Ancient texts belonging to the Beta Israel community are set to be made available for public

Ancient manuscripts belonging to the Jewish community of Ethiopia, the Beta Israel, are set to be digitized and scanned ahead of being made available to the public, The National Library of Israel announced last week.

The original texts, which have hitherto been held in private by the community's clergy or Kesim, will remain in the community's possession, while the scanned copies will be made available to the public. 

The project was agreed upon by library representatives and leaders of the Beta Israel community.    

Among the texts included in the project and penned in the Ge'ez language, is the Orit, the Beta Israel Torah which includes the five books of the Torah, the book of Joshua, Judges and Ruth. In addition, the digitization program is expected to include apocryphal writing, such as the texts of Enoch and Jubilees, and the Psalms. Holy manuscripts held by the progeny of Kesim are also set to be scanned. 

The library noted that 17 manuscripts have already been scanned. These include various ancient texts, such as prayerbooks for Shmita (the biblical commandment to avoid agricultural work in the land of Israel) and Yom Kippur, among others. 

Director General of the Ethiopian Jewry Heritage Center, Naftali Avraham, said of the project, "In recent years, we have been able to document many of the [esoteric] mysteries of the tradition and rich heritage of Ethiopian Jews thanks to cooperation with the Kesim. I am glad that in this project as well, the Center brought the importance of scanning books before the Kesim, and they joined the project out of recognition of the importance of conservation.  

'Cultural treasures'

Yitzhak Gila, Director of the library's Manuscripts Department, noted, "We are overjoyed to add the Beta Israel heritage to this digital collection." 

Associate Professor at the Department of Biblical Studies at Tel Aviv University, Dr. Dalit Rom-Shiloni, noted the importance of the cooperation between the various organizations on the project, adding, "These cultural treasures are undoubtedly part of the community's heritage and deserve exposure to an interested public, while they will continue to be maintained with their owners in the various houses of worship."