A New and Ancient Judaism
Yeshito is an Israeli, born in Ethiopia. She attended Israeli
government-sponsored religious schools since she was six, completing her
education with an MA in sociology from Hebrew University. Her research is
important not only for Ethiopian Jewry, but also for many young people in
Israel today who are questioning whether there are other traditional manners
of interpreting Judaism. In her own words:
"Throughout history, the people of Israel observed the commandments of
the Torah as proscribed by the local Jewish leadership, with the Torah
serving as the base. Most of these communities based their rulings and
decisions on the Talmud. At the same time, there were Jewish communities
that were not exposed to the many innovations of the Oral Torah as edited
by Rabbi Yehudah Hanassi. To this day, there are communities, such as
Ethiopian Jewry, that do not accept this approach, and continue to follow an
Oral Torah which has in fact remained an oral Torah to this day.
"Today, when many Jewish ethnic groups live under a common roof in Israel,
the predominance of Talmudic Judaism creates a degree of frustration and
confusion, primarily among the younger generation that wants to keep the
Torah and its commandments, and does not know whether to follow what
they learned in their parent's home or in the yeshivas. I would like to write
about my own personal journey, not only for its literary value, but as a
quest for both building a bridge between these two seemingly opposing
approaches, and also to confront the issues where they might not be
reconciled. I do not whether I will be able to provide any answers, but I hope
that I will voice some very urgent questions that have not yet been openly
addressed."
Next>
