The Death of Moses

Born in Łódź in Russian-ruled Poland (today in Poland), Jacques Faïtlovitch (also Ya‘akov Fajtlowicz) grew up in a modern household. He attended the École des Hautes Études in Paris to study Oriental languages and focused on the Ethiopian languages Amharic and Ge’ez. Becoming fascinated by the Beta Israel community in Ethiopia, he devoted much effort to studying the community and fighting for recognition of its Jewishness by other Jewish communities. Visiting Ethiopia eleven times, he helped to establish a school there while sharing his scholarly findings widely across Europe and America through speaking tours, articles, and his 1920 book The Falashas. Faïtlovitch also played a pivotal role in securing a European Jewish education and rabbinic training for the young Beta Israel intellectual Taamrat Emanuel (1888–1963), who would go on to play a leading role in the community’s religious and cultural life. Faïtlovitch began spending significant time in Palestine in the 1930s, eventually retiring to Tel Aviv.