Re: THE Bruce

[Niven Sinclair <niven@niven.co.uk>]

At 11:41 27/03/00 +1200, you wrote:
> Thanks to all who took the time to explain why
> "THE  Bruce'.  I thought it
> would probably be simple and straightforward and so it was.
>
> I had heard of people called (eg) The McNeill, but hadn't transferred
> the
> concept to Robert the Bruce  - a lack of lateral thinking
> skills.
>
> Now I am interested in the Jewish Sinclairs which our 'little saint'
> has
> mentioned.  Has their Jewishness come through the maternal line or
> is there
> another reason for this combination?  Niven, I hope you can
> tell  us more.
> Thank you all.
>
> Judith Harper

        

        

        

        

        

JEWISH
SINCLAIRS

The late Dr Hugh Macdonald Sinclair, the eminent nutritionist,was one of
the most
advanced scientists of his day.  He was Churchill's adviser on the
nation's diet
during the war whilst his cousin, Sir Archibald Sinclair, was Minister of
Air.  Both
came from the Ulbster Branch of the family.

During our discussions (usually on the family genealogy on which he was
an expert)
he used to tell me that his Godfather, the Earl of Dysart, claimed that
the Sinclairs
were the 'lost tribe of Israel'.  That may be open to
challenge but there can be no
doubt that there are many Sinclairs who adhere to the Jewish faith. 
And, in that
faith, as in others, they have risen to the top.

Rabbi Daniel Sinclair,who was previously the Minister at the Edinburgh
Synagogue,
was appointed to the prestigious post as Head of the Jewish College in
Jerusalem.
At the time of his appointment Rabbi Sinclair said that he wished to
strengthen the
links between the Jewish College and the University of London from which
University
he had received his Doctorate in Law.

During his career Dr Daniel Sinclair also lectured at the Monash
University in
Melbourne, Australia where he met his wife, Deborah.  They now have
three children.

On the other side of the Atlantic we find a Rabbi Yaacov Sinclair in New
York and,
on looking through the history of the New Hampshire Sinclair, I find a
Moses Canney
Sinclair, an Aaron J. Sinclair, a Benjamin Sinclair, a Joshua Sinclair, a
Samuel
Sinclair, a Levi Mortimer St Clair, Levi Hunt St Clair, a Solomon St
Clair etc. and
whilst these names are not solely Jewish they do reflect an astonishing
fixation
with the Old Testament and the Torah.

To balance the picture, I also found a Napoleon Boneparte Sinclair,
several George
Washington Sinclairs, Hannibal Cicero St Clair, James Madison St Clair,
Thomas
Jefferson St Clair, Charles Grandison St Clair, Calvin St Clair, Caleb
Northrop St
Clair, Orison Thayer St Clair,  Orville St Clair, Benjamin Franklyn
St Clair etc.

The Sinclairs married into the Levi family in the South of France in the
12th Century.

Shalom

Niven Sinclair

> [ This is the Sinclair family discussion list,
> sinclair@mids.org
> [ To get off or on the list, see
> http://www.mids.org/sinclair/list.html