3) The Mishna and Talmud discussed various opinions as to the definition of the "corner of the head"
The rationale was to differentiate from idol worshippers who shaved the side of their heads at the time
Yemeni and Hassidic Jews would let their sidelocks grow particularly long
4) We have evidence of sidelocks from the 5th Century via the Jewish Himyarite Kingdom that ruled #Yemen at the time. The King Yusuf Asar Yathar was nicknamed Dhu Nuwas ذُو نُوَاس which means "The one with sidelocks" in Arabic
Sidelocks are prevalent in Himyarite era coins
5) We also have evidence from several early authentic Islamic scholars
For example, Abdullah ibn Masud عبد الله بن مسعود a companion of Muhammad and one of the most prominent authors of the Hadith claims another of Muhammad's companions is Jewish because he grew 2 sidelocks
This tradition can be seen in pictures and videos of our community from both South and North Yemen
7) Yemenis call sidelocks simonim סימנים which literally means signs or marks
While Ashkenazis do not cut children's hair until age 3, Yemeni Jews follow a different custom, and hence kids start growing out their sidelocks as soon as they are born 👶🏾
8) Contrary to popular belief, this tradition is not limited to Yemeni and Hassidic Jews. Prior to the 20th Century, many Jewish communities across the globe followed this tradition
Here is a picture of a Jew from Cochin #India 🇮🇳 circa 1900
9) Although sidelocks were not common in North Africa in the 1950s, we see them everywhere 20 years earlier. Rav Yoseph Messas said Moroccan Jews traditionally grew sidelocks but stopped due to French influence
A Jew from the Atlas Mountains in #Morocco🇲🇦with long sidelocks
10) And here is a picture of children with sidelocks from Tiznit #Morocco🇲🇦 taken in 1935
11) The influence of Kabbalah (Jewish Mysticism) had an effect on the tradition of sidelocks
The Arizal, a famous 16th C mystical Rabbi, warned that sidelocks should not cover the ears
This influence can be seen on Rabbi Haim Doweck of Allepo #Syria 🇸🇾 who had shorter sidelocks
12) The same can be seen in early pictures from Uzbekistan 🇺🇿 where Jews grew short sidelocks and shaved the rest of their hair
13) In the Hassidic world sidecurls are a very strong tradition. The Belz Rebbe had a famous saying in Yiddish that longer sidecurls showcase one's fear of God
14) Even within the Hassidic world, there are somewhat different traditions
Satmar Hassidim have a tradition to grow thicker sidecurls
15) Bresolv Hassidim grow very long sidecurls
This is based on the mystical teaching of Rabbi Nachman of Breslev that one who grows long sidecurls will be pulled out of the hellfire only if they are long enough 🔥
16) Even if you think someone doesn't have sidecurls, look closely!
Lithuanian Jews (non Hassidic) typically fold their sidelocks behind their ears
17) Today in #Israel, sidecurls are very popular and can be seen everywhere
For example, on the Israeli version of "American Idol"
18) Even on some news anchors, something which would have been unimaginable a decade ago
19) It's also interesting to see the tradition of sidecurls being adopted by communities that did not originally have this custom
🧵 1) The Mufti of #Jerusalem, Amin al-Husseini, was the founder of Palestinian Nationalism and a Nazi collaborator
In his early writings, he identified as a South Syrian
However, as more Jews arrived and bought land in #Israel, he shifted to a new form of local nationalism
2) In 1936 he established himself in Fascist Italy and Nazi Germany by making propagandistic radio broadcasts and by helping the Nazis recruit Muslims from Bosnia and the Caucauses to the Waffen SS
3) His master plan was to establish Nazi death camps in the Dotan Valley in North Samaria and to slaughter all the Jews of the Middle East
He even visited concentration camps in Europe in order to learn first hand about their systems and techniques
🧵 1) Amazing how the staff at al-Shifa, the largest hospital in #Gaza was complicit with hostages and rape victims from #Israel being dragged into their property by #Hamas terrorists on October 7th
🧵1) The Houthis recently made the news with attempted rocket attacks on #Israel but they have been wreaking havoc in #Yemen for over a decade
Like #Hamas, The Houthis are funded by #Iran. They killed over 500,000 Yemenis and ethnically cleansed Yemen's entire Jewish community
2) Ever heard of Taiz? It's #Yemen's 3rd largest city, which has been under complete blockade by the Houthis since 2015!
Despite pleas from human rights organizations, the Houthis continued shelling civilians, starving the population, and not allowing any humanitarian aid
3) The Houthis have also destroyed ancient heritage sites in #Yemen, like the 3,000 year old Al-Qahira castle and the16th-century mosque of Sufi Sheikh Abdulhadi al-Sudi
Our revered Sage Rabbi Shalom Shabazi's tomb is in Taiz, and there are rumors they damaged it as well
🧵1) Margalit Zinati is not Sephardic, Ashkenazi, or Yemeni
Her family has lived in the Galilee continuously for over 2,000 years. She comes from a family of Cohanim who left #Jerusalem upon the destruction of the 2nd Temple and found safe haven in the town of Peki'in
2) Peki'in was a #Jewish village since the time of the Temple and is mentioned extensively throughout the Mishna and Talmud.
It is recorded that the influential Sage Rabbi Yehoshua and his many disciples set up their Yeshiva in Peki'in
3) The #Jewish population of Peki'in saw a significant drop during the Crusader and Mamluk period. During the early Mamluk period documents show the growing presence of #Druze in the village. But #Jews continued living in the village throughout, the majority of which were Kohanim
🧵The #Cairo Geniza is a collection of 400,000 #Jewish manuscript fragments which were stored in the Ben Ezra Synagogue in Fostat #Egypt 🇪🇬
Spanning 6th-19th Centuries, the Geniza comprises the largest and most diverse collection of medieval manuscripts in the world
2) The Torah forbids throwing away writings containing the name of God. It was common to open personal letter with an invocation of God so this rule is not limited to religious materials
All such documents must be stored in a separate archive, and the buried in a cemetery
3) In practice, these archives contained any writing in Hebrew, Aramaic, and Judeo-Arabic, even if it had no religious significance
As such, the Geniza gives us a unique peek into the past
Over the past decade, applying #AI techniques led to discovery of important lost works