Avelei Zion (Topical Term)

Work cat.: 2005380619: Avele Tsiyon ha-Ḳaraʼim u-megilot Ḳumran, 2006.

Encyc. Jud., c1971 (Avelei Zion; "Mourners of Zion"; groups of Jews devoted to mourning the destruction of the Temple and to praying for the redemption of Zion; customs can be traced to the period immediately following the destruction of the Second Temple; did not engage in commerce or trade; disappeared from Jerusalem with its conquest by the Seljuks (1071) and by the Crusaders (1099))

The New encyclopedia of Judaism, c2002 (Avelé Zion; "Mourners of Zion"; first appeared in 70 CE; their numbers and influence grew from the Arab conquest of the Holy Land in 638 until the 12th century; abstained from daily work, meat, and wine; received financial support from Diaspora communities while they prayed for the coming of the Messiah; their population in Jerusalem, during the early Middle Ages (9th-11th centuries), was swelled by immigrant Karaites who adopted their customs; like-minded ascetics found in medieval Yemen, Italy, and Germany)