Category:Kurdish Jews or Jews of Kurdistan (Hebrew: יהדות כורדיסתאן; Yehudot Kurdistan Kurdish: Kurdên cû) are the ancient Jewish communities inhabiting the region known as Kurdistan, roughly covering parts of Iran, northern Iraq, Armenia, Syria and eastern Turkey. Their clothing and culture is similar to neighbouring Muslim Kurds. Until their immigration to Israel in the 1940s and early 1950s, the Jews of Kurdistan lived as a closed ethnic communities.
There are old bonds between Jews and Kurds. Tradition holds that Jews first arrived in the area of modern Kurdistan after the Assyrian conquest of the Kingdom of Israel during the 8th century BC; they were subsequently relocated to the Assyrian capital.[5] During the first century BC, the royal house of Adiabene, whose capital was Arbil (Aramaic: Arbala; Kurdish: Hewlêr), was converted to Judaism.[6] King Monobazes, his queen Helena, and his son and successor Izates are recorded as the first proselytes.[7]
According to the memoirs of Benjamin of Tudela and Pethahiah of Regensburg, there were about 100 Jewish settlements and substantial Jewish population in Kurdistan in 12th century A.D. Benjamin of Tudela also gives the account of David Alroi, the messianic leader from central Kurdistan, who rebelled against the king of Persia and had plans to lead the Jews back to Jerusalem. These travellers also report of well-established and wealthy Jewish communities in Mosul, which was the commercial and spiritual center of Kurdistan. Many Jews fearful of approaching crusaders, had fled from Syria and Palestine to Babylonia and Kurdistan. The Jews of Mosul enjoyed some degree of autonomy over managing their own community.[8]
Tanna'it Asenath Barzani, who lived in Mosul from 1590 to 1670, was the daughter of Rabbi Samuel Barzani of Kurdistan. She later married Jacob Mizrahi Rabbi of Amadiyah (in Iraqi Kurdistan) who lectured at a yeshiva [9]. She was famous for her knowledge of the Torah, Talmud, Kabbalah and Jewish law. After the early death of her husband, she became the head of the yeshiva at Amadiyah, and eventually was recognized as the chief instructor of Torah in Kurdistan. She was called tanna'it (female Talmudic scholar), practiced mysticism, and was reputed to have known the secret names of God.[10] Asenath is also well known for her poetry and excellent command of the Hebrew language. She wrote a long poem of lament and petition in the traditional rhymed metrical form. Her poems are among the few examples of the early modern Hebrew texts written by women.[11]
Among the most important Jewish shrines in Kurdistan are the tombs of Biblical prophets, such as that of Nahum in Alikush, Jonah in Nabi Yunis (ancient Nineveh), and Daniel in Kirkuk. There are also several caves supposedly visited by Elijah. All are venerated by Jews today.[12]
Kurdish Jews have also been active in the Zionist movement. One of the most famous members of Lehi (Freedom Fighters of Israel) was Moshe Barazani, whose family immigrated from Iraqi Kurdistan and settled in Jerusalem in the late 1920s. Important in the preservation of their traditions and especially their language, Aramaic, after migration was the work of Yona Sabar.[13]
Recently, an important book came out, describing the interactions of the Jewish population in Kurdish towns and villages and their Muslim Kurdish neighbors and tribal masters, or chieftains (aghas) during the last few centuries and especially during the first half of the 20th century.[14]
Contents [hide]
1 See also
2 External links
3 Footnotes
4 References
[edit] See also
Jewish ethnic divisions
Mizrahi Jews
Iraqi Jews
Kurdish Christians
Kurdish people
Persian Jews
[edit] External links
IKN - Israel Kurdistan Network
[edit] Footnotes
^ Zivotofsky, Ari Z. (2002). "What’s the Truth about...Aramaic?" (PDF). Orthodox Union. http://www.ou.org/publications/ja/5762summer/LEGAL-EA.PDF. Retrieved 2007-01-14.
^ http://www.slis.indiana.edu/faculty/meho/meho-bibliography-2001.pdf (p.2)
^ Kurdish Jewish Community in Israel
^ курдские евреи. Электронная еврейская энциклопедия
^ Roth C in the Encyclopedia Judaica, p. 1296-1299 (Keter: Jerusalem 1972).
^ "Irbil/Arbil" entry in the Encyclopaedia Judaica
^ Brauer E., The Jews of Kurdistan, Wayne State University Press, Detroit, 1993; Ginzberg, Louis, "The Legends of the Jews, 5th CD." in The Jewish Publication Society of America, VI.412 (Philadelphia: 1968); and http://www.eretzyisroel.org/~jkatz/kurds.html.
^ Ora Schwartz-Be'eri, The Jews of Kurdistan: Daily Life, Customs, Arts and Crafts, UPNE publishers, 2000, ISBN 9652782386, p.26.
^ Sylvia Barack Fishman, A breath of Life: Feminism in the American Jewish Community, UPNE Publishers, 1995, ISBN 0874517060, p. 186
^ Sally Berkovic, Straight Talk: My Dilemma As an Orthodox Jewish Woman, KTAV Publishing House, 1999, ISBN 0881256617, p.226.
^ Shirley Kaufamn, Galit Hasan-Rokem, Tamar Hess, Hebrew Feminist Poems from Antiquity to the Present: A Bilingual Anthology, Feminist Press, 1999, ISBN 1558612246, pp.7,9
^ Keo - Religion
^ E.g., Yona Sabar, A Jewish Neo-Aramaic Dictionary, Wiesbaden: Harrassowitz Verlag, 2002. See book by his son, American journalist Ariel Sabar, My Father's Paradise: A Son’s Search for His Jewish Past in Kurdish Iraq' (Algonquin, 2008)
^ Jewish Subjects and their Tribal Chieftains in Kurdistan A Study in Survival By Dr. Mordechai Zaken Published by Brill: • August 2007 • ISBN 978 9004161 90 0 • Hardback (xxii, 364 pp.) • List price EUR 120.- / US$ 162.- • Jewish Identities in a Changing World, 9. About the book: This volume deals with the experience and position of Jewish subjects in Kurdistan. It is based on new oral sources, diligently collected and carefully analyzed. The four main parts of the book examine the relationships between the Kurdish Jews and their tribal chieftains (aghas) in urban centers and villages in Kurdistan, using numerous new reports and vivid examples. It also deals extensively with topics such as the security and murder of Jews in the tribal Kurdish setting, the question of slavery of rural Jews and the conversion of Jews to Islam. The last part of the book examines the experience of the Jews in Iraqi Kurdistan between World War I (1914) and the immigration of Jews to Israel (1951-52). Readership: All those interested in the history of oriental Jewry, Kurds and Iraq, minorities in the Middle East, tribal society, as well as oral historians, sociologists and anthropologists. Mordechai Zaken, Ph.D. (2004) in Near Eastern Studies, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, specializes in the history of the Kurds, oriental Jewry, and non-Muslim minorities in the region. He served as Adviser on Arab Affairs to the Prime Minister of Israel (1997-99).
[edit] References
Mordechai Zaken, "Jewish Subjects and their tribal Chieftains in Kurdistan: A study in Survival," Jewish Identities in a Changing World, 9 (Boston: Brill Publishers, 2007)
Asenath, Barzani, "Asenath's Petition", First published in Hebrew by Jacob Mann, ed., in Texts and Studies in Jewish History and Literature, vol.1, Hebrew Union College Press, Cincinnati, 1931. Translation by Peter Cole.
Yona Sabar, The Folk Literature of the Kurdistani Jews (New Haven: Yale University Press, 1982).
Ariel Sabar, My Father's Paradise: A Son’s Search for His Jewish Past in Kurdish Iraq. Illustrated. 332 pp. Algonquin Books of Chapel Hill. Biography & study of Yona Beh Sabagha = Yona Sabar, native scholar of this community and its language. Reviewed in The New York Times, Oct. 12, 2008 and The Washington Post, Oct. 26, 2008.
Mahir Ünsal Eriş, Kürt Yahudileri - Din, Dil, Tarih , (Kurdish Jews) In Turkish, Kalan Publishing, Ankara, 2006
Hasan-Rokem, G. , Hess, T. and Kaufman, S., Defiant Muse: Hebrew Feminist Poems from Antiquity: A Bilingual Anthology, Publisher: Feminist Press, 1999, ISBN 1-55861-223-8. (see page 65, 16th century/Kurdistan and Asenath's Petition)
Berkovic, S., Straight Talk: My Dilemma as an Orthodox Jewish Woman, Ktav Publishing House, 1999, ISBN 0-88125-661-7.
Rabbi Asenath Barzani in Jewish Storytelling Newsletter, Vol.15, No.3, Summer 2000
Kurdish Jewry (יהדות כורדיסתאן) An Israeli site on Kurdish Jewry. (Hebrew)
The Jews of Kurdistan Yale Israel Journal, No. 6 (Spr. 2005).
Hadassah Magazine, Nov. 2003
Towards a Sephardic Jewish Renaissance
Judaism in Encyclopaedia Kurdistanica
Schwartz, Howard. The Day the Rabbi Disappeared. Jewish Holiday Tales of Magic. Illustrated by Monique Passicot. Viking, 2000. ISBN 0-67-088733-1. $15.99. 80 pp.
Kurdish Jews; who are they? (Swedish)
Asenath Barzani
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jump to: navigation, search
Contents [hide]
1 The life of Tanna’it Asenath
2 A Flock of Angels
3 Status as rabbi
4 References
Tanna’it Asenath Barzani (1590–1670) was a renowned Kurdish Jewish woman who lived in Mosul, Iraq. She was among the very first Jewish women in history known to have been given a rabbinic title [1]. She was the daughter of the illustrious Rabbi Samuel Barzani. She studied Kabbalah. Her ancestors are Kurdish family of Barzani.
[edit] The life of Tanna’it Asenath
Barzani was given the title Tanna’it. Until the modern era, very few women were given a rabbinic title. After Tanna’it Barzani died, many Jews made pilgrimages to her grave in Amadiyah in Iraqi Kurdistan. Tanna’it Asenath was the daughter of Rabbi Samuel Barzani, who headed many yeshivas during his lifetime, and whose authority in Kurdistan was absolute. He was a master of Kabbalah, and he was said to have taught the secrets of Kabbalah to his daughter, who adored her father, whom she regarded as a King of Israel. He was her primary teacher, and after his death she took over many of his duties. Not only did Asenath serve as a rabbi, but she became the head of the yeshivah of Mosul, and eventually became known as the chief teacher of Torah in Kurdistan. In another source, it is said that, "Asenath Barzani in sixteenth-century Kurdistan supplicates the Torah sages of Amadiya so she can support the yeshiva her husband established in Mosul until her young son could take over"(see [2]).
[edit] A Flock of Angels
She was a poet and an expert on Jewish literature, and there are many Kurdish legends about the miracles she performed, such as the one described in “A Flock of Angels”. After Rabbi Samuel died, he often came to his daughter in dreams. He would reveal dangers to her and tell her how to ward them off, saving many lives. On one occasion, inspired by her father, she encouraged the Jews of Amadiyah to celebrate Rosh Hodesh outdoors, despite dangers from their enemies. As they proceeded with the celebration, there were shouts and they saw flames shoot up into the sky. The synagogue had been set on fire, but since the congregation had been outdoors, no one had been inside it. At that very moment, Tanna’it Asenath whispered a secret name, one that she had learned from her father. The people saw a flock of angels descending to the roof of the synagogue. The angels beat the flames with their wings, until every last spark had been put out. Then they rose up into the heavens like a flock of white doves and were gone. And when the smoke cleared, they saw that another miracle had taken place: the synagogue had not burned. Nor was a single letter of any of the Torahs touched by the flames. And they were so grateful to Tanna’it Asenath that they renamed the synagogue after her, and it is still standing to this day.
[edit] Status as rabbi
Some modern scholars[citation needed] regard her title of Tanna'it, and her role as head of a yeshiva with a rabbinical school, as being equivalent to being a "rabbi," and hence regard her as a rare example of a female rabbi in pre-20th century traditional Judaism.
[edit] References
"A Flock of Angels:A Rosh Hodesh Tale" in the Jewish Storytelling Newsletter, Vol.15, No.3, Summer 2000
Rescuing Voices By Rochelle Furstenberg, Haddassah Magazine,August/September 2000 Vol. 82 No. 1
Asenath, Barzani, "Asenath's Petition", First published in Hebrew by Jacob Mann, ed., in Texts and Studies in Jewish History and Literature, vol.1, Hebrew Union College Press, Cincinnati, 1931. Translation by Peter Cole.
Mahir Ünsal Eriş, Kürt Yahudileri - Din, Dil, Tarih , (Kurdish Jews) In Turkish, Kalan Publishing, Ankara, 2006
Yona Sabar, The Folk Literature of the Kurdistani Jews (New Haven: Yale University Press, 1982.
Hasan-Rokem, G. , Hess, T. and Kaufman, S., Defiant Muse: Hebrew Feminist Poems from Antiquity: A Bilingual Anthology, Publisher: Feminist Press, 1999, ISBN 1-55861-223-8. (see page 65, 16th century/Kurdistan and Asenath's Petition)
Berkovic, S., Straight Talk: My Dilemma as an Orthodox Jewish Woman, Ktav Publishing House, 1999, ISBN 0-88125-661-7.
Hadassah Magazine, Nov. 2003
Grossman, Avraham. Pious and Rebellious: Jewish Women in Medieval Europe. Brandeis University Press, 2004, p. 163.
Towards a Sephardic Jewish Renaissance
Judaism in Encyclopaedia Kurdistanica
Schwartz, Howard. The Day the Rabbi Disappeared. Jewish Holiday Tales of Magic. Illustrated by Monique Passicot.
Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asenath_Barzani"
Yitzhak Mordechai
Yitzhak Mordechai (Hebrew: יצחק מרדכי, born 22 November 1944) was an Israeli general, and later Minister of Defense and Minister of Transport. He retired from political life in 2000 after being indicted for sexual assaults during his military service and later persiods. His eventual conviction in some of these charges ended his public career.
Contents [hide]
1 Military service
2 Political service
3 Education and personal information
4 External links
[edit] Military service
Mordechai was born in Iraqi Kurdistan and emigrated to Israel in 1949. In 1962 he enlisted to the Engineering Corps and later volunteered to the paratroopers brigade. In the 1973 Yom Kippur War, he was battalion commander in the Battle of the Chinese Farm in Sinai, and was decorated with the Medal of Courage.
In 1984, in what became known as the Kav 300 affair, Mordechai, then a Brigadier General, was framed for the killing of two Palestinian bus hijackers (see Shin Bet). Mordechai was tried, and acquitted when the truth became known. He was promoted to the rank of Major General in 1986, and became known as the "General of the Three Commands", after serving as commander of all three territorial commands (North, Center and South). The Intifada broke out in 1988, when Mordechai was commander of the Southern Command. As commander of the Northern Command he commanded over Operation Accountability in 1993.
Mordechai retired from active service in 1995 after 33 years of service, when the new Chief of General Staff (Amnon Lipkin-Shahak) did not appoint him as his deputy.
[edit] Political service
In 1996, Mordechai joined the Likud party, helping Benjamin Netanyahu win the 1996 general elections and become Prime Minister of Israel. Mordechai joined Netanyahu's new government as Defense Minister, where he became Lipkin-Shahak's boss.
In 1999, a public rift occurred between Mordechai and Netanyahu because of political rivalry and difference of opinion regarding the negotiations with Palestinians. Netanyahu dismissed Mordechai shortly before Mordechai would have reportedly resigned. Mordechai formed the new Center Party, along with Lipkin-Shahak (who retired from army service shortly before) and other prominent politicians. Despite strong initial poll results, the party fared badly in that year's general elections. The party joined Ehud Barak's new Labor government and Mordechai became Minister of Transport.
Mordechai resigned from his ministerial position in 2000 after being indicted for sexual misconduct during his military service. He resigned from the Knesset (Israeli parliament) in 2001. His eventual conviction in some of these charges ended his public career and reportedly also his marriage. The Center Party formally disbanded early in 2001.
[edit] Education and personal information
Mordechai holds a B.A. in History from Tel Aviv University, and an M.A. in Political Science from Haifa University. He is divorced and has one child[citation needed].
[edit] External links
Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Yitzhak Mordechai
Yitzhak Mordechai on the Knesset website (in English)
(read less)
There are old bonds between Jews and Kurds. Tradition holds that Jews first arrived in the area of modern Kurdistan after the Assyrian conquest of the Kingdom of Israel during the 8th century BC; they were subsequently relocated to the Assyrian capital.[5] During the first century BC, the royal house of Adiabene, whose capital was Arbil (Aramaic: Arbala; Kurdish: Hewlêr), was converted to Judaism.[6] King Monobazes, his queen Helena, and his son and successor Izates are recorded as the first proselytes.[7]
According to the memoirs of Benjamin of Tudela and Pethahiah of Regensburg, there were about 100 Jewish settlements and substantial Jewish population in Kurdistan in 12th century A.D. Benjamin of Tudela also gives the account of David Alroi, the messianic leader from central Kurdistan, who rebelled against the king of Persia and had plans to lead the Jews back to Jerusalem. These travellers also report of well-established and wealthy Jewish communities in Mosul, which was the commercial and spiritual center of Kurdistan. Many Jews fearful of approaching crusaders, had fled from Syria and Palestine to Babylonia and Kurdistan. The Jews of Mosul enjoyed some degree of autonomy over managing their own community.[8]
Tanna'it Asenath Barzani, who lived in Mosul from 1590 to 1670, was the daughter of Rabbi Samuel Barzani of Kurdistan. She later married Jacob Mizrahi Rabbi of Amadiyah (in Iraqi Kurdistan) who lectured at a yeshiva [9]. She was famous for her knowledge of the Torah, Talmud, Kabbalah and Jewish law. After the early death of her husband, she became the head of the yeshiva at Amadiyah, and eventually was recognized as the chief instructor of Torah in Kurdistan. She was called tanna'it (female Talmudic scholar), practiced mysticism, and was reputed to have known the secret names of God.[10] Asenath is also well known for her poetry and excellent command of the Hebrew language. She wrote a long poem of lament and petition in the traditional rhymed metrical form. Her poems are among the few examples of the early modern Hebrew texts written by women.[11]
Among the most important Jewish shrines in Kurdistan are the tombs of Biblical prophets, such as that of Nahum in Alikush, Jonah in Nabi Yunis (ancient Nineveh), and Daniel in Kirkuk. There are also several caves supposedly visited by Elijah. All are venerated by Jews today.[12]
Kurdish Jews have also been active in the Zionist movement. One of the most famous members of Lehi (Freedom Fighters of Israel) was Moshe Barazani, whose family immigrated from Iraqi Kurdistan and settled in Jerusalem in the late 1920s. Important in the preservation of their traditions and especially their language, Aramaic, after migration was the work of Yona Sabar.[13]
Recently, an important book came out, describing the interactions of the Jewish population in Kurdish towns and villages and their Muslim Kurdish neighbors and tribal masters, or chieftains (aghas) during the last few centuries and especially during the first half of the 20th century.[14]
Contents [hide]
1 See also
2 External links
3 Footnotes
4 References
[edit] See also
Jewish ethnic divisions
Mizrahi Jews
Iraqi Jews
Kurdish Christians
Kurdish people
Persian Jews
[edit] External links
IKN - Israel Kurdistan Network
[edit] Footnotes
^ Zivotofsky, Ari Z. (2002). "What’s the Truth about...Aramaic?" (PDF). Orthodox Union. http://www.ou.org/publications/ja/5762summer/LEGAL-EA.PDF. Retrieved 2007-01-14.
^ http://www.slis.indiana.edu/faculty/meho/meho-bibliography-2001.pdf (p.2)
^ Kurdish Jewish Community in Israel
^ курдские евреи. Электронная еврейская энциклопедия
^ Roth C in the Encyclopedia Judaica, p. 1296-1299 (Keter: Jerusalem 1972).
^ "Irbil/Arbil" entry in the Encyclopaedia Judaica
^ Brauer E., The Jews of Kurdistan, Wayne State University Press, Detroit, 1993; Ginzberg, Louis, "The Legends of the Jews, 5th CD." in The Jewish Publication Society of America, VI.412 (Philadelphia: 1968); and http://www.eretzyisroel.org/~jkatz/kurds.html.
^ Ora Schwartz-Be'eri, The Jews of Kurdistan: Daily Life, Customs, Arts and Crafts, UPNE publishers, 2000, ISBN 9652782386, p.26.
^ Sylvia Barack Fishman, A breath of Life: Feminism in the American Jewish Community, UPNE Publishers, 1995, ISBN 0874517060, p. 186
^ Sally Berkovic, Straight Talk: My Dilemma As an Orthodox Jewish Woman, KTAV Publishing House, 1999, ISBN 0881256617, p.226.
^ Shirley Kaufamn, Galit Hasan-Rokem, Tamar Hess, Hebrew Feminist Poems from Antiquity to the Present: A Bilingual Anthology, Feminist Press, 1999, ISBN 1558612246, pp.7,9
^ Keo - Religion
^ E.g., Yona Sabar, A Jewish Neo-Aramaic Dictionary, Wiesbaden: Harrassowitz Verlag, 2002. See book by his son, American journalist Ariel Sabar, My Father's Paradise: A Son’s Search for His Jewish Past in Kurdish Iraq' (Algonquin, 2008)
^ Jewish Subjects and their Tribal Chieftains in Kurdistan A Study in Survival By Dr. Mordechai Zaken Published by Brill: • August 2007 • ISBN 978 9004161 90 0 • Hardback (xxii, 364 pp.) • List price EUR 120.- / US$ 162.- • Jewish Identities in a Changing World, 9. About the book: This volume deals with the experience and position of Jewish subjects in Kurdistan. It is based on new oral sources, diligently collected and carefully analyzed. The four main parts of the book examine the relationships between the Kurdish Jews and their tribal chieftains (aghas) in urban centers and villages in Kurdistan, using numerous new reports and vivid examples. It also deals extensively with topics such as the security and murder of Jews in the tribal Kurdish setting, the question of slavery of rural Jews and the conversion of Jews to Islam. The last part of the book examines the experience of the Jews in Iraqi Kurdistan between World War I (1914) and the immigration of Jews to Israel (1951-52). Readership: All those interested in the history of oriental Jewry, Kurds and Iraq, minorities in the Middle East, tribal society, as well as oral historians, sociologists and anthropologists. Mordechai Zaken, Ph.D. (2004) in Near Eastern Studies, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, specializes in the history of the Kurds, oriental Jewry, and non-Muslim minorities in the region. He served as Adviser on Arab Affairs to the Prime Minister of Israel (1997-99).
[edit] References
Mordechai Zaken, "Jewish Subjects and their tribal Chieftains in Kurdistan: A study in Survival," Jewish Identities in a Changing World, 9 (Boston: Brill Publishers, 2007)
Asenath, Barzani, "Asenath's Petition", First published in Hebrew by Jacob Mann, ed., in Texts and Studies in Jewish History and Literature, vol.1, Hebrew Union College Press, Cincinnati, 1931. Translation by Peter Cole.
Yona Sabar, The Folk Literature of the Kurdistani Jews (New Haven: Yale University Press, 1982).
Ariel Sabar, My Father's Paradise: A Son’s Search for His Jewish Past in Kurdish Iraq. Illustrated. 332 pp. Algonquin Books of Chapel Hill. Biography & study of Yona Beh Sabagha = Yona Sabar, native scholar of this community and its language. Reviewed in The New York Times, Oct. 12, 2008 and The Washington Post, Oct. 26, 2008.
Mahir Ünsal Eriş, Kürt Yahudileri - Din, Dil, Tarih , (Kurdish Jews) In Turkish, Kalan Publishing, Ankara, 2006
Hasan-Rokem, G. , Hess, T. and Kaufman, S., Defiant Muse: Hebrew Feminist Poems from Antiquity: A Bilingual Anthology, Publisher: Feminist Press, 1999, ISBN 1-55861-223-8. (see page 65, 16th century/Kurdistan and Asenath's Petition)
Berkovic, S., Straight Talk: My Dilemma as an Orthodox Jewish Woman, Ktav Publishing House, 1999, ISBN 0-88125-661-7.
Rabbi Asenath Barzani in Jewish Storytelling Newsletter, Vol.15, No.3, Summer 2000
Kurdish Jewry (יהדות כורדיסתאן) An Israeli site on Kurdish Jewry. (Hebrew)
The Jews of Kurdistan Yale Israel Journal, No. 6 (Spr. 2005).
Hadassah Magazine, Nov. 2003
Towards a Sephardic Jewish Renaissance
Judaism in Encyclopaedia Kurdistanica
Schwartz, Howard. The Day the Rabbi Disappeared. Jewish Holiday Tales of Magic. Illustrated by Monique Passicot. Viking, 2000. ISBN 0-67-088733-1. $15.99. 80 pp.
Kurdish Jews; who are they? (Swedish)
Asenath Barzani
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jump to: navigation, search
Contents [hide]
1 The life of Tanna’it Asenath
2 A Flock of Angels
3 Status as rabbi
4 References
Tanna’it Asenath Barzani (1590–1670) was a renowned Kurdish Jewish woman who lived in Mosul, Iraq. She was among the very first Jewish women in history known to have been given a rabbinic title [1]. She was the daughter of the illustrious Rabbi Samuel Barzani. She studied Kabbalah. Her ancestors are Kurdish family of Barzani.
[edit] The life of Tanna’it Asenath
Barzani was given the title Tanna’it. Until the modern era, very few women were given a rabbinic title. After Tanna’it Barzani died, many Jews made pilgrimages to her grave in Amadiyah in Iraqi Kurdistan. Tanna’it Asenath was the daughter of Rabbi Samuel Barzani, who headed many yeshivas during his lifetime, and whose authority in Kurdistan was absolute. He was a master of Kabbalah, and he was said to have taught the secrets of Kabbalah to his daughter, who adored her father, whom she regarded as a King of Israel. He was her primary teacher, and after his death she took over many of his duties. Not only did Asenath serve as a rabbi, but she became the head of the yeshivah of Mosul, and eventually became known as the chief teacher of Torah in Kurdistan. In another source, it is said that, "Asenath Barzani in sixteenth-century Kurdistan supplicates the Torah sages of Amadiya so she can support the yeshiva her husband established in Mosul until her young son could take over"(see [2]).
[edit] A Flock of Angels
She was a poet and an expert on Jewish literature, and there are many Kurdish legends about the miracles she performed, such as the one described in “A Flock of Angels”. After Rabbi Samuel died, he often came to his daughter in dreams. He would reveal dangers to her and tell her how to ward them off, saving many lives. On one occasion, inspired by her father, she encouraged the Jews of Amadiyah to celebrate Rosh Hodesh outdoors, despite dangers from their enemies. As they proceeded with the celebration, there were shouts and they saw flames shoot up into the sky. The synagogue had been set on fire, but since the congregation had been outdoors, no one had been inside it. At that very moment, Tanna’it Asenath whispered a secret name, one that she had learned from her father. The people saw a flock of angels descending to the roof of the synagogue. The angels beat the flames with their wings, until every last spark had been put out. Then they rose up into the heavens like a flock of white doves and were gone. And when the smoke cleared, they saw that another miracle had taken place: the synagogue had not burned. Nor was a single letter of any of the Torahs touched by the flames. And they were so grateful to Tanna’it Asenath that they renamed the synagogue after her, and it is still standing to this day.
[edit] Status as rabbi
Some modern scholars[citation needed] regard her title of Tanna'it, and her role as head of a yeshiva with a rabbinical school, as being equivalent to being a "rabbi," and hence regard her as a rare example of a female rabbi in pre-20th century traditional Judaism.
[edit] References
"A Flock of Angels:A Rosh Hodesh Tale" in the Jewish Storytelling Newsletter, Vol.15, No.3, Summer 2000
Rescuing Voices By Rochelle Furstenberg, Haddassah Magazine,August/September 2000 Vol. 82 No. 1
Asenath, Barzani, "Asenath's Petition", First published in Hebrew by Jacob Mann, ed., in Texts and Studies in Jewish History and Literature, vol.1, Hebrew Union College Press, Cincinnati, 1931. Translation by Peter Cole.
Mahir Ünsal Eriş, Kürt Yahudileri - Din, Dil, Tarih , (Kurdish Jews) In Turkish, Kalan Publishing, Ankara, 2006
Yona Sabar, The Folk Literature of the Kurdistani Jews (New Haven: Yale University Press, 1982.
Hasan-Rokem, G. , Hess, T. and Kaufman, S., Defiant Muse: Hebrew Feminist Poems from Antiquity: A Bilingual Anthology, Publisher: Feminist Press, 1999, ISBN 1-55861-223-8. (see page 65, 16th century/Kurdistan and Asenath's Petition)
Berkovic, S., Straight Talk: My Dilemma as an Orthodox Jewish Woman, Ktav Publishing House, 1999, ISBN 0-88125-661-7.
Hadassah Magazine, Nov. 2003
Grossman, Avraham. Pious and Rebellious: Jewish Women in Medieval Europe. Brandeis University Press, 2004, p. 163.
Towards a Sephardic Jewish Renaissance
Judaism in Encyclopaedia Kurdistanica
Schwartz, Howard. The Day the Rabbi Disappeared. Jewish Holiday Tales of Magic. Illustrated by Monique Passicot.
Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asenath_Barzani"
Yitzhak Mordechai
Yitzhak Mordechai (Hebrew: יצחק מרדכי, born 22 November 1944) was an Israeli general, and later Minister of Defense and Minister of Transport. He retired from political life in 2000 after being indicted for sexual assaults during his military service and later persiods. His eventual conviction in some of these charges ended his public career.
Contents [hide]
1 Military service
2 Political service
3 Education and personal information
4 External links
[edit] Military service
Mordechai was born in Iraqi Kurdistan and emigrated to Israel in 1949. In 1962 he enlisted to the Engineering Corps and later volunteered to the paratroopers brigade. In the 1973 Yom Kippur War, he was battalion commander in the Battle of the Chinese Farm in Sinai, and was decorated with the Medal of Courage.
In 1984, in what became known as the Kav 300 affair, Mordechai, then a Brigadier General, was framed for the killing of two Palestinian bus hijackers (see Shin Bet). Mordechai was tried, and acquitted when the truth became known. He was promoted to the rank of Major General in 1986, and became known as the "General of the Three Commands", after serving as commander of all three territorial commands (North, Center and South). The Intifada broke out in 1988, when Mordechai was commander of the Southern Command. As commander of the Northern Command he commanded over Operation Accountability in 1993.
Mordechai retired from active service in 1995 after 33 years of service, when the new Chief of General Staff (Amnon Lipkin-Shahak) did not appoint him as his deputy.
[edit] Political service
In 1996, Mordechai joined the Likud party, helping Benjamin Netanyahu win the 1996 general elections and become Prime Minister of Israel. Mordechai joined Netanyahu's new government as Defense Minister, where he became Lipkin-Shahak's boss.
In 1999, a public rift occurred between Mordechai and Netanyahu because of political rivalry and difference of opinion regarding the negotiations with Palestinians. Netanyahu dismissed Mordechai shortly before Mordechai would have reportedly resigned. Mordechai formed the new Center Party, along with Lipkin-Shahak (who retired from army service shortly before) and other prominent politicians. Despite strong initial poll results, the party fared badly in that year's general elections. The party joined Ehud Barak's new Labor government and Mordechai became Minister of Transport.
Mordechai resigned from his ministerial position in 2000 after being indicted for sexual misconduct during his military service. He resigned from the Knesset (Israeli parliament) in 2001. His eventual conviction in some of these charges ended his public career and reportedly also his marriage. The Center Party formally disbanded early in 2001.
[edit] Education and personal information
Mordechai holds a B.A. in History from Tel Aviv University, and an M.A. in Political Science from Haifa University. He is divorced and has one child[citation needed].
[edit] External links
Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Yitzhak Mordechai
Yitzhak Mordechai on the Knesset website (in English)
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