Episode Overview

Podcast: Breakpoint
Host: John Stonestreet (Colson Center)
Episode: The Jewish Claim to Israel
Date: November 13, 2025

This episode explores the historical and archaeological basis for the Jewish claim to the land of Israel. Host John Stonestreet addresses contemporary claims denying Jewish ties to Israel, reviews evidence from history and genetics, and counters common arguments questioning the connection of modern Jews to ancient Israelites—all from the standpoint of a Christian worldview.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Modern Claims Against Jewish Ties to Israel (00:01–01:00)

• Stonestreet introduces Susan Abulhawa, a Palestinian activist whose recent social media comments deny the historical Jewish connection to Israel, referring to Jews as "colonizers" and "parasites."
  • Quote [00:12]:
    “The new TV series on Prime called House of David is meant to imply that the 70-year-old Jewish Zionist settler colony in Palestine actually has ancient roots. These people are parasites.” — (paraphrasing Susan Abulhawa)
• He notes such arguments are becoming commonplace, despite being contradicted by major archaeological and historical evidence.

2. Archaeological and Historical Evidence for Ancient Israel (01:00–03:00)

• Roman and Biblical Records:
  • The Arch of Titus in Rome memorializes the Roman conquest over the Jews in 70 AD, corroborated by Jewish historian Flavius Josephus and others.
  • Stonestreet mentions that nearly every Old Testament book underpins Jewish roots in the region, with the New Testament describing Jesus as a Jew residing in ancient Israel.
• Ancient Inscriptions:
  • The Merneptah Stele (1208 BC), an Egyptian artifact, references a victory over Israelites.
  • The Tel Dan inscription (9th century BC) mentions a king from the "House of David."
  • Hebrew inscriptions further confirm a sustained Jewish presence.
• Quote [01:59]:
  • “There’s also, of course, the Tel Dan inscription that was from the 9th century BC found recently in northern Israel, and commemorates the king of the House of David.” — John Stonestreet

3. Jewish Presence Throughout the Centuries (03:00–04:30)

• Roman & Muslim Periods:
  • Jews were banned from Jerusalem in 135 AD, but invited back in 638 AD under Caliph Umar, allowed to pray on the Temple Mount.
• Crusader & Ottoman Periods:
  • Jews were massacred and expelled during the First Crusade (1099), later returning after Saladin’s recapture (1187).
  • More freedom under Ottoman rule from 1517; significant Jewish immigration, especially in 19th century.
• Population Data:
  • In 1800, Jews constituted about 25% of Jerusalem's population (2,000 individuals).
  • By 1900, this rose to 65% (35,000 Jews).
  • Over 150,000 Jewish tombstones from the Ottoman period remain on the Mount of Olives.
  • When the Ottomans left in 1914, 45,000 Jews resided in Jerusalem.
• Memorable Moment [04:07]:
  • “Aside from the brief period between AD 135 and 638, the evidence is strong of extensive Jewish presence in the Holy Land. In fact, much of that evidence comes from Muslim sources.” — John Stonestreet

4. Genetic Evidence and Modern Claims (04:30–05:00)

• Refuting the Khazar Theory:
  • The claim that Ashkenazi Jews are Khazar converts is debunked by DNA studies.
  • 50–60% Ashkenazi genetic continuity with Bronze and Iron Age Israelite skeletons; the rest derives from medieval admixture, not Khazar ancestry.
  • Sephardic and Mizrahi Jews show even higher continuity with ancient Israelites.
• Quote [04:49]:
  • “When the Ashkenazi genome is compared to genomes extracted from skeletons from Bronze and Iron Age Israel, there’s a 50 to 60% continuity between them. The remaining 30 to 40% dates back only 600 to 800 years and reveals the intermarriage that occurred during the medieval period, which, well after the Khazars, and the Sephardic and the Mizrahi Jews have an even higher genetic continuity with ancient Israelites.” — John Stonestreet

5. Summary & Conclusion (05:00–05:32)

• Stonestreet closes by underscoring the abundance of evidence supporting the continuity between ancient Israelites and modern Jews, both historically and genetically.
• Memorable quote [05:18]:
  • “Facts always tend to interrupt ideologies, but especially when it comes to antisemitism, the evidence is simply abundant of the ancient kingdoms of Israel and Judah, of the nearly continuous Jewish presence in the Holy Land, and of the links between modern Jews and ancient Israelites.” — John Stonestreet
• He asserts there is no archaeological evidence for an Arab presence in the region prior to the Islamic conquest of the 7th century.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On historical evidence [01:59]:
  “There’s also, of course, the Tel Dan inscription that was from the 9th century BC... commemorates the king of the House of David.”
• On genetic links [04:49]:
  “There’s a 50 to 60% continuity between [Ashkenazi Jews and ancient Israelites].”
• On the weight of evidence [05:18]:
  “Facts always tend to interrupt ideologies, but especially when it comes to antisemitism, the evidence is simply abundant...”

Important Timestamps

• 00:01 – Introduction and framing of current claims against Jewish ties to Israel.
• 01:00 – Reviewing archaeological and biblical evidence.
• 03:00 – Chronology of Jewish presence post-biblical era through modern times.
• 04:30 – Genetic research and refutation of alternative origin theories.
• 05:00 – Summary: abundance of evidence for Jewish historic ties and identity.
• 05:32 – (Start of promotional/advertisement segment; content ends here.)

Overall Tone

The episode maintains a measured, factual, and assertive approach consistent with the Breakpoint and Colson Center’s Christian worldview, aiming to inform listeners and provide arguments grounded in history, archaeology, and genetics—while challenging popular but unfounded claims in contemporary discourse.