Nitza Spiro Hebrew Studies

Registered Charity No 1070926

JEWS IN ARMENIA

In my last blog I told you about my Yazidi background but this is only one part of my multicultural family, the Yazidis.
My mother is from Armenia on which Noah's Ark has landed according to Genesis 8:4 "In the seventh month, on the seventeenth day of the month, the ark rested upon the mountains of Ararat." in mountain Ararat.
As you see from the picture there are 2 mountains and in Armenian they are not called Ararat but Sis and Masis.
The tradition tells us that it was the top of Masis , the tallest mountain where the Ark terminated its journey.
It reached the height of 4000 meter on these mountains in north east Turkey on the border between Turkey and Armenia. On the North east part of Turkey lieves a lot of Kurdish People and called also as Kurdistan.
Since it has been found on top of a very high mountain and because the mountain is covered with snow all year around many people died in their attempt to reach the top of the mountain.
James Erwin once said that it was easier to reach the moon than to reach the top of Ararat.
In April 2010 a group of 15 researches from Turkey and China spotted an ancient structure of wood.
In it there were participants which suggests that different kinds of animals were put in such closers.
Carbon test of the wood suggest that the reminders of this boat are 4800 years old which connect it to Noah's period.

Isn't it great that I find myself now an intern at Spiro Ark that accepts people of all kinds in its programme and well deserves the title ark.
In addition to Noah's Ark Armenia also have what is believed to be the most ancient church in the world.
In previous blogs I disclosed my passion for Jewish history and therefore I would like to tell you something about the Jewish community of Armenia which dates back almost 2000 years.
Many historians date the arrival of the first Jewish settlement in Armenia back to the period of the destruction of the first temple.
During the conquest of King Tigranes II the Great, Tigranes brought with him 10,000 Jewish captives to Armenia when he retreated from Palestine, because of the Roman attack on Armenia (69 B.C.E.). By 360-370 C.E., there was a massive increase in Jewish Hellenistic immigration into Armenia; many Armenian towns became predominately Jewish.
The number of Jews residing in Armenia today is about a 100 and mainly in the capital of Yereven.
They are mostly of Ashkenazi origin and a smaller number are Mizrakhim from Georgia.
The Jewish community has its religious leaders in Armenia headed by a Chief Rabbi and socio-political matters are run by the Jewish Council of Armenia.
In my next blog I will be writing to you on the immigration of my family to Germany and how this move to a country which was responsible for the murder of millions of people around the world has affected my own psyche and interest.

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