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could examine and photograph
it.
The holy script is in the
Geez language and contains
not only the Torah or Penta
teuch, the five Books of Moses,
but the entire Old Testament,
plus the Apocryphal Book of
Jubilees. We were told by
scholars who have read it that
it conforms remarkably to the
Hebrew text followed in our
own services.
They have numerous cus
toms which closely parallel
ours. They rigidly observe the
Sabbath with no work permit
ted. Men and women are sep
arated during services. Male
and female children are cir-
cumsized on the Eighth Day.
The inclusion of girl babies is
widespread throughout a 11
Africa — an excision of the
clitoris being performed.
As to food, pork is strictly
forbidden, and they follow all
other old Testament injunc
tions against eating torn flesh,
meat of animals killed by
strangulation, those unclean,
etc. Ritual slaughter, pre
scribed in t h e Torah, is fol
lowed to the letter. All blood
is carefully removed. As is the
case with religious Jews today,
the Falasha wash their hands
and pray before eating.
We were told that they ob
serve all the holidays except
Purim and Hanuka which
are post-Biblical. On Passover,
they bake a special bread sim-
i 1 a r to our matzohs, and
slaughter a sacrificial paschal
lamb. All of their observances,
including the celebration of
the New Moon, follow the
lines laid down in the Old
Testament — rigid, solemn and
unyielding — long since aban
doned by most modern-day,
Westernized Jews.
There are t hree classes of
holy men among the Falasha,
all of whom wear white tur
bans. They include the Wise
Men or “Nezirim,” the Priests
of “Kohanim,” and the teach
ers and scribes or “Debreras.”
Members of the first group re
ceive special religious instruc
tion, accept confession of the
dying and counsel the laymen.
The “Kohanim” are the ritual
slaughterers. They spend the
Sabbath even in the temple in
silent prayer, and when dawn
breaks, receive the congrega
tion for group prayer. One of
them is selected as the high
priest, or rabbi as we call him.
The third group assist the
“Kohanim,” are the formal
scribes, and teach the children.
This education is very-rudi
mentary, and only for boys.
There is the reading of the
Bible and the Psalter or reci
tation of prayers. Writing is
seldom taught. Though some
of the teachers in this village
know Hebrew, having studied
The Southern Israelite
in Israel, there are no Hebrew
books and it was not being
taught.
Still these isolated people
retain what they consider a
pure Judaism, archaic and
adulterated with foreign and
pagan influences,—so it seems
to the more traditional Jewish
observers from the West. Yet
the following prayer of the
FaJasha has a Tidnnajesty and
deeply-moving ancient flavor
and appeal. We are indebted
to Dr. Jack P. Cowen of
Chicago who visited the Fala
sha in Jan. 1968 for making it
available to us:
Praised be Thou, God of
Israel, God of Abraham,
God of Jacob, God of the
whole earth,
God, give us Thy blessing,
Bless us with the blessing
Thou didst bless Abra
ham.
Keep our going-out and
our coming-in, Thou
who are the keeper of
Israel.
Keep us in Peace.
Praise the Lord, O ye
heavens,
Let the whole world praise
Him! Amen!
There is yet another aspect
to this story — a terribly tragic
aspect — which must be re
vealed to the world. It deals
with the question of what is
to become of the remaining
Falasha.
Recently, the governor of
the Begamder ajj.d Semien
provinces in the northwest
part of Ethiopia, bordering on
the Sudan, set aside 200,000
dunams or 20,000 acres of land
for the Falasha community.
Although heavily wooded, the
soil itself is very fertile and
could provide accomodations
for the entire tribe of 30,000.
An organization known as
“Wings for Progress” offered
to air-lift medicines and sup
plies into this isolated region
for the purpose of facilitating
the settlement. An air of ex
pectancy and hope electrified
the people.
Dr. Felszer immediately or
ganized a team of 50 to make
the torturous seven day jour
ney by foot over the mountains
to Armachoho and begin clear
ing away the ground for others
to follow. Word soon came
back that it was impossible
without tractors and other as
sistance. Letters were dis
patched to Jewish organiza
tions in England and America
asking for aid. At the time we
were there — three months la
ter — no reply had as yet been
received. In fact, the day of
our visit to Ambober, the last
of the group returned. De
feated in body and spirit, they
left behind their golden dream
of a model community for the
“Black Jews of Abbysinia.”
The doctor told us that
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