Was Moses an African or a European Jew?

Answer 1

Moses was a descendant of Levi (Exodus 2:1-2), one of Jacob's 12 sons whose descendants became the 12 tribes of Israel (one tribe for each son). This means he was not a Jew (descendant of the Tribe of Judah), but an ancient Israelite who considered themselves Semites- direct descendants of Noah's son Shem and also later Abraham. Moses was from a Middle Eastern tribe who resided in the Middle East. You could probably say he was an African Jew because he was born and raised in Egypt, Africa. However, the Middle East (such as Israel and Saudi Arabia) is considered a part of Asia (not Europe or Africa).

Answer 2

What do we know about Moses' appearance? Tradition states that he was tall (Rashi commentary, Talmud Berakhot 54b), beautiful (Avoth d'Rabbi Nathan 9:2), and he wasn't skinny (Rashi commentary, Talmud Kidushin 33b).

What about his color?

He was born in Egypt, but that proves nothing concerning his skin color, since he had two Israelite parents. The Israelites did not "mix" (have sexual relations) with the Egyptians (Rashi commentary, Numbers ch.26).

Just as today, Israelites came in differing skin-tones, heights, and body-types. Our tradition is that the twelve sons of Jacob (the 12 Tribes) were not completely similar to each other in appearance, though none of them was really dark-skinned (Rashi commentary on Genesis 12:11).

Abraham and Sarah came from southern Iraq and their wider family from northern Iraq. Since DNA tests have shown that Jews intermarried infrequently throughout history, Abraham and his Israelite descendants, including Moses, probably looked like Jews today.
DNA testing of Jewish communities worldwide has shown that they are all interrelated and of Middle Eastern genetics, not African or Egyptian.
In 2000, the analysis of a report by Nicholas Wade "provided genetic witness that Jewish communities have, to a remarkable extent, retained their biological identity separate from their host populations, evidence of relatively little intermarriage or conversion into Judaism over the centuries. The results accord with Jewish history and tradition." (See: What race were the Israelites?)

The only exception to this is the Ethiopian Jews, who show only a trace of DNA connection to other Jewish communities. Western ethnologists today hold the view that the Jews of Gondar (Ethiopia) either emerged from a Judaizing strain among Ethiopian Christians, or were converted by Yemeni Jews who crossed the Red Sea. A study by Professors Lucotte and Smets has shown that the genetic father of Beta Israel (Ethiopian Jews) was close to the Ethiopian non-Jewish populations. This is consistent with the theory that Beta Israel are descendants of ancient inhabitants of Ethiopia, not the Middle East. Hammer et al. in 2000, and the team of Shen in 2004, arrive at similar conclusions, namely that the DNA of the Ethiopian Jews probably indicates a conversion of local populations.It has been estimated that this happened some 2,000 years ago.

See also:

Are the African-Americans from the lost Israelite tribes?

Answer 3

In the time attributed to Moses, there were no European Jews. If he was a real, historical person as portrayed in The Bible, he was born in Egypt, which would perhaps make him an African Jew, but his heritage would still have been Semitic. As a Semite, he would have been brown-skinned, not black.

Answer 4

If Moses was anything, he was a Middle Eastern Jew. His ancestry tracked back to the Levant and Mesopotamia. He certainly was not Black-skinned, but he was also not White-skinned at the level of paleness that Polish Jews have.

Answer 5

Hebrew and Israelite are the same thing. Jews were called Hebrews first, and then Israelites.

Answer 6

Israelites are Hebrews.

Answer 7

Hebrew