Jacques Faitlovitch

Jacques (Ya' acov) Faitlovitch (1881-1955) is a orientalist and a Jewish activist, who devoted his life to the recognition of the Falashas (or Beta Israel ) Ethiopian as a Juif S.

It was born with Lodz, in Poland. It makes studies in Paris, or it studies the Eastern languages, amongst other things with Joseph Halévy, which ensign Ethiopian languages.

under the influence of this last, first Western Jew to have renontré them in 1867-1868, it is interested in the situation of the Falashas .

Thanks to the financial aid of the French Jewish philanthropist, the baron Edmond de Rothschild, Faitlovitch undertakes a first voyage 18 months in Ethiopia in 1904, qu ' it devotes to the study of the language and the culture Beta Israel .

Convinced that Falashas are really Juifs, Faitlovitch returns to Europe in 1905 with two young people Falashas , of which Taamrat Emmanuel, which will become one of first Ethiopian with being educated with the Westerner. This last will study in several Jewish institutions, of which the seminar of Florence during 7 years. It will be as from the years 1930 an adviser of the Negus Hailé Sélassié and Ethiopian a Juif leader of foreground.

When it meets them, the Falashas are a marginalized and poor population, in goal with a social ostracism very extremely, and under the religious pressure of the London Society for Promoting Christianity Among the Jews, which tries to convert them.

Following its voyage, Faitlovitch undertakes an intense activity, with three objectives:

to make recognize the Beta Israel like Jews;
to make accept with the Beta Israel their membership of the Jewish people;
“to reform” their religious practice to bring it closer to the orthodoxe Judaism. He intends in particular to fight against the monks (institution undoubtedly borrowed from the Christians of Ethiopia), the strict rules of purity and the sacrifices of animals (biblical habit given up by the rabbinical Judaïsme). For this reason, Faitlovitch goes in the same direction as the Protestant missionaries, even if the final objective is not the same one, which will be worth besides certain clashes with Taamrat Emmanuel to him.

These objectives do not go from themselves. Indeed, if the Beta Israel follow the Pentateuque and regard as descendants of the Hebrew , there exist substantial differences between the religious practices of the two groups, and the “Jewish” term is then not used by the Beta Israel . At the 19th century century and during a good part of the 20th century, the differences in skin color were also perceived like carrying basic differences.

In first half of the 20th century, Faitlovitch created an international committee in favor of the Beta Israel , popularizes their existence thanks to his book Notes of voyage to Falashas , and collects funds which enable him to establish schools in their villages, as from 1910.

He encourages also the formation of an elite Beta Israel (numerically very few) in Western Jewish institutions sympathizers. This elite will play a big role, once returned with the country, to attach the Beta Israel to the orthodoxe Judaïsme (introduction of the star of David, certain Jewish holidays, acceptance by the Beta Israel of their membership of the people Juif). A certain cultural “modernization” results from this, although it is not only related to the influence of the external Jewish communities, but also with the efforts of the various Ethiopian governments. The Excision of the women, rather widespread in the Horn of Africa, would have thus almost disappeared from the communities Beta Israel with the beginning of the year 1980.

The question as of judaïté of the Beta Israel is received with a certain sympathy within the Western Judaism in the interval wars. The world Jewish Congress or the joint thus has actions in favor of the falashas. The Rav kook, spiritual father of the current religious Zionist and chief rabbi of Palestine, reconnaient them like Jews in 1921

After the creation of Israel, the new Hebrew State decides not to recognize Judaïté of the Falashas , but maintenance of the bonds with those (through a school network, in particular), amongst other things under the influence of Failtlovitch, which settled in Israel. It dies there in 1955. In 1958, the State of Israel disengages Jewish schools in Ethiopia. 1973-1975 will have to be waited until so that the Falashas are recognized like Juifs by the Hebrew State, and begin their immigration in Israel.

Bonds

Joseph Halévy
Falashas

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