Exotische Juden Berichte und Studien – “Exotic Jews: Reports and Studies” – A description of Azriel Carlebach’s travels to Eastern lands. This book documents Carlebach’s journeys to Eastern countries in the early 1930s, during which he explored the profound culture, lifestyles, and spiritual practices of Jewish communities in the East. This is Carlebach’s first publication on the topic of Jewish communities in Eastern lands. Published by Heine-Bund, Berlin, 1932 – First edition. German.
A Description of the Journeys of Journalist Azriel Carlebach to Eastern Lands – Fascinating findings about the customs of Jewish communities in Salonica, Morocco, Tunisia, Tripoli, Yemen, the Jewish communities of the Sahara, and Izmir in Turkey. Carlebach extensively documents countless intriguing details about the Jewish community in Salonica—the Jews who arrived there after the expulsion from Spain, the customs of Salonica’s Jews, the sources of wealth of the Jewish community, including the Alatini family, a major paper manufacturer, and other prominent families, the various professions of Salonica’s Jews, the Hebrew press in Salonica, the origins of Ladino proofreading, and more. In Morocco, Carlebach investigated the ceremonial traditions of its Jews, toured the mellah neighborhoods, entered Jewish homes and synagogues, explored the origins of Jewish dress customs, and analyzed Jewish architecture, among other topics.
A special chapter in the book is dedicated to the Jews of Yemen. Carlebach studied the craft of Yemenite silversmithing, closely observed their customs, visited synagogues and homes, and documented the hospitality traditions of Yemenite Jews. He attended a Yemeni Jewish wedding and detailed the various wedding rituals. During his visit to Amran, he heard captivating stories from locals about the cantorial traditions and cantors of Yemen, witnessed how Jews defended themselves against bandits using rifles, and more.
Azriel Carlebach (1908–1956) was born in Leipzig in the German Empire in 1908, descending from a rabbinical lineage of students of Rabbi Akiva Eiger. At the age of 15, he left Leipzig to study in Lithuanian yeshivot. Later, he became a journalist for several Jewish newspapers, including the Warsaw Yiddish daily Haynt and Haaretz. He was active in Orthodox circles as well as in the Mizrachi youth movement. Carlebach wrote a series of articles describing his travels throughout Germany, including encounters with anti-Semitic thugs who attacked him, leaving injuries to his kidneys. In 1931, he was appointed editor of the Jewish weekly Israelitisches Familienblatt in Hamburg. In 1937, he immigrated to the Land of Israel, joined the staff of Haaretz, and later moved to write for Hatzofe. In 1939, he became the first editor of the newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth.
238 [7] pages. Wear and stains on the cover. Good condition.
