Jewish. Photo: ist
HOLIDAY NEWS - The famous explorer Christopher Columbus, who was known as the discoverer of the American continent, apparently kept a big secret about his true identity. New evidence suggests that Columbus may have been Jewish!
So far, the identity of Christopher Columbus has been a mystery and has always been debated, especially in Europe. Italians claim he was born in Lugano, Italy to Domenico Colombo, a tower guard. Meanwhile, the Spaniards claim that he was born in Spain from a different father's name.
However, recently Spanish scholars, Jose Erugo, Otero Sanchez, and Nicholas Dias Perez have concluded that Christopher Columbus was in fact a secret Jew whose voyage to the Dutch East Indies was different from what he claimed so far. Evidence of this statement is the contents of his personal letters and writings in his diary.
It is said that the language of Christopher Columbus's writings was not understood by the majority of the native Spaniards who lived in his time. Estelle Irizarry, a professor of linguistics, analyzed the language of hundreds of similar letters and came to the conclusion that the language used was Castilian Spanish or Ladino which was the Jewish version of Spanish. This language is the German equivalent of Yiddish.
When examined, the mysterious monogram written on Christopher Columbus' letter is written from right to left. To quote Maurice David, an expert on Semitic languages, "In all these private letters, the careful reader can clearly see in the upper left corner a small monogram which is actually just... an old greeting in Hebrew... which is frequently used by religious Jews throughout the world to this day." The symbols in question are the Hebrew letters bet and heh, an abbreviation of b'ezrat Hashem which means "with God's help."
Evidence Pointing to Jewish Origins
Secret Language: Columbus' writings were in Ladino Spanish, a language only spoken by the Jewish community in Spain at that time.
Hebrew Symbols: Columbus letters were found to contain monograms which are greetings in Hebrew.
Mysterious Will: Columbus' will includes several wishes that draw on Jewish traditions, including charitable donations and a secret code of prayers in Hebrew.
Jewish Sponsorship: It is revealed that Columbus' voyage was financed by Jews, raising questions about the motives behind the journey.
The Hidden Motive Behind Columbus' Voyage?
Some historians argue that Columbus sailed to find refuge for Jews experiencing oppression in Spain. There are also those who believe that he was looking for gold to fund the crusades and rebuild the Temple in Jerusalem.
Interesting Facts:
Columbus delayed his departure because it coincided with Tisha b'Av, a day of mourning in Jewish tradition.
He took a Hebrew translator with him on his journey.