JUDAICA - Wisdom In Torah

faitusi, jacob ben abraham
threatened their survival as a Jewish community. He promised
them to enlist world Jewry on their behalf and took two young
Beta Israel with him to Europe to be educated as future teachers.
Having failed to win the support of the Alliance Israélite
Universelle, he organized “pro-Falasha” committees in Italy
and Germany to raise funds for Jewish education for the Beta
Israel in Abyssinia and abroad. In 1908–09 Faïtlovitch spent
15 months in Abyssinia; he was received by Emperor Menelik
II and pleaded for equitable treatment for the Beta Israel. This
voyage is described in his book Quer durch Abessinien (1910;
Massa el ha-Falashim, 1959). Finally, he established one school
in Dembea during his third voyage in 1913. After World War I
Faïtlovitch, who had lectured at Geneva University (1915–19),
transferred the center of pro-Falasha activity to the United
States, and with the aid of the New York Committee a boarding
school for Beta Israel children was opened in Addis Ababa
in May 1923. Starting from 1927 Faïtlovitch settled in Tel Aviv
but he had a nomadic life and spent many years in the United
States. The Italian conquest in 1935–36 hampered the expanding
activity and World War II stopped it entirely. After the establishment
of the State of Israel he was able to persuade the
Jewish Agency to take up educational work among the Beta
Israel. Faïtlovich was an indefatigable lecturer, everywhere
trying to stir active interest in the “Black Jews of Abyssinia.”
He considered the Beta Israel ethnologically the descendants
of genuine Jews and an integral part of the Jewish people. An
observant Jew himself, he felt that it was not enough to study
the Beta Israel, but that it was an obligation to save them from
extinction and lead them through education into the fold of
traditional Judaism. He took out of Ethiopia to study in Europe,
Egypt and Palestine 25 young boys. He was interested in
the quest for the nidḥei Israel and in *proselytism; he created
committees for the conversion of people from Asia and Africa.
In addition to the books mentioned above, he published
Mota Mus (Heb., Fr., 1906), Proverbes Abyssins (1907), “Nouveaux
Proverbes Abyssins” (in Rivista degli Studi Orientali, 2
(1909), 757–66), Les Falachas d’après les Explorateurs (1907),
Versi Abissini (It., 1910), and Falascha-Briefe (1913). He wrote
numerous articles and pamphlets and a series of tracts in Amharic
intended for distribution among the Beta Israel. The only
article that he wrote in English is entitled “Falashas” (in AJYB,
22 (1920), 80–100). Faïtlovitch bequeathed his valuable library
to the Tel Aviv Municipality, with the collection now located
in Tel Aviv University.
Add. Bibliography: J. Quirin, The Evolution of the Ethiopian
Jews (1992), 193–200; D. Summerfield, From Falashas to Ethiopian
Jews (2003), 39–90; E. Trevisan Semi, “De Lodz à Addis Abeba,
Faitlovitch et les Juifs d’Ethiopie,” in: Les Cahiers du Judaïsme 10
(2001), 60–71; idem, “Faitlovitch,” in: Pe’amim 100 (2004) (Heb);
idem, The “Ingathering of the Exiles”: Jacques Faitlovitch, “Father of
the Beta Israel” (1881–1955) (2005).
[Max Wurmbrand / Emanuela Trevisan Semi (2nd ed.)]
FAITUSI, JACOB BEN ABRAHAM (d. 1812), Jerusalem
emissary and talmudist. Faitusi was born in *Tunis and im-
migrated to *Jerusalem around 1800. In 1806 he became an
emissary of Jerusalem to *Tripoli, *Tunisia, and *Algeria. He
published: Berit Ya’akov (Leghorn, 1800), including the Shitah
Mekubbeẓet of Bezalel *Ashkenazi to tractate Sotah, the
Likkutei Ge’onim of various authors on tractates Nedarim and
Nazir, and Likkutim on tractate Nazir by Abraham ibn Musa,
to which he appended Sha’arei Ẓedek by *Levi b. Gershom on
the 13 hermeneutical principles and an original work on the
subject entitled Yagel Ya’akov; Mizbaḥ Kapparah (ibid., 1810),
containing the Shitah Mekubbeẓet to Menaḥot, Zevaḥim, and
Bekhorot, novellae on Ḥullin attributed to *Naḥmanides and
Ronu le-Ya’akov, his own commentary on tractates Ḥullin and
Temurah. Appended to the work are homilies in praise of
the Land of Israel; Mareh ha-Ofanim (ibid., 1810) including
the novellae of *Asher b. Jehiel on Sotah and his own commentary,
Yagel Ya’akov, on Pesaḥim, Beẓah, Rosh Ha-Shanah,
Avodah Zarah, and Makkot. Faitusi died in Algeria, while on
a mission there. His son, ḥAYYIM DAVID, published Jacob’s
Yerekh Ya’akov (ibid., 1842), homilies on the Pentateuch and
the Five Scrolls, together with Kokhav mi-Ya’akov, novellae on
the Talmud and responsa.
Bibliography: Frumkin-Rivlin, 3 (1929), 127–8; Rosanes,
Togarmah, 5 (1938), 279; Yaari, Sheluḥei, 707–8; Hirschberg, Afrikah,
2 (1965), 160, 347 n. 33.
[Simon Marcus]
FAIVOVICH HITZCOVICH, ANGEL (1901–1990), Chilean
politician. Born in Santiago, he received the title of agronomical
engineer in 1922 and was appointed assistant in
the zootechnic section of the University of Chile. In 1930 he
graduated in law and in 1935 was elected councilor of the Municipality
of Santiago. In 1937 he was elected from the Radical
Party as a member of Parliament for Santiago and in 1945 as
senator. He served several terms. Faivovich was professor of
International Law and Juridic and Social Studies at the University
of Chile. He was president of the Radical Party between
1946 and 1952, during the administration of Gabriel
Gonzalez Videla, exercising considerable political influence
in government circles. He opposed the candidacy of Allende,
dividing the Radical Party and founding the Party of Radical
Democracy. He bequeathed his fortune to beneficial causes
in Chile and Israel, particularly to the Weizmann Institute of
Science in Reḥovot.
[Moshe Nes El (2nd ed.)]
FAIYŪM (Fayyūm), district and city in Upper Egypt, southwest
of *Cairo. In the early Middle Ages flourishing Jewish
communities seem to have existed there, since *Saadiah Gaon
was born there, in approximately 882, received his basic education
in the city of Dilas of the Faiyūm district, and wrote
his first two books there. Benjamin of Tudela, the 12th-century
traveler, found 200 Jews there according to one of his manuscripts,
and 20 Jews according to another. Since the former
number appears in most of his writings, it would be possible
to assume that the figure applies to the Jewish population of
678 ENCYCLOPAEDIA JUDAICA, Second Edition, Volume 6