Kohen-Levi Conference
“The Gathering of the Tribe,” Jerusalem, July 2007
As a follow-up to the article, “The Sons of Aaron and Levi,” Beauties of the Truth, 19, 1 (February 2008), a reader from Germany noticed mention of a conference for Levites in Jerusalem July 15-19, 2007. These dates commemorate the traditional remembrance of the death of Aaron.
“Just days before the holiday commemorating the destruction of the Holy Temples, Tisha B’Av, a group of Jewish priests and Levites hurried across the centuries-worn cobblestones of this holy city to prepare to bless the people of Israel. They gathered at the foot of the Holy Temple’s last remaining wall, the priests removing their shoes and extending their hands for the Levites to wash in preparation for the holy service … among the opening ceremonies of the first international Kohen-Levi conference, ‘The Gathering of the Tribe,’ held this week in Jerusalem.
“The Kohanim are a family of the Tribe of Levi that was designated for the holy service. The Levites were charged with ministering to the Kohanim – descendants of Aaron – and keeping watch over the Tabernacle, the place of Divine dwelling in the temple.
“This week’s conference, sponsored by the Jerusalem-based Center for Kohanim, was billed as the first reunion of the priestly family since the days of the Holy Temple 2,000 years ago. More than 100 people participated.
“Experts talked about recent DNA testing that validates the belief that today’s Kohanim descend from one man who lived at the time of the Exodus – Aaron. Most Ashkenazi and Sephardi Kohanim around the world have a common set of genetic markers indicating their common origin.
“Professor Karl Skorecki of the Rambam Medical Center, who discovered the ‘Kohen genetic signature,’ once compared the findings to discovering a piece of clothing used in Aaron’s ritual anointment ceremony.
” ‘This is really the longest male dynasty that’s still continuing in the world – longer than the Chinese, Indian or any African groups,’ said Rabbi Yaakov Kleiman, director of the Center for Kohanim and author of DNA & Tradition: The Genetic Link to the Ancient Hebrews. ‘Now it can be solidified by genetics; I think that’s pretty powerful.’ ”