A new project of the "All Israel Friends" organization seeks for the first time to locate the burial place of the sages of the East, hundreds of years after their deaths, in order to honor their memory, and calls for all information that can help in the effort to reach the tombs of the righteous.
Towards the 7th of Adar II, the day of the death of Moshe Rabbeinu, whose burial place is unknown, the organization seeks to locate the graves of the heads of the leading congregations and rabbis who raised generations of sages' students.
"We have been gathering information for years about thousands of sages who led communities and were halakhic pioneers," says Eli Barkat, the organization's director general, "but unfortunately some of them do not have information about their burial place, so we undertook their commemoration.
If the tomb is inaccessible - their teachings are accessible.
If the date of death is unknown - here is one significant date in the Jewish world: 7 Adar. "
The new venture focuses on preserving the heritage of community leaders and rabbis, and aims to find out the exact dates of their deaths and the places where they were buried.
It is estimated that some of the rabbis are buried in Algeria, Tunisia, Iraq, Morocco, Egypt and Arab countries with which Israel has no diplomatic ties.
The front of the synagogue, Photo: Eldad Beck
All Israel Friends invites the general public to share with them any piece of information that can help in the effort to reach the graves - from family memories, through visits to local traditions - and calls on families who know details about sages from the local dynasty to share information with them.
"We are confident that with the help of cooperation with the families we will be able to expand the databases and have the privilege of reaching the graves of the righteous," says Barkat.
"All Israel Friends" intends to hold hundreds of events during the week in which Adar 7 teaches the study of the teachings of the sages of the East.
The meetings will deal with values that emphasize the common denominator of the Jewish people, in order to make the rabbis' unique voice heard and preserved.
The full list of rabbis can be found on the "Daily Sage" website, a project to expose the thinking of Eastern rabbis that Barkat established eight years ago.
"This is an opportunity to say Kaddish and study in memory of those spiritual guides, community rabbis and great halakhic judges," Barkat concludes.
Hani Mamram, director of foreign relations at the organization, said that "Moshe Rabbeinu led a complicated nation, and in fact the connection of learning and celebration in memory of the sages precisely on his birthday and death we increase the familiarity with the power, wisdom and leadership of the Sephardic sages. Ours, great leaders who have brought unity to the people of Israel. "
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