Druze as a Vedic connection to the origins of Judiasm?

A serendipitous, though intensive, case study of Israeli Druze reveals striking similarities between Vedic and Druze philosophy and culture. This article uses these congruities as a springboard for researching Druze origins. Jethro, commonly known as the father-in-law of Moses, is the greatest saint in the pantheon of Druze prophets. He is a Midianite, a tribe descending from the sons of Keturah who were sent by Abraham to the East. Analysis of the relationship between Moses and Jethro reveals that Moses oftentimes accepted the role of Jethro's student. It is suggested that Moses was the disciple of Jethro in practical as well as spiritual matters. This conforms with the Midianite-Kenite hypothesis about the origin of the Hebrew religious system. The author relates this idea to the Druze connection with India, and suggests that Druze oral and written traditions be studied, alongside a reexamination of the Midianite-Kenite hypothesis, to determine the extent of Vedic influence on Judaic history.

and so - the genetic study of Druze shows they have Indo-Iranian origins....more like Armenians.

 most Druze consider their roots to be Indian. Their beliefs are pervaded by characteristically Vedic conceptions. For instance, their scriptures, like the Vedic puranas and itihasas, and unlike chronicles of Middle Eastern religions, describe history dating back hundreds of millions of years, with incarnations of God in a human form appearing at regular intervals. This is akin to the Vedic idea of regular appearances of avataras. Also, transmigration of the soul is a central tenet of Druze philosophy. In fact, to describe this principle the Druze use the same analogy as Krsna uses in the Bhagavad-gita [2.22]: "As a person puts on new garments, giving up old ones, the soul similarly accepts new material bodies, giving up the old and useless ones."

DNA study of Druze

 Furthermore, unlike other monotheistic religions, the Druze tenets strictly close their religion to new adherents, thus forbidding admixture with other populations....47% first cousin marriages....

 Holy Smokes!

The populations with the smallest genetic distances to the Druze were: Turks, Armenians, Iranians and Egyptians.

O.K. so what that first study on Armenians demonstrated is that until 1200 BCE when the Iron  Age kicked in - the Bronze Age had a much greater, widespread mixture of populations from West Asia to South Asia and Central Asia....

http://www.veda.harekrsna.cz/connections/Vedic-Druze.php

So this study - is quite fascinating.

 Kamal Jumbalat, the late Druze political hero and renowned spiritualist, often extolled Krsna, the Bhagavad-gita, the Ramayana, and other Vedic books and personalities in his writings (Dasa, 1994, p. 219). He also spoke of Druze going to India and taking sannyasa (Jumbalat, I Speak for Lebanon, p. 34), and Jumbalat was himself a vegetarian and considered himself, in his later years, to be living as a vanaprastha, the retired order of life in the Vedic social system.

 Druze consider themselves as Muwahidoon, which translates as "the one, eternal religion, (Abu-Izzeddin, 1984; Betts, 1988; Firro, 1992)" much as a practitioner of Vedic religion is performing sanatana-dharma, the eternal occupation of the soul, rather than any temporally or geographically based religion (Prabhupada, 1972 - from Introduction).

 Some Druze pundits revealed that the original language of their scriptures was Sanskrit, and indicated that incarnations such as Buddha and Krsna are described in these books. [DRUZE STAR]
In 1928, Richard Gottheil (Hitti, 1928, Foreword) declared: "The Druzes have been the wonder of scholars,... All sorts of theories have been advanced by scholars to account for their particular tenets and customs... The scholars have been unsuccessful... and the Druzes still remain the great mystery." Modern-day research has done little to uncover the origins of the Druze, though Abu-Izzeddin (1984, p. 121) states: "Recently discovered manuscripts throw new light on influences from India," and provides strong evidence of the Muwahidoon culture extending to India during the middle of the 11th Century. Also, the story of the disappearance of al Hakim is vague, and many scholars and Druze believe that he left Cairo and went to India to meditate during the final stage of his appearance on Earth (Abu-Izzeddin).

But the plot thickens....

Jethro, Moses' father-in-law1, is the foremost prophet for the Druze. Their largest annual celebration is held at the tomb of Jethro, near Tiberias (Dana, 1980). Jethro, known as Nabi Schweib by the Druze, was a Midianite (Exodus 18:1), a tribe descending from Keturah, a wife of Abraham (Genesis 25:1-2). Genesis (25:6) describes that Abraham sent the sons of Keturah to the East. Rabbi Menashe Ben Israel (Glazerson, 1984) asserts that Abraham sent them to India. This is more evidence linking the Druze with India, or at least the East. If we examine the relationship between Moses and Jethro, the story becomes even more interesting.
Jethro is commonly understood as an idol-worshiping pagan, a Midianite priest, who converted to Judaism by associating with Moses. If we study the role of Jethro, however, this description seems unsatisfying. In Exodus (Chapter 18), Jethro brings Zipporah and her two sons to Moses, and Moses bows down and kisses Jethro. Then Jethro praises the God of the Jews and "took a burnt-offering and sacrifices for God; and Aaron came, and all the elders of Israel, to eat bread with Moses' father-in-law before God." It is interesting to conjecture why the elders of Israel are eating food that was sacrificed by an idol worshiper.