Remains of temple which apparently dates back to Phoenician times and is Semitic in style have been discovered in the Bauru region of this state.
Excavations on the site are still going on and it is impossible to assert that the temple is definitely Phoenician in date. However, should it prove to be so, it will that descendants of Jews are among the natives of the South American continent.
Another legend has it that Semites settled on the western coast of South America more than 2,000 years ago.
Menassa ben Israel, scholar and rabbi of Amsterdam, staunchly defends the story that South American natives are of Jewish descent.
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The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.