The Northeast Alabama Cherokee held a ceremony on Sept. 25 in Guntersville, Ala., to establish a relationship with Israel. There, the tribe presented a resolution, unanimously passed by the Tribal Council, recognizing the "sovereign Jewish nation" of Israel, with Jerusalem as its "eternal undivided capital."

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"We vow our full support in the pursuit of the peace of Jerusalem and the Nation of Israel by whichever means may be necessary," it said.

The event, centered around a potluck lunch, included expressions of solidarity with the Jewish community and comparisons to the experiences of native tribes in North America.

Chief Larry Smith began his remarks by noting that "if there is a people that can understand how the Jews feel, it's the Cherokee," which received an "Amen" from the audience.

"We have chosen to identify with a people as a people," he added.

Seth Penn, the deputy representative of the Red Wind Tribal District, said "the nation of Israel has a lot in common with the Cherokee people – they have been removed from their homeland, came back and have to fight for their homeland."

"Some historians even argue we can find our DNA roots in Israel," he said. "I'm not saying that's true."

Smith echoed that, saying "are we the Ten Lost Tribes of Israel? Debatable."

But "there are so many of our ceremonies, so many of our celebrations that coincide with Jewish traditions and the Jewish holidays," he added.

The first white settler in what is now Montgomery was Jewish, Abraham Mordecai. He traded with the local tribes and was so convinced of their Jewish origin that he kept addressing them in Hebrew, hoping to receive a similar response.

Smith said Penn brought the idea of the resolution to him about four months ago. While he was receptive to the idea, the fact that Penn "was getting a great response from the Israeli side" made him more determined to do it.

'It has been a struggle; it is still a struggle'

Laura King, the co-founder of the Alabama-Israel Task Force and former national chair of the Jewish Federations of North America's Network of small Jewish communities, made a presentation on behalf of the Israeli Consulate in Atlanta.

King expressed "deep apologies" from Consul General Anat Sultan-Dadon for not being able to attend. "She really wanted to be here today, it was really important to her," but the event being on Shabbat in the middle of Sukkot made it impossible.

In a letter to the tribe, Sultan-Dadon wrote: "Your friendship and support, beautifully expressed through this proclamation from the Cherokee Tribe of Northeast Alabama, are invaluable and greatly appreciated."

She added that "like the Cherokee Tribe, the Jewish people have an undeniable and unbreakable bond to our native land. During centuries of dispersion, the Jewish people never severed nor forgot its bond with our historic homeland."

Smith said it is a tremendous honor to have recognition from Israel, "when we can't even get other Cherokees to recognize us." He added that only the state of Alabama, which declared nine tribes in a 1984 legislative act, recognizes them.

He added that most people don't realize that the tribes benefited greatly from Martin Luther King Jr. and the civil rights battles, because the Civil Rights Act included provisions for native tribes.

Before then, "you weren't allowed to go further than eighth grade," and in Louisiana, for example, the first Native American to graduate high school did so in 1967. "It has been a struggle, and it is still a struggle."

In comments that the Jewish community can identify with, Smith said he often gets requests from people who want to be identified as Cherokee and asks them, "Do you really know what you are asking?" One may have an identity card in their pocket, but "your name is on a roll … it hasn't always been popular to identify with a certain people, with your name on their roll."

He noted that at one point, the United States didn't want the Cherokee to be around, and "the ones they couldn't kill, they were going to assimilate."

But "we're still here. We're growing and we're stronger."

Smith said while the Jews had Hitler, "We had Andrew Jackson. Hitler admitted he read Andrew Jackson's book on how to get rid" of the native tribes. He added, "I firmly believe [Jackson] planned to kill them all, and the political atmosphere didn't let him."

Penn said the message of "declaring our sovereignty as a tribal nation in support of another sovereign nation" is "very significant, even more so than we may realize."

'A God-given responsibility to steward sacred lands'

John Buhler, AITF co-founder, called it "a deeply meaningful gesture … we live in a time when so many voices remain silent, but the Cherokee tribe has risen to acknowledge the truth" about Jerusalem and Israel.

He said Israel and the Cherokee are both "indigenous people who have a very deep sense of a God-given responsibility to steward sacred lands."

Two years ago, Buhler was part of a 50-person trip to Israel from Alabama; the group visited the Jordan River at the spot where Joshua brought the nation into the land. He presented Smith with a small jar of dirt from that site.

As "honored guests" representing the Jewish community, King and this reporter were presented with native blankets and necklaces.

Citing Genesis 12:3, which was quoted on the inside of the resolution's presentation folder, Smith said the Jews "are still God's people. If you are an evangelical Christian or a Chassidic Jew, you have to understand God entered a covenant with Abraham, and when God enters a covenant, it can't be broken."

There's no denying that God "has his hand on the country of Israel," as "any other country that size would have ceased to exist 60 years ago."

Pastor Patrick Penn of the Dwelling Place in Huntsville and the father of Seth Penn, noted that as a Zoom call was taking place among tribal leaders to discuss the resolution, Alabama Chief Justice Tom Parker was in Oxford at a gathering of First Nations. As chief justice, the pastor said Parker "stood up and repented to the First Nation people for the decisions that were made" in the past.

He said, "I don't believe there are such things as coincidences; I think things are guided by Providence." Parker's declaration, he added, was related to the discussion of support for Israel the Cherokee was having at the exact same time.

Adding to the web of ties with Israel, Parker's wedding was held in Israel, and his wife, Dottie, sang "Hatikvah" at the inauguration of Alabama Gov. Fob James in 1995.

Seth Penn said he hopes this type of recognition spreads to other tribes, as he found almost nothing to compare with when researching online. Some Palestinian activist groups have tried to target native tribes for support with a narrative about being displaced from their lands.

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In 2008, the Coushatta Tribe of Louisiana signed a friendship agreement with Israel. They participated in a trade mission to Israel in 2011, signing an agreement to become the exclusive US distributor for Israeli startup Aya Natural's products. Recently, they have become a sponsor of Jewish Federation of Greater New Orleans events.

The Coushatta, who were forced out of what became Georgia and Alabama, operate a casino resort in Kinder, La.

Smith said the resolution is not the end of a process, but the beginning, and he hopes to deepen the relationship. "We are going to keep this going," he said. "We laid the groundwork to a great friendship between these two countries."

He added, "I hope this will grow into something where we can work with members of the Jewish community who would like to be with us, celebrate with us and have a good time."

Reprinted with permission from JNS.org.

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The state GOP, according to the report, passed a resolution last weekend at the party's summer meeting in Auburn calling on its congressional delegation to "proceed with the expulsion process" against the first-term congresswoman.

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The resolution also said Omar "dismissed the 9/11 terror attacks waged by radical Islam" and "sympathized with a convicted terrorist" by advocating for "sentencing leniency."

State Rep. Tommy Hanes introduced the resolution, which was approved on a voice vote. One Republican opposed it, according to The Alabama Political Reporter.

Hanes told Fox News that Omar's actions "have proved her to be sympathetic to radical Islam" and said THAT her race and religion were irrelevant.

"Rep. Omar is ungrateful to the United States and the opportunities that have been afforded to her," Hanes said. "Anyone that holds contempt for America ought not to serve this great nation as a member of Congress."

In response, Omar tweeted that she was "elected with 78% of the vote by the people of Minnesota's 5th District, not by the Alabama Republican Party" and referenced Roy Moore, whose 2017 Senate bid was derailed following multiple allegations that he had romantic relationships with underage girls while in his thirties.

"If you want to clean up politics, maybe don't nominate an accused child molester as your Senate candidate?" Omar wrote.

Omar has faced criticism from both political parties over several recent remarks, particularly about Israel and American-Israeli ties.

Alabama Republicans cited "a disturbing record of using anti-Semitic language that includes alleging Jewish money is used to buy American influence regarding its policy toward Israel."

The resolution also mentioned Omar's support for the Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions movement that has aimed to put economic pressure on Israel over its treatment of Palestinians.

Earlier this month, Omar and Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.) were barred from entering Israel.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu defended his decision not to allow the two US Congresswomen into the country, saying that while he respected the US Congress, advocating boycotts against Israel was a step too far.

"There is only one exception: the exception is the BDS Law that requires us to check the entrance of supporters of BDS," Netanyahu told reporters.

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Yiflah spent 10 days at the camp last September in Huntsville, Alabama along with other teens with visual impairments from all over the world were invited to the camp. The other Israeli camper was Netta Kadosh, 17, from Mitzpe Adi.

"In the beginning, it was very nerve-racking," Noa said, "I am not a very sociable person and I was worried that I wouldn't have anyone to spend an entire week with, but in the group, you start to talk to people and get along quickly. Everyone was amazing."

She described some of the activities at the camp, including "a simulation of hovering at zero gravity and wall climbing where some kids hold the rope from the top while we descend by zip line." She also "tried out a 4G-gravity simulator... and also tried out a spacewalk in a space suit."

"I didn't want leave," Noa said, "the camp improved my self-esteem."

She made the difficult trip with the help of her teacher Anat Habusha. Habusha referred Noa to Ofek Liyladenu: The Israel National Association of Parents of Children with Blindness and Visual Impairments, an organization for children with sight disabilities, which later chose both girls to attend the trip.

Neta shared her NASA experience saying that "the highlight was the tasks we were assigned to complete. We experienced a simulated walk in space, some dived to a depth of 7 meters (23 feet) in order to feel the pressure and sense of hovering in space, just like the astronauts do. We also climbed a wall that was 8 meters (26 feet) high and jumped off of it. All of the tasks replicate those given to astronauts aboard the International Space Station. Even though you are visually impaired, you aren't exempt from any of the tasks."

Neta particularly enjoyed the control room. "The tasks there were funny and brought everyone together. I think what will stay with me forever is the understanding that I don't face my disabilities alone, there are tons of young people like me who face difficulties every day." Kemi Matas joined the girls on their trip, herself the mother of a child with sight disabilities.

Neta elaborated "I learned that despite my disability, nothing can stand in my way.  The tasks were done a bit awkwardly and slowly, but I did not give up and finished them all."

She is currently a high school student in the biology-science track. "I want to volunteer in the Israel Defense Forces and aim to reach high. In the future, I'd like to major in biology in university, and hope that people who I will meet during my life will understand that despite my disability, I am just like them," she said.

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It was one of the numerous efforts across the United States to restrict access to abortion and challenge the Supreme Court's 1973 decision in Roe v. Wade that legalized the practice nationwide.

Six states have recently passed legislation that limits abortions to approximately six weeks after the end of a woman's last period, before many know they are pregnant. Although the laws have not yet taken effect and several have been blocked on constitutional grounds, if enacted the legislation would prohibit most abortions once a doctor can hear rhythmic electrical impulses in the developing fetus.

Called "fetal heartbeat" bills, they generally refer to the fetus as an "unborn human individual" and recognize that human life begins at conception. This view is held by many religious individuals.

However, not all people who hold traditional or religious views on the matter agree and many get lost in the polarized "pro-life" or "pro-choice" debate.

While Jewish practices and laws are derived from biblical and Talmudic sources, "halacha" or Jewish law has been passed down for generations. Jews across different political as well as religious observant spectrums attribute various amounts of adherence to the traditional law.

Rachel Mikva, an associate professor of Jewish studies at the Chicago Theological Seminary, who has served as a rabbi for 13 years, says some Jewish texts argue that a fetus does not attain the status of personhood until birth.

Mikva lays out the issue of abortion in Jewish texts, below:

Although the Bible does not mention abortion, it does talk about miscarriage in Exodus 21:22-25. It imagines the case of men fighting, in a scenario where a pregnant woman has been injured in the process. If she miscarries but suffers no additional injury, the penalty for the man is a fine.

Since the death of a person would be murder or manslaughter and carry a different penalty, most rabbinic sources deduce from these verses that a fetus has a different status altogether.

The Mishnah discusses the question of a woman in distress during labor. If her life is at risk, the fetus must be aborted in order to save her. Once its head starts to emerge from the birth canal, however, it becomes a human life, or nefesh. At that point, one must try to save both mother and child. Jewish law prohibits setting aside one life for the sake of another.

Orthodox authorities allow abortion only when the mother's life is at risk.

Some Jewish scholars point to a different Mishnah passage that envisions the case of a pregnant woman who was sentenced to death. The execution would not be delayed unless she has already gone into labor.

In the Talmud, the rabbis suggest that the ruling is obvious: The fetus is part of her body. It also records an opinion that the fetus should be aborted before the sentence is carried out so that the woman does not suffer further shame.

These teachings represent only a small fraction of Jewish interpretations, writes Mikva.

Over the centuries, rabbis have addressed cases related to potentially deformed fetuses, pregnancy as the result of rape or adultery.

In contemporary Jewish debate, there are stringent opinions that regard abortion as homicide – thus permissible only to save the mother's life. Yet many in the Orthodox community have argued that abortion is equivalent to infanticide, while many in the Conservative and Reform communities have found it permissible for various reasons. Still, in the Orthodox community there exist some lenient interpretations which find justifications based on the woman's well-being.

In the United States, all non-orthodox movements have statements that support aborting the fetus, while some Orthodox leaders have resisted anti-abortion measures that do not allow for religious exceptions.

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