Benny Ovadia remembers a story that
was
told by his brother, Meyer.
One day a local Arab came to see their father Jacob, on a business
matter. When he
addressed Jacob, he used the
Arab
name
"Mishali". When Meyer asked his
father
why,
he replied that the local Arabs used this because
they believed that the Obadia
family
descended from an Arab family. The story
goes that, many generation ago,
the head of the family
was saved by a Jew.
In gratitude,
the Mishali Family converted
to Judaism and changed
its name to Obadia (The meaning in
both
Arabic and Hebrew: Obad=Worker ia=God. ie. worker for God, or: God's servant).
A letter was found in Ramat Efal library, in Tel Aviv. In this letter the Rambam (Rabbi Mosheh Ben Maimon 1135-1204), writes an answer to Mr. Obadia Ger Tzedek, telling him that he should not take offence if certain Jewish people consider him “less Jewish” than themselves, because he chooses to be a Jew, whereas they were only born Jewish.