Die Juden in Abessinien, by Dr. Carl Rathjens - The Jews in Abyssinia, published by W. Gente, Wissenschaftlicher Verlag, Hamburg, 1921 - only edition. German.
An important early and fundamental study on Jewish culture and tradition in Abyssinia, and on the Ethiopian Jewish community, which numbered more than 50,000 people at the time of the book's publication. The author writes that "Despite all the persecutions and difficulties, these Jews, the Falashas... maintained their faith with admirable persistence." (from the author's introduction), a fact that led him to deeply investigate their culture and origin. The author researched the Jews of Abyssinia while in Tigre in 1908, along with an interpreter who helped him understand the spoken Ethiopian language in the regions he visited. Through his travels and ancient literature, the author attempts to trace the ancient sources of Ethiopian Judaism, the residential areas of the Jews in Abyssinia, social structure, customs, their relationship with non-Jews living nearby, the hierarchical structure of Jewish families in Abyssinia, the unique structure of synagogues, the Jewish legal system, and more. On the cover, there is a photograph of a Kohen. On the protective page are a few lines of handwritten pencil notes.
Extremely rare publication. It does not appear in the WorldCat global library catalog.
97 p. Stains on the cover. Good condition.
