Salt Lake Telegram | 1911-05-02 | Page 5 | Tribe of Jews in Abyssinia

TRIBE OF JEWS IN ABYSSINIA HBW YORK, lUy 2. Dr. J. Faltlovlclk a noted French ethnoloaist, who haa apant many years amort the black Jews of Abyaafnia and written several books about them, la In New York for the pur-pose pur-pose of establishing In the United Btates a branch society to help unite the outlying outly-ing branch of Jews with the rest of the Jewish world. 8lmllar branches have already al-ready been organised In Italy, Oermany, Switzerland and elsewhere and the project pro-ject has met with the encouratrtnf response re-sponse am on a; the Falashas, or black Jews, themselves. The race haa for centuries lived In the mountainous regiona of Abyssinia, apart from all other members of the race and outside Jewish Influences. Kthnolosists have been puasled by the fact ttial the Falashas, although they have forgot ton all use of the Hebrew language have still kept their Jewish faith and observe many of the oldest Jewish rites and ceremonies. The sect was first discovered to occidental nations by tha traveler Bruce and later described more fully In 186S by Joseph Halevy, a distinguished Semitic scholar who penetrated among them and returned with several of their manuscripts.