| Beta Israel |
|---|
 |
| Beta Israel making injera in Gondar, in 1996. Injera ( Ge'ez እንጀራ ɨndʒǝra sometimes transliterated enjera) or taita is a Pancake -like Bread made out of Teff Begemder (also Gondar or Gonder after its capital) was a province in the northwestern part of Ethiopia. |
| Total population |
|
127,000+ (estimated) |
| Regions with significant populations |
 Israel: 127,000 (estimated) [2] |
| Languages |
| Traditionally, Kayla and Qwara, more recently Amharic; Ge'ez as a liturgical language and now (in Israel) Hebrew as a liturgical and common language |
| Religions |
| Judaism |
| Related ethnic groups |
The Beta Israel (Hebrew: ביתא ישראל: Beta Israel, "House of Israel"; Ge'ez: ቤተ እስራኤል Bēta 'Isrā'ēl, modern Bēte 'Isrā'ēl) are the Jews of Ethiopia. For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Israel topics. NOTE This intro is the result of careful NPOV work Please do not make potentially controversial edits to it without first discussing on the talk page Kayla, or Kayliñña ( Ge'ez: ካይላ kāylā, for the people Ge'ez ካይልኛ kāylññā, Kayla Amharic, and Tigrinya Qwara, or Qwareña (called "Falashan" in some older sources is an Agaw language spoken by the Agaw and Beta Israel ( Ethiopian Amharic (አማርኛ amarəñña) is a Semitic language spoken in North Central Ethiopia by the Amhara. Ge'ez (ግዕዝ, ɡɨʕɨz also transliterated Gi'iz, and referred to as Ethiopic) is an ancient South Semitic Language For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Israel topics. Judaism (from the Greek Ioudaïsmos, derived from the Hebrew יהודה Yehudah, " Judah " in Hebrew יַהֲדוּת Yahedut The article has so much wrong statements Readers should not take it serious Amhara ( Amharic: አማራ Ge'ez: አምሐራ is an Ethnic group in the central highlands of Ethiopia. The Qemant are a small ethnic group in Ethiopia, who despite their close historical and ethnic relationship should not be confused with the Beta Israel. The Agaw ( Ge'ez አገው Agaw, modern Agew) are a people of Ethiopia. PLEASE TAKE NOTE************ Since Biblical times the Jewish people have had close ties with Africa beginning with Abraham 's sojourns in Egypt, and later the Israelite captivity under The Qemant are a small ethnic group in Ethiopia, who despite their close historical and ethnic relationship should not be confused with the Beta Israel. The Beta Israel (ביתא ישראל Beta Israel, "House of Israel" Ge'ez: ቤተ እስራኤል Bēta 'Isrā'ēl, modern Bēte 'Isrā'ēl See also Judaism by country Jewish ethnic divisions refers to a number of distinct communities within the world's ethnically Jewish population Ge'ez (ግዕዝ, ɡɨʕɨz also transliterated Gi'iz, and referred to as Ethiopic) is an ancient South Semitic Language PLEASE TAKE NOTE************ NOTE This intro is the result of careful NPOV work Please do not make potentially controversial edits to it without first discussing on the talk page They are also known as Falasha (Amharic for "Exiles" or "Strangers") by non-Jewish Ethiopians, but this term is considered pejorative. Words and phrases are pejorative if they imply disapproval or contempt Other terms by which the community have been known include the Tigrinya Kayla and the Hebrew Habashim, associated with the non-Jewish Habesha people. Tigrinya ( Ge'ez: ትግርኛ tigriññā) also spelled Tigrigna, Tigrina, less commonly Tigrinian, Tigrinyan, is Kayla, or Kayliñña ( Ge'ez: ካይላ kāylā, for the people Ge'ez ካይልኛ kāylññā, Kayla Amharic, and Tigrinya The term Habesha ( Ge'ez ሐበሻ ḥabaśā, Amh hābešā, Tgn
Israel's Law of Return (1950) allows Jews and those with Jewish parents or grandparents, and spouses of the aforementioned, to settle in Israel and gain citizenship. For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Israel topics. The Law of Return ( Hebrew: חוק השבות ḥok ha-shvūt) is Israeli legislation originating in 1950 that gives Jews those of Jewish ancestry Year 1950 ( MCML) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. PLEASE TAKE NOTE************ Under its provisions, more than 120,000 people, nearly 85% of the Ethiopian Jewish community, have emigrated to Israel, most notably during Operation Moses (1984) and Operation Solomon (1991). Operation Moses, (מבצע משה Mivtza Moshe) named after the biblical figure Moses, was the covert removal of Ethiopian Jews (known Year 1984 ( MCMLXXXIV) was a Leap year starting on Sunday (link displays the 1984 Gregorian calendar) Operation Solomon was a 1991 covert Israeli military operation to take Ethiopian Jews to Israel Year 1991 ( MCMXCI) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian Calendar. The Israeli government mounted rescue operations for migration when civil war and famine threatened populations within Ethiopia. Some immigration has continued up until the present day.
The related Falash Mura are the descendants of Jews who converted to Christianity in earlier centuries. The Beta Israel (ביתא ישראל Beta Israel, "House of Israel" Ge'ez: ቤተ እስራኤል Bēta 'Isrā'ēl, modern Bēte 'Isrā'ēl Christianity ( Greek Χριστιανισμός from the word Xριστός ( Christ)is a monotheistic Religion centered on the life and teachings Some are returning to their Jewish roots, living in Falash Mura communities and observing Halakha. Halakha ( הלכה; alternative transliterations include Halocho and Halacha) is the collective body of Jewish Religious law Beta Israel spiritual leaders, including Chief Kes Raphael Hadane have argued for the acceptance of the Falasha Mura as Jews. Chief Kes is the title given to the leader of the Kessim. The present Chief Kes is Raphael Hadane. Chief Kes Raphael Hadane is the Chief Kes (leader of the Kessim) for the communities of Beta Israel in Ethiopia and Israel. [1] This claim has been a matter of controversy within Israeli society. [2]
Contents |
History
Judaism in Ethiopia goes back to ancient times. The Ethiopian book titled Kebra Nagast, or "Book of the Glory of Kings," includes several references to Biblical verses about Solomon and Sheba. The Kebra Nagast (var Kebra Negast, Ge'ez,ክብረ ነገሥት kəbrä nägäst or the Book of the King Solomon ( Ge'ez: ስለሞን Arabic: ar سليمان, Sulayman, all from the Triliteral root S-L-M, "peace" Sheba ( Hebrew: שבא, Sh'va, Arabic: سبأ Sabaʼ, Ge'ez, Amharic, Tigrinya: ሳባ Saba The Hebrew Bible also has various references, Tanakh [1 Kings 10:1-13 and 2 Chronicles 9:1-12]. The early history of the community remains obscure, however.
The now dominant Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church claims it originated from the visit by the Queen of Sheba to King Solomon in the Tenth Century BCE. The Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church (in transliterated Amharic: Yäityop'ya ortodoks täwahedo bétäkrestyan) is an Oriental The Queen of Sheba (ንግሥተ ሳባ, 'מלכת שבא, ملكة سبأ) was the woman who ruled the ancient kingdom of Sheba and is referred to in Habeshan This visit is mentioned in the Hebrew Scriptures (I Kings 10:1). The Bible does not provide details of the queen's visit.
Such details developed as part of Christian Ethiopian tradition in the Middle Ages. Elements included the alleged theft of the Ark of the Covenant, as well as Solomon's getting the Queen of Sheba pregnant. The Ark of the Covenant (אָרוֹן הָבְרִית ʔārōn hāb’rīθ, Modern aron habrit) is described in the Bible as a sacred container wherein According to Christian Ethiopian tradition, her child established the "Solomonic" lineage in Ethiopia. These elements were first written down in full in the 13th century Kebra Nagast, inspired partly to legitimize the Solomonic dynasty. The Kebra Nagast (var Kebra Negast, Ge'ez,ክብረ ነገሥት kəbrä nägäst or the Book of the The Solomonic dynasty is the traditional royal house of Ethiopia, claiming descent from King Solomon and the Queen of Sheba, who is said It was competing with the previous Zagwe dynasty of Agaw descent, which was Cushitic, not Semitic-speaking, though passionately Christian. The Zagwe dynasty ruled Ethiopia from the end of the Kingdom of Axum at an uncertain date in the 9th or 10th century to 1270, when Yekuno Amlak
The chief Semitic languages of Ethiopia may suggest an antiquity of Judaism in Ethiopia. "There still remains the curious circumstance that a number of Abyssinian words connected with religion, such as the words for Hell, idol, Easter, purification, and alms – are of Hebrew origin. Hell, according to many Religious beliefs, is a location in the Afterlife, which may be described as a place of suffering In the practice of Religion, a cult image is a man-made object that is venerated for the Deity, spirit or Daemon that it embodies or represents Easter ( Greek: Πάσχα Pascha or Pasxa) is the most important religious feast in the Christian Liturgical year. Alms or almsgiving exists in a number of religions In general it involves giving materially to another as an act of religious virtue These words must have been derived directly from a Jewish source, for the Abyssinian Church knows the scriptures only in a Ge'ez version made from the Septuagint. "[3]
Beta Israel are said to claim that the Ethiopian Jews are descended from the lineage of Moses himself. Moses ( Latin: Moyses,; Greek: grc Mωυσής in both the Septuagint and the New Testament; Arabic: ar موسىٰ It is interestingly true that his children and relatives are said to have separated from the other Children of Israel after the Exodus and gone southwards (though the exact area is unspecified). Alternatively, Ethiopian Jews are said by certain modern Israeli speculators to be descended from the tribe of Dan. Tribe of Dan was also a band from the mid 1990s The Tribe of Dan ( was one of the Tribes of Israel. However, the true and written tradition of Beta Israel says that they are descended from the tribe of Judah and also from some of the tribe of Levi who were loyal to Judah instead of the Northern Kingdom. This article discusses the Biblical patriarch See Levi Strauss for the inventor of jeans Levites for the Biblical tribe or Matthew the Evangelist Those who accept the Kebra Negast believe that Beta Israel are descended from a battalion of men of Judah that fled southwards down the Arabian coastal lands from Judaea after the breakup of the united Kingdom of Israel into two kingdoms in the 10th century BCE (while King Solomon still reigned over Judah), Even before the time of King Solomon, there was trade along the Red Sea to the Yemen and even as far as India, according to the Bible. The Kebra Nagast (var Kebra Negast, Ge'ez,ክብረ ነገሥት kəbrä nägäst or the Book of the Kingdom of Judea redirects here For the 10th-6th century BCE kingdom see Kingdom of Judah Iudaea ( Hebrew: יהודה Standard The United Monarchy ( United Kingdom of Israel and Judah) refers to a period in the traditional account of the History of ancient Israel and Judah lasting India, officially the Republic of India (भारत गणराज्य inc-Latn Bhārat Gaṇarājya; see also other Indian languages) is a country Etymology According to the Online Etymology Dictionary, the word bible is from Latin biblia, traced from the same word through Medieval Latin and Late Latin There would therefore have been Jewish settlements at various points along the trade routes. Definite archaeological evidence demonstrates Jewish settlements and their cultural influence on both sides of the Red Sea at least 2,500 years ago. The Red Sea is a Salt water Inlet of the Indian Ocean between Africa and Asia. Such settlements existed along the Arabian coast and in Yemen, on the eastern side of the Read Sea, and along the Southern Egyptian and Sudanese coastal regions. However, this evidence makes better logical sense when viewed as evidence supporting the migration account told in the Kebra Negast, that Minilik the Great (Menelik I) lead a battalion of men of Judah and their families and with them 3 dozen priests of Levi (to attend the Ark) and their families all of which migrated with the Ark of the Covenant via said route, making their way back to Aksum, where Minilik I then reigned as the first Jewish Emperor of what is now called Abyssinia, making him the founder of the Solomonic Dynasty. The Ark of the Covenant (אָרוֹן הָבְרִית ʔārōn hāb’rīθ, Modern aron habrit) is described in the Bible as a sacred container wherein The Solomonic dynasty is the traditional royal house of Ethiopia, claiming descent from King Solomon and the Queen of Sheba, who is said
According to Jacqueline Pirenne, the spread of Sabaeans across the Red Sea to Ethiopia began in the 8th or 7th centuries BCE. See also Ancient history of Yemen The Sabaeans ( Arabic: السبأيين were an ancient people speaking an Old South Arabian language who Numerous Sabeans crossed over to Ethiopia to escape from the Assyrians, who had devastated the kingdoms of Israel and Judah. The Assyrians were extending their raids further south. She further states that a second major wave of Sabeans crossed over to Ethiopia in the 6th and 5th centuries BCE to escape Nebuchadnezzar. This wave also included Jews fleeing from the Babylonian takeover of Judah. [4] Most historians generally dismiss these theories of an early Jewish presence in Ethiopia in favor of a later ethnogenesis of the Beta Israel and presence of Judaism among Ethiopians. Ethnogenesis (From Greek: ethnos ( group of people nation and genesis ( a coming into being is the process by which a group of human beings comes
There was a significant movement of Jews into the Sudanese and Eritrean-Somali coastal areas, and the Arabian and Yemeni coastal areas, following the Roman repression of the various messianic movements that culminated in the destruction of the Second Commonwealth of Judaea in the first century C. This article presents an overview of various historically significant Jewish Messiah claimants. In Jewish history the Second Commonwealth is the period during which the Second Temple of Jerusalem was in existence roughly 530 BCE - 70 CE E. There is also evidence from the second century CE of Jewish flight southwards from the Fayyum of Egypt. Faiyum ( Arabic: الفيوم Coptic:) is a city in Middle Egypt and the capital of the Faiyum Governorate. This article is about the country of Egypt For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Egypt topics. Survivors fled up the Nile, perhaps to the general region of the Sudan. The Nile (النيل, Ancient Egyptian iteru or Ḥ'pī, Coptic piaro or phiaro) is a major north-flowing River Sudan (officially the Republic of Sudan) ( السودان al-Sūdān is a country in northeastern Africa.
Although the 13th century Kebra Nagast and some traditional Ethiopian histories have stated that Yodit (or "Gudit"), a 10th century usurping queen, was Jewish, it's unlikely that this was the case. The Kebra Nagast (var Kebra Negast, Ge'ez,ክብረ ነገሥት kəbrä nägäst or the Book of the Gudit (or Yodit, meaning Judith; also known as Esato) is a semi-legendary non- Christian queen (flourished c It is more likely that she was a pagan southerner[5] or a usurping Christian Aksumite Queen. [6]
Contrary to the Kebra Negast, some outsiders claim that the Beta Israel rulers traced their lineage back to Moses and the tribe of Dan. The 9th century Jewish traveler Eldad ha-Dani also claimed descent from this tribe. Eldad ha-Dani or Eldad HaDani or Eldad ben Mahli ha-Dani (אלדד הדני was an Ethiopian merchant and traveler of the ninth century He noted Jewish kingdoms around or in East Africa which existed during his time. Some believe his writings represent the first mention of the Beta Israel, but his accuracy is uncertain. Others doubt his work and point to a lack of firsthand knowledge of Ethiopia's geography and any Ethiopian language, although he claimed the area as his homeland. [7]
The Middle Ages
During the reign of Emperor Amda Seyon, (about early 1332), he mentioned campaigns in the northwest provinces of Semien, Wegera, Tselemt, and Tsegede. The Emperor ( Ge'ez: ንጉሠ ነገሥት nəgusä nägäst " King of Kings " of Ethiopia was the hereditary Amda Seyon (also Amde Tsiyon and other variants Ge'ez ዐምደ ፡ ጽዮን ʿamda ṣiyōn, Amharic āmde ṣiyōn, "Pillar He sent troops there to fight people "like Jews" (Ge'ez ??:???? kama ayhūd). Ge'ez (gez ግዕዝ) also called Ethiopic, is an Abugida script that was originally developed to write Ge'ez, a Semitic language [8] For the next three centuries, these regions were frequently areas of Beta Israel rebellion against the Solomonic dynasty. Religion was less important to the Emperors than loyalty, however. Rebellious Beta Israel leaders often formed alliances with other enemies of the Emperor despite their differing faiths. [8]
The late 14th century Christian monk Qozmos, for instance, copied the Orit (Old Testament) for the Beta Israel communities. In Western Christianity, the Old Testament refers to the books that form the first of the two-part Christian Biblical canon. He led them against local Christians before being defeated by Emperor Dawit I. Dawit I ( Ge'ez ዳዊት dāwīt, "David" was {{IPA|nəgusä nägäst}} ( 1382 - 6 October 1413) of [8] Likewise, the 15th century governor of Tsellemt used both Jewish and Christian troops for his revolt. The first personal campaign against rebelling Beta Israel areas did not come until the reign of Emperor Yeshaq (r. Yeshaq I or Isaac ( Ge'ez ይሥሓቅ yisḥāḳ, Amh yishāḳ; throne name Gabra Masqal II ገብረ መስቀል 1414-29). When Yeshaq I defeated the governors of Semien and Dembiya, he began to exert religious pressure. Dembiya ( Ge'ez ደምቢያ dembīyā; also transliterated Dembea Dambya Dembya Dambiya etc He reduced the Jews' social status below that of Christians. [8] Yeshaq forced the Jews to convert or lose their land. It would be given away as rist, a type of land qualification that rendered it forever inheritable by the recipient and not transferrable by the Emperor. Rist is a surname and may refer to Jeremy Alexander Rist, American economist playwright and lawyer Johann von Rist, German poet Yeshaq decreed, "He who is baptized in the Christian religion may inherit the land of his father, otherwise let him be a Falāsī. " This may have been the origin for the term "Falasha" (falāšā, "wanderer," or "landless person"). [8] In the 1400s, Emperor Zara Yaqob carried out some of the worst massacres, attacks and forced conversions of the Christian kingdom. Zar'a Ya`qob or Zera Yacob ( Ge'ez ዘርአያዕቆብ zar'ā yāʿiqōb "Seed of Jacob" modern Zara Yaqob added the title "Exterminator of the Jews" to his name.
In the 15th century, Abba Sabra, an archbishop of Coptic Christianity, chaplain of the court and tutor to the heir to the throne, converted to Judaism. He and the heir fled, along with his priestly disciples, to the Jewish vassal kingdom of Gondar. Abba Sabra and his followers were warmly received by Gondar's rulers and were allowed to continue their monastic life as Jews. They settled near Jewish villages and continued to study sacred texts. In subsequent generations, they and those they won to their way of life became learned celibate Jewish monks or hermits supported by local villagers. They led lives of prayer and study. The monks helped maintain Jewish learning and traditions. The priests who led ceremonies were not of any specific lineage but were chosen for aptitude from village children.
The year 1624 marked the end of Beta Israel autonomy in Ethiopia. Emperor Susenyos confiscated their lands, sold many people into slavery and forcibly baptized others. Susenyos (also Sissinios, as in Greek, Ge'ez ሱስንዮስ sūsinyōs; throne name Malak Sagad III, Ge'ez መልአክ In Christianity, baptism ( Greek, "immersing" "performing Ablutions " is the ritual act with the use of water by which one is admitted [9] Jewish writings and religious books were burned. The practice of any form of Jewish religion was forbidden in Ethiopia. A religion is a set of Tenets and practices often centered upon specific Supernatural and moral claims about Reality, the Cosmos As a result of this period of oppression, much traditional Jewish culture and practice was lost or changed .
Nonetheless, the Beta Israel appear to have flourished during this period. The capital of Ethiopia, Gondar, in Dembiya, was surrounded by Beta Israel lands. Gondar or Gonder ( Ge'ez: ጎንደር Gōnder, older ጐንደር Gʷandar, modern pronunciation Gʷender) is a city in Dembiya ( Ge'ez ደምቢያ dembīyā; also transliterated Dembea Dambya Dembya Dambiya etc The Beta Israel served as craftsmen, masons, and carpenters for the Emperors from the 16th century onwards. Such roles had been shunned by Ethiopians as lowly and less honorable than farming. [9] According to contemporary accounts by European visitors: Portuguese merchants and diplomats, French, British and other travellers, the Beta Israel numbered about one million persons in the 17th century. These accounts also recounted that some knowledge of Hebrew persisted among the people in the 17th century. For example, Manoel de Almeida, a Portuguese diplomat and traveller of the day, wrote that:
- "The Falashas or Jews are . Manuel de Almeida (1580&mdash1646 was a native of Viseu, who entered at an early age into the Society of Jesus, and went out as a Missionary to India . . of [Arabic] race [and speak] Hebrew, though it is very corrupt. They have their Hebrew Bibles and sing the psalms in their synagogues. "[10]
The extent of De Almeida's knowledge is not known. The Ethiopian Jews were not predominantly of the Arabic race, for instance, but he may have meant the term loosely or meant that they also knew Arabic.
The Beta Israel lost their relative economic advantages, in the late 18th and early 19th centuries, during the Zemene Mesafint, a period of recurring civil strife. The Zemene Mesafint ( Ge'ez: ዘመነ መሳፍንት zamana masāfint, modern zemene mesāfint, variously translated "Era of Judges" "Era Although the capital was nominally in Gondar during this time period, the decentralization of government and dominance by regional capitals resulted in a decline and exploitation of Jews by local rulers. No longer was there a strong central government interested in and capable of protecting them. [9] During this period, the Jewish religion was effectively lost for some forty years, before being restored in the 1840s by Abba Widdaye, the preeminent monk of Qwara. [9]
Pre-modern and modern contacts with Jews elsewhere
The earliest surviving testimony to those hidden kingdoms comes from the 9th century. In the last decades of that century, the Jews of Kairowan in Tunisia were visited by a man called Eldad son of Mahli, the Danite. Eldad the Danite, as he is referred to in Jewish histories, said he was the lone survivor of a shipwreck. Eldad ha-Dani or Eldad HaDani or Eldad ben Mahli ha-Dani (אלדד הדני was an Ethiopian merchant and traveler of the ninth century He claimed to have escaped cannibals and had other fabulous adventures before arriving in Tunisia. He was described as having dark skin and speaking only a strange sort of Hebrew and no Arabic. Eldad the Danite claimed to be a Jew of a pastoralist tribe residing in the land of Havilah beyond the rivers of Ethiopia. This seemed to refer to the southern Sudan, or possibly Somalia. Somalia ( Soomaaliya; الصومال) officially the Somali Republic ( Jamhuuriyadda Soomaaliya, جمهورية الصومال) and formerly known
He claimed the tribe was descendants of the tribe of Dan, which had emigrated from Judaea at the time of Jeroboam's accession, after the death of Solomon. He said three other tribes, Naphtali, Gad and Asher, had joined them in the time of Sennacherib. Naphtali (ˈnæftəˌlaɪ ( was according to the Book of Genesis, the second son of Jacob and Bilhah, and the founder of the Israelite Asher ( in the Book of Genesis, is the second son of Jacob and Zilpah, and the founder of the Tribe of Asher. Sennacherib ( Akkadian Sîn-ahhe-eriba "(moon god Sîn has replaced (lost brothers for me" was the son of Sargon II, whom he He laid waste to the northern kingdom of Israel around 722 B. C. Opposite these tribes lived the Children of Moses, Bnai Mosheh, who came from those Levites who had mutilated the fingers of their right hands rather than sing the songs of Zion by the rivers of Babylon, and chose instead to flee to the south.
Eldad the Danite said the Children of Moses lived beyond a river of grinding stones. They were impossible to visit, except on the sabbath day when the river ceased its grinding. This was a concept strikingly similar to, if not a direct borrowing from, Sambation. According to Rabbinic literature, the Sambation is the River beyond which the Ten Lost Tribes of Israel were exiled by the Assyrian The tribes were pastoralists and mighty warriors. They were ruled together by a king assisted by a learned Torah judge-prophet. They did not know of the Talmud, but had their own traditions written down in Hebrew. The Talmud ( Hebrew: he תַּלְמוּד is a record of Rabbinic discussions pertaining to Jewish law, ethics, customs and history Eldad the Danite displayed these to the rabbis of Tunisia and Egypt.
The rabbis corresponded with a Gaon of Sura (in Babylon) and concluded that Eldad the Danite was indeed a Jew. They determined that the differences of his practice from their own were legitimate forms of customary law for the Jews of Havilah. In the early modern period, the variations from Rabbinic law which he practiced and obeyed were still cited by Rabbinic authorities as precedents. The facts that he used only Hebrew in the Muslim world and carried a sacred text written in Hebrew which gave details of ritual and other practices suggested that ancient Ethiopian Jewry knew Hebrew.
In the 16th century, the Chief Rabbi of Egypt, Rabbi David ben Solomon ibn Abi Zimra (Radbaz) proclaimed that in terms of Halakha (Jewish legal code), the Ethiopian community was certainly Jewish. Chief Rabbi is a title given in several countries to the recognized religious leader of that country's Jewish community or to a rabbinic leader appointed by the local secular This article is about the country of Egypt For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Egypt topics. Rabbi David ben Solomon ibn (Abi Zimra (דוד בן שלמה אבן אבי זמרא also called Radbaz ( רדב"ז) after the initials of his name R Halakha ( הלכה; alternative transliterations include Halocho and Halacha) is the collective body of Jewish Religious law During the 19th century, the majority of European Jewish authorities openly supported this assertion. The 19th century of the Common Era began on January 1, 1801 and ended on December 31, 1900, according to the Gregorian calendar
In 1908, the chief rabbis of 45 countries made a joint statement officially declaring that Ethiopian Jews were indeed Jewish. Year 1908 ( MCMVIII) was a Leap year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Leap year This proclamation was chiefly due to the work of Professor Jacques Faitlovitch, who studied Amharic and Tigrinya at the Ecole des Hautes Etudes in Paris under Professor Joseph Halévy. Jacques Faitlovitch (1881-1955 an Ashkenazi Jew born in Łódź, Congress Poland, studied Ethiopian languages at the Sorbonne under Amharic (አማርኛ amarəñña) is a Semitic language spoken in North Central Ethiopia by the Amhara. Tigrinya ( Ge'ez: ትግርኛ tigriññā) also spelled Tigrigna, Tigrina, less commonly Tigrinian, Tigrinyan, is École pratique des hautes études is a University in Paris, France. Paris (ˈpærɨs in English; in French) is the Capital of France and the country's largest city Joseph Halévy (born December 15, 1827 in Adrianople; died 1917 was a Jewish - French Orientalist and traveller Halévy first visited the Ethiopian Jews in 1876. Year 1876 ( MDCCCLXXVI) was a Leap year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian Calendar (or a Leap year Upon his return to Europe, Halévy published a "Kol Korei," a cry to the world Jewish community to save the Ethiopian Jews. He formed the organization Kol Yisroel Chaverim ("All Israel are Friends"), to act as advocates for Ethiopian Jews for years to come.
Ethiopian enclave
One of the earliest dated references to the Beta Israel in Ethiopian literature is in the Glorious Victories of Amda Seyon, which mentions a revolt in the province of Begemder by "the renegades who are like Jews" in the year 1332. PLEASE TAKE NOTE************ Judaism (from the Greek Ioudaïsmos, derived from the Hebrew יהודה Yehudah, " Judah " in Hebrew יַהֲדוּת Yahedut " Who is a Jew? " (Mihu Yehudi? ?מיהו יהודי is a basic question about Jewish identity. This article focuses on the Etymology of the word Jew. Biblical and Middle Eastern origins The Jews in their land The Jewish ethnonym in Secular Jewish culture embraces several related phenomena above all it is the Culture of secular communities of Jewish people but it can also include Judaism (from the Greek Ioudaïsmos, derived from the Hebrew יהודה Yehudah, " Judah " in Hebrew יַהֲדוּת Yahedut Although Jews and religious leaders share a core of monotheistic principles Judaism has no formal statement of principles of faith such as a Creed or Catechism In Judaism, the name of God is more than a distinguishing title See also Old testament, Septuagint, Targum, Peshitta The Tanakh (תַּנַ"ךְ (taˈnax or; also Tenakh or Tenak is term " Torah " ( Hebrew: תּוֹרָה "teaching" or "instruction" sometimes translated as "Law" most commonly refers to Nevi'im (נְבִיאִים "Prophets" is the second of the three major sections in the Hebrew Bible, the Tanakh, between the Ketuvim (כְּתוּבִים "writings" is the third and final section of the Tanakh ( Hebrew Bible) after Torah and Nevi'im This article is about commandments in Judaism For the Jewish rite of passage see Bar Mitzvah and Bat Mitzvah Mitzvah ( Hebrew: מצוה See also Mitzvah See also Biblical law in Christianity The 613 Mitzvot ("commandments" (also " 613 Mitzvos The Talmud ( Hebrew: he תַּלְמוּד is a record of Rabbinic discussions pertaining to Jewish law, ethics, customs and history Halakha ( הלכה; alternative transliterations include Halocho and Halacha) is the collective body of Jewish Religious law For the Gregorian dates of Jewish Holidays see Jewish holidays 2000-2050. Jewish services ( Hebrew: תפלה, tefillah; plural תפלות, tefillos or tefillot; Yinglish: davening Tzedakah ( צדקה) is a Hebrew word commonly translated as charity, though it is based on a root meaning Justice Jewish ethics stands at the intersection of Judaism and the Western philosophical tradition of Ethics. Kabbalah (קַבָּלָה lit "receiving" is a discipline and school of thought discussing the mystical aspect of Judaism. Minhag ( Hebrew: מנהג "custom" pl minhagim) is an accepted tradition or group of traditions in Judaism. Midrash ( Hebrew: מדרש plural midrashim, lit "to repeat" is a Hebrew term referring to the not exact but comparative ( homiletic See also Judaism by country Jewish ethnic divisions refers to a number of distinct communities within the world's ethnically Jewish population Ashkenazi Jews, also known as Ashkenazic Jews or Ashkenazim ( Hebrew: אַשְׁכֲּנָזִים, ˌaʃkəˈnazim sing Sephardi Jews ( Hebrew: ספרדי, Standard Səfardi Tiberian Səp̄arədî; plural Mizrahi Jews or Mizrahim, ( also referred to as Edot HaMizrach (Communities of the East are Jews descended Jewish population refers to the number of Jews in the world Precise figures are difficult to calculate because the definition of " Who is a Jew " remains a Jewish population centers have shifted tremendously over time due to the constant streams of Jewish refugees created by expulsions persecution and officially sanctioned killing This article deals with the practice of Judaism and the living arrangement of Jewish people in the listed countries The History of the Jews in the Land of Israel begins with the ancient Israelites (also known as Hebrews) who settled in the Land of Israel. The history of the Jews in the United States has been influenced by waves of immigration primarily from Europe inspired by the social and economic opportunities of the United Iraqi Jews are Jews born in Iraq or of Iraqi heritage The history of the Jews in Iraq is documented from the time of the Babylonian captivity c Spanish Jews once constituted one of the largest and most prosperous Jewish communities under Muslim and Christian rule in Spain, before they The history of the Jews in Portugal is directly related to Sephardi history a Jewish ethnic division that represents communities who have originated The history of the Jews in Poland dates back over a Millennium. Jews have lived in Germany, or " Ashkenaz " at least since the early 4th century, through both periods of tolerance and spasms of The Jewish community of Bosnia and Herzegovina has a rich and varied history surviving World War II and the Yugoslav Wars, after having The history of the Jews in the Americas dates back to Christopher Columbus and his first cross- Atlantic voyage on August 3, 1492 The history of the Jews of Argentina harks back to the days of the Spanish Inquisition and Portuguese Inquisition when Jews fleeing persecution settled in what A Brazilian Jew ( Portuguese: Judeu Brasileiro) is a Brazilian person of full partial or predominantly Jew ancestry or a Jew-born person residing in Brazil Jewish immigration to Latin America began with seven sailors arriving in Christopher Columbus 's crew Jewish Cubans, Cuban Jews, or Cubans of Jewish heritage, have lived on the island of Cuba for centuries Jews have been present in El Salvador since the early 19th Century. Jews have lived in Mexico since the times of the Inquisition. Jewish Nicaraguans or Nicaraguan Jews (Judío Nicaragüense are Nicaraguans of Jewish Ancestry who were born in or have immigrated to Nicaragua The History of the Jews in Venezuela dates to the middle of the 17th century when records suggest that groups of Marranos (Spanish and Portuguese descendants of baptized The Jewish community in France presently numbers around 600000 according to the World Jewish Congress and 500000 according to the Appel Unifié Juif de France and is The first written records of Jewish settlement in England date from the time of the Norman Conquest, mentioning Jews who arrived with William the Conqueror Canada has the world's fourth-largest Jewish population According to the Canada 2001 Census, there are an estimated 351000 Jews currently living in Canada The history of the Jews in Australia began with the transportation of a number of Jewish Convicts aboard the First Fleet in 1788 when History of the Jews in Hungary concerns the Jews of Hungary and of Hungarian origins Indian Jews are a religious minority of India. Judaism was one of the first non- Dharmic religions to arrive in India in recorded history Jews {ref|name|§}} have lived in the geographic area of Asia Minor (modern Turkey) for more than 2400 years There have been organized Jewish communities in Greece for more than two thousand years Since Biblical times the Jewish people have had close ties with Africa beginning with Abraham 's sojourns in Egypt, and later the Israelite captivity under The beginnings of Jewish history in Iran date back to late biblical times Jews and Judaism in China' have had a long history Jewish settlers are documented in China as early as the 7th or 8th century CE, but may The history of Jews in the territory of the present-day Republic of Macedonia began in Roman times when Jews first arrived in the region in the The history of Jews in Romania concerns the Jews of Romania and of Romanian origins from their first mention on what is nowadays Romanian territory By type List of Jewish historians List of Jewish scientists and philosophers List of Jewish nobility Crypto-Judaism is the secret adherence to Judaism while publicly professing to be of another faith people who practice crypto-Judaism are referred to as "crypto-Jews" Rabbi (pronunciation, although in English usually) in Judaism, means a religious ‘teacher’ or more literally ‘my great one’ when addressing any master Orthodox Judaism is the formulation of Judaism that adheres to a relatively strict interpretation and application of the laws and ethics first canonized Conservative Judaism (also known as Masorti Judaism in Israel and Europe) is a modern stream of Judaism that arose out Hi and welcome to Wikipedia! Please understand that this article is frequently subjected to vandalism and the insertion of personal opinions Reconstructionist Judaism is a modern American-based Jewish movement based on the ideas of the late Mordecai Kaplan (1881 – 1983 Karaite Judaism or Karaism (ˈkærəˌaɪt ˈkærəˌɪzəm) is a Jewish movement NOTE The word sect should not be used without defining it first and Humanistic Judaism is a movement within Judaism that emphasizes Jewish culture and history—rather than belief in God—as the sources of Jewish identity Jewish Renewal is a recent movement in Judaism which endeavors to reinvigorate modern Judaism with mystical, Hasidic, Musical and Alternative Judaism or Agnostic Judaism refers to a variety of groups whose members while identifying as Jews in some fashion nevertheless do not practice Rabbinical The Jewish languages are a set of Languages that developed in various Jewish communities around the world more notably in Europe, West Asia, and Yiddish (yi [[wiktייִדיש ייִדיש]] yidish or yi [[wiktאידיש אידיש]] idish, literally "Jewish" is a nonterritorial High Judæo-Persian dialects are a subgroup of Persian dialects spoken by the Jews of Iran Judæo-Aramaic is a collective term used to describe several Hebrew -influenced Aramaic and Neo-Aramaic Languages History The Judæo-Arabic languages are a collection of Arabic dialects spoken by Jews living or formerly living in the Arab world; the term also refers to Jewish history is the History of the Jewish people, faith, and culture. This is a timeline of the development of Judaism and the Jewish people. Jewish leadership has evolved over time Since the destruction of the Second Temple in Jerusalem in 70 CE there has been no single body that has a leadership The history of Ancient Israel and Judah is known to us from classical sources including Judaism 's Tanakh or Hebrew Bible (known Etymology The Hebrew name given in Scripture for the building is Beit HaMikdash or "The Holy House" and only the Temple in Jerusalem is referred to by this name The Babylonian captivity, Babylonian exile, is the name typically given to the deportation and exile of the Jews of the ancient Kingdom of Judah to Jerusalem (יְרוּשָׁלַיִם, he-Latn Yerushaláyim; Arabic: ar القُدس, ar-Latn al-Quds) is the See also Religious significance of Jerusalem Since the 10th century BCE Jerusalem in Judaism has been the holiest city, focus and spiritual centre of This is a partial timeline of major events in the History of Jerusalem:; 1800 BCE: The Jebusites build the wall Jebus ( Jerusalem The Hasmoneans (/hæzməˡniən/ חשמונאים Hashmonaiym, Audio were the ruling dynasty of the Hasmonean Kingdom ( 140 &ndash 37 BCE The Sanhedrin (סנהדרין συνέδριον ''synedrion'', "sitting together" hence " assembly " or "council" was an assembly Schisms among the Jews are cultural as well as religious They have happened as a product of historical accident geography and Theology. The word Pharisees ( lat. pharisæ|us, - i) comes from the Hebrew פרושים perushim from פרוש parush, meaning "separated" This article discusses the traditional views of the two religions and may not be applicable all adherents of each The historical interaction of Judaism and Islam started in the 7th century CE with the origin and spread of Islam in the Arabian peninsula. The Jewish diaspora ( Hebrew: Tefutzah, "scattered" or Galut גלות "exile" Yiddish: tfutses) the presence The History of Jews in the Middle Ages (approximately 500 CE to 1750 CE can be divided into two categories Also not to be confused with Subbotniks or Sabbatarians. Note Most Sabbateans during and after Sabbatai Zevi were Jews Hasidic Judaism (also Chasidic, etc from the Hebrew: he '''''חסידות''''', Chassidus, meaning "piety" from the Hebrew Haskalah ( Hebrew: השכלה "enlightenment" "education" from sekhel " Intellect " "mind") the Jewish Enlightenment Jewish question Jewish emancipation was the abolition of discriminatory laws as applied especially to Jews in Europe in the nineteenth century the recognition of Jews The Holocaust (from the Greek el ''ὁλόκαυστον'' (el-Latn holókauston holos, "completely" and kaustos, "burnt" also known as Aliyah ( refers to Jewish Immigration to the Land of Israel (and since its establishment in 1948 the State of Israel) For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Israel topics. The State of Israel (מדינת ישראל Medinat Yisrael) was established in 1948 after nearly two thousand For other uses see Israel (disambiguation The Land of Israel ( Hebrew: אֶרֶץ יִשְׂרָאֵל Eretz Yisrael) is Note This article is about the movement See Orthodox outreach, Reform outreach, and Conservative outreach for more information about the rabbis See also Antisemitism, History of antisemitism, New antisemitism The persecution of Jews has occurred many times in Jewish history. Antisemitism (alternatively spelled anti-semitism or anti-Semitism; also rarely known as judeophobia) is the Prejudice against or hostility The history of antisemitism, hostile actions or discrimination against Jews as a religious or ethnic group goes back many centuries Jewish political movements refer to the organized efforts of Jews to build their own political parties or otherwise represent their interest in politics outside of History of Zionism|Timeline of Zionism|World Zionist Organization|Zionist political violence Zionism is an international political movement that originally supported the Labor Zionism ( Labour Zionism, ציונות סוציאליסטית tsionut sotsialistit) can be described as the major stream of the Left wing of the Revisionist Zionism is a nationalist faction within the Zionist movement Religious Zionism, or the Religious Zionist Movement (a branch of which is also called Mizrachi) is an ideology that combines Zionism and religious The General Zionists (ציונים כלליים Tzionim Klalim) were centrists within the Zionist movement and a political party in Israel World Agudath Israel (The World Jewish Union usually known as the Aguda, was established in the early twentieth century as the political arm of Ashkenazi Torah Judaism Jewish feminism is a movement that seeks to improve the religious legal and social status of women within Judaism and to open up new opportunities for religious experience Politics of Israel takes place in a framework of a parliamentary representative democratic Republic, whereby the Prime Minister of Israel is Amda Seyon (also Amde Tsiyon and other variants Ge'ez ዐምደ ፡ ጽዮን ʿamda ṣiyōn, Amharic āmde ṣiyōn, "Pillar Begemder (also Gondar or Gonder after its capital) was a province in the northwestern part of Ethiopia. [11]
The isolation of the Beta Israel was reported by explorer James Bruce, who published his Travels to Discover the Source of the Nile in Edinburgh in 1790. James Bruce ( December 14, 1730 &ndash April 27, 1794) was a Scottish traveller and Travel writer who spent more than a Edinburgh ( ˈɛdɪnb(ərə Dùn Èideann) is the Capital of Scotland and is its second largest city after Glasgow. Year 1790 ( MDCCXC) was a Common year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common year In 1860, Henry Stern, a Jewish convert to Christianity, traveled to Ethiopia to attempt to convert the Beta Israel to Christianity. Year 1860 ( MDCCLX) was a Leap year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian Calendar (or a Leap year starting PLEASE TAKE NOTE************ Christianity ( Greek Χριστιανισμός from the word Xριστός ( Christ)is a monotheistic Religion centered on the life and teachings
Many Ethiopian Jews whose ancestors converted to Christianity have been returning to the practice of Judaism. Such people are known as the Falash Mura. They have been admitted to Israel, although not as Jews. The Israeli government can thus set quotas on their immigration and make citizenship dependent on their conversion to Orthodox Judaism. Although no one knows precisely the population of the Falash Mura in Ethiopia, observers believe it is approximately 20,000-26,000 persons. Recently, some reporters and other travelers in remote regions of Ethiopia have noted finding entire villages where people claim they are Jewish or are Falash Mura, that is, Jews who have been practicing Christianity.
In the Achefer woreda of the Mirab Gojjam Zone, roughly 1,000-2,000 families of Beta Israel were found. Achefer is one of the 105 Woredas in the Amhara Region of Ethiopia. Woreda (also spelled wereda) is an Administrative division of Ethiopia (managed by a local government equivalent to a District. Mirab Gojjam (or "West Gojjam" is a Zone in the Amhara Region of Ethiopia. They have not petitioned to immigrate to the Jewish state. There may be other such regions in Ethiopia with significant Jewish enclaves, which would raise the total Jewish population to more than 50,000 people. Israel has approved the immigration of the Falash Mura at 300 per month. The Ethiopian Jewish community and its supporters have petitioned to increase this number to 600 per month to prevent health problems among the Jews waiting to emigrate from Ethiopia.
Religious traditions
The holiest work is the Torah — Orit. term " Torah " ( Hebrew: תּוֹרָה "teaching" or "instruction" sometimes translated as "Law" most commonly refers to All the holy writings, including the Torah, are handwritten on parchment pages that are assembled into a codex. The rest of the Prophets and the Hagiographa are of secondary importance. The language of their holy writings is Ge'ez.
In addition to the Biblical canon, the Beta Israel hold sacred the books of Enoch, Jubilees, Baruch and the books of Ezra as well. The Book of Enoch is any of several works that attribute themselves to Enoch, the great-grandfather of Noah and son of Jared ( The basic wording of Beta Israel Biblical writings was passed down through ancient Greek translations like the Septuagint, which incorporates some of the Apocrypha.
The Beta Israel possess several other books, including the Arde'et, Acts of Moses, Apocalypse of Gorgorios, Meddrash Abba Elija, and biographies of the nation's forebears: Gadla Adam, Gadla Avraham, Gadla Ishak, Gadla Ya'kov, Gadla Moshe, Gadla Aaron, Nagara Musye, Mota Musye.
Leaders of the community consider especially important a book about the Shabbat and its precepts, Te'ezaza Sanbat (Precepts of the Sabbath). Shabbat or Shabbos ( Hebrew: שַׁבָּת, shabbāt, shabbes, "rest/inactivity" is the Weekly Sabbath The leaders of the Beta Israel also read liturgical works, including weekday services, Shabbat and Festival prayers, and various blessings. Sefer Cahen deals with priestly functions, while Sefer Sa'atat (Book of the Hours) applies to weekdays and Shabbat. The Beta Israel religious calendar is set according to a treatise known as the Abu Shaker, which was written around 1257 CE. It covered the computation of Jewish holidays and chronological matters. For the Gregorian dates of Jewish Holidays see Jewish holidays 2000-2050. The Abu Shaker lists civil and lunar dates for Jewish feasts, including Matqe' (New Year), Soma Ayhud or Badr (Yom Kippur), Masallat (Sucot), Fesh (Passover), and Soma Dehnat (Fast of Salvation) or Soma Aster (Fast of Esther). [12]
The Beta Israel have a unique holiday, known as Sigd on the 29th of Cheshvan. Sigd or Seged is derived from the Semitic root, meaning "to bow or prostrate oneself. " In the past the day was called Mehella. The acts of bowing and supplication are still known as mehella. Sigd celebrates the giving of the Torah and the return from exile in Babylonia to Jerusalem under Ezra and Nehemiah. Beta Israel tradition holds that Sigd commemorates Ezra's proclamation against the Babylonian wives (Ezra 10:10-12). In Ethiopia, the Sigd was celebrated on hilltops outside villages. The location was called by several names, including Ya'arego Dabr (Mountain for making prayers) and in Amharic Yalamana Tarrara (Mountain of Supplication). The Kessim, or elders of the community, drew a parallel between the ritual mountain and Mount Sinai. The Kessim (plural of Kes) are the elders of the Beta Israel, also known as the Falashas, the Ethiopian Jews Another source described Sigd (calling it Amata Saww) as a new-moon holiday, after which the Kessim withdrew for a period of isolation. [13]
Social contact between the Beta Israel and other Ethiopians was limited. It was not because of the laws of Kashrut, since all Ethiopians share the same food taboos. Kashrut (also kashruth or kashrus, he כַּשְׁרוּת refers to Jewish dietary laws. Ethiopian Jews were forbidden to eat the food of non-Jews. The Kessim were more strict about the prohibition against eating food prepared by non-Kessim. Beta Israel who broke these taboos were ostracized and had to undergo a purification process. Purification included fasting for one or more days and ritual purification before entering the village. Unlike other Ethiopians, the Beta Israel do not eat raw meat dishes like kitfo or gored gored. Kitfo (sometimes ketfo) is a dish found in Ethiopian cuisine. Gored gored is a raw beef dish eaten in Eritrea and Ethiopia. [14]
Languages
The Beta Israel once spoke Qwara and Kayla, closely related Cushitic languages. Qwara, or Qwareña (called "Falashan" in some older sources is an Agaw language spoken by the Agaw and Beta Israel ( Ethiopian Kayla, or Kayliñña ( Ge'ez: ካይላ kāylā, for the people Ge'ez ካይልኛ kāylññā, Kayla Amharic, and Tigrinya The Cushitic languages are a branch of the Afro-Asiatic language family spoken in the Horn of Africa. Now they speak Tigrinya and Amharic, a Semitic language. Tigrinya ( Ge'ez: ትግርኛ tigriññā) also spelled Tigrigna, Tigrina, less commonly Tigrinian, Tigrinyan, is Amharic (አማርኛ amarəñña) is a Semitic language spoken in North Central Ethiopia by the Amhara. The Semitic languages are a Language family whose living representatives are spoken by more than 467 million people across much of the Middle East, Their liturgical language is Ge'ez. Ge'ez (ግዕዝ, ɡɨʕɨz also transliterated Gi'iz, and referred to as Ethiopic) is an ancient South Semitic Language Since the 1950s, they have taught Hebrew in their schools.
Israel intervenes
| Years | Ethiopian-born Immigrants |
Total Immigration to Israel |
|---|---|---|
| 1948-1951 | 10 | 687,624 |
| 1952-1960 | 59 | 297,138 |
| 1961-1971 | 98 | 427,828 |
| 1972-1979 | 306 | 267,580 |
| 1980-1989 | 16,965 | 153,833 |
| 1990-1999 | 39,651 | 956,319 |
| 2000-2004 | 14,859 | 181,505 |
| 2005 | 3,573 | 21,180 |
| 2006 | 3,595 | 19,269 |
The Israeli government officially accepted the Beta Israel as Jews in 1975. The Jewish Aliyah from Ethiopia began during the mid-1970s during which the majority of the Jewish Ethiopians immigrated to Israel. For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Israel topics. Year 1948 ( MCMXLVIII) was a Leap year starting on Thursday (link will display the 1948 calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Year 1951 ( MCMLI) was a Common year starting on Monday. Events of 1951 January Year 1952 ( MCMLII) was a Leap year starting on Tuesday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Year 1960 ( MCMLX) was a Leap year starting on Friday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Year 1961 ( MCMLXI) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Year 1971 ( MCMLXXI) was a Common year starting on Friday (link will display full calendar of the 1971 Gregorian calendar. Year 1972 ( MCMLXXII) was a Leap year starting on Saturday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Year 1979 ( MCMLXXIX) was a Common year starting on Monday (link displays the 1979 Gregorian calendar) Year 1980 ( MCMLXXX) was a Leap year starting on Tuesday (link displays the 1980 Gregorian calendar) Year 1989 ( MCMLXXXIX) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link displays 1989 Gregorian calendar) Year 1990 ( MCMXC) was a Common year starting on Monday (link displays the 1990 Gregorian calendar) Year 1999 ( MCMXCIX) was a Common year starting on Friday (link will display full 1999 Gregorian calendar) 2000 ( MM) was a Leap year that started on Saturday of the Common Era, in accordance with the Gregorian calendar. "MMIV" redirects here For the Modest Mouse album see " Baron von Bullshit Rides Again " Year 2005 ( MMV) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. Year 1975 ( MCMLXXV) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin obtained clear rulings from Chief Sefardi Rabbi Ovadia Yosef that they were legitimate descendants of the lost tribes. (מְנַחֵם בְּגִין Mieczysław Biegun Менахем Вольфович Бегин 16 August 1913 – 9 March 1992 was the sixth prime minister of the State of Israel Rabbi Ovadia Yossef ( עובדיה יוסף) (born in 1920 in Basra, Iraq) is a Haredi Rabbi, Talmudic scholar a recognized They were, however, required to undergo pro forma Jewish conversions to Judaism, as is done in all cases of doubt, however slight. Religious conversion is the adoption of a new religious identity or a change from one religious identity to another Judaism (from the Greek Ioudaïsmos, derived from the Hebrew יהודה Yehudah, " Judah " in Hebrew יַהֲדוּת Yahedut
Beginning in 1984, the Israeli-led Operation Moses began transporting Ethiopian Jews to Israel. Operation Moses, (מבצע משה Mivtza Moshe) named after the biblical figure Moses, was the covert removal of Ethiopian Jews (known In 1985 it came to an abrupt halt, leaving many of the Beta Israel still in Ethiopia. It was not until 1990 that the governments of Israel and Ethiopia came to an agreement to allow the remaining Beta Israel a chance to emigrate to Israel. Year 1990 ( MCMXC) was a Common year starting on Monday (link displays the 1990 Gregorian calendar) In 1991, the political and economic stability of Ethiopia deteriorated as rebels mounted attacks against and eventually controlled the capital city of Addis Ababa. Year 1991 ( MCMXCI) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian Calendar. Addis Ababa (sometimes spelled Addis Abeba, the spelling used by the official Ethiopian Mapping Authority Amharic Worried about the fate of the Beta Israel during the transition period, the Israeli government along with several private groups prepared to continue covertly with the migration. After El Al obtained a special provision to fly on Shabbat (because of the danger to life), on Friday, May 24, Operation Solomon began. El Al (אל על skyward) ( TASE: ELAL is the National airline of Israel. Shabbat or Shabbos ( Hebrew: שַׁבָּת, shabbāt, shabbes, "rest/inactivity" is the Weekly Sabbath Events 1218 - The Fifth Crusade leaves Acre for Egypt. 1276 - Magnus Ladulås is crowned Operation Solomon was a 1991 covert Israeli military operation to take Ethiopian Jews to Israel Over the course of 36 hours, a total of 34 El Al passenger planes, with their seats removed to maximize passenger capacity, flew 14,325 Ethiopian Jews non-stop to Israel. El Al (אל על skyward) ( TASE: ELAL is the National airline of Israel. An airliner is a large Fixed-wing aircraft with the primary function of transporting paying passengers
Ethiopian Jews in Israel today
Ethiopian Jews are gradually becoming part of the mainstream Israeli society in religious life, military service (with nearly all males doing national service), education, and politics. Similarly to other groups of immigrant Jews who made aliyah to Israel, the Ethiopian Jews have faced obstacles in their integration to Israeli society. Aliyah ( refers to Jewish Immigration to the Land of Israel (and since its establishment in 1948 the State of Israel) The Ethiopian Jewish community's internal challenges have been complicated by limited but real racist attitudes on the part of some elements of Israeli society and the official establishment. [16]
One study found that some of the problems with the absorption of the Beta Israel was due to the model of absorption chosen.
- Planning for the absorption of Jewish immigrants to Israel has been dominated by a procedural approach, which has generally been insensitive to the particular circumstances and needs of minority ethnic groups. This approach has emphasised the `national interest’ as defined by the dominant group, namely Ashkenazi Jews who originated in Central Europe. The social and cultural traditions of other groups have been treated as `problems’ that need to be overcome, and minimal attention has been given to the processes of adaptation such groups undergo. [17]
Most of the 100,000 Ethiopian Jews living in Israel are immigrants and descendants of two main waves, the first in 1984 (about 33,000 people) and the second in 1991 (about 20,000 people). These airlifts were known as Operation Moses and Operation Solomon, respectively. Operation Moses, (מבצע משה Mivtza Moshe) named after the biblical figure Moses, was the covert removal of Ethiopian Jews (known Operation Solomon was a 1991 covert Israeli military operation to take Ethiopian Jews to Israel Civil war and famine in Ethiopia prompted the Israeli government to mount these dramatic rescue operations. The rescues were within the context of Israel's national mission to gather Diaspora Jews and bring them to the Jewish homeland. At the height of the rescue, 19,000 people arrived in Israel from Ethiopia within 24 hours.
Individual Ethiopian Jews had lived in Eretz Yisrael prior to the establishment of the state. A youth group arrived in Israel in the 1950s to undergo training in Hebrew education and returned to Ethiopia to educate young Jews there. Also, Ethiopian Jews had been trickling into Israel prior to the 1970s. The numbers of such Ethiopian immigrants grew after the Israeli government officially recognized them in 1973 as Jews entitled to Israeli citizenship. [18]
To prepare for the absorption of tens of thousands of Ethiopian Jews, the State of Israel prepared two `Master Plans’ (Ministry of Absorption, 1985, 1991). The first was prepared in 1985, a year after the arrival of the first wave of immigrants. The second updated the first in response to the second wave of immigration in 1991 from Ethiopia. The first Master Plan contained an elaborate and detailed program. It covered issues of housing, education, employment and practical organization, together with policy guidelines regarding specific groups, including women, youths, and single -parent families. Like earlier absorption policies, it adopted a procedural approach which assumed that the immigrants were broadly similar to the existing majority population of Israel. The Plans were, no doubt, created with good intentions and a firm belief in assimilation. As noted in this section, results have been disappointing and suggest that much greater attention needs to be paid to issues of ethnicity. [8]
According to a November 17th, 1999 BBC article, a report commissioned by Israel's Ministry of Immigrant Absorption stated that 75% of the 70,000 Ethiopian Jews living in Israel in 1999 could not read or write Hebrew. More than half the population could not hold a simple conversation in the Hebrew language. Unlike Russian immigrants, many of whom arrive with job skills, Ethiopians came from a subsistence economy and were ill-prepared to work in an industrialized society. A subsistence economy is an Economy in which a group attempts to produce no more output per period than they must consume in that period in order to survive but do not attempt Since then much progress has been made. Through military service most Ethiopian Jews have been able to increase their chances for better opportunities. [9]. Today most Ethiopian Jews have been for the most part integrated into Israeli society, however a high drop out rate is a problem, although a higher number are now edging towards the higher areas of society.
In September, 2006, the Israeli government's proposed 2007 budget included reducing Ethiopian immigration from 600 persons per month to 150. Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. On the eve of the Knesset vote, the Prime Minister's office announced that the plan had been dropped. For Beit Knesset a Jewish Place of worship, see Synagogue. The Knesset (כנסת lit Advocates for the Falash Mura noted that although the quota was set at 600 per month in March, 2005, actual immigration has remained at 300 per month. Year 2005 ( MMV) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. [19]
Prominent Israelis of Ethiopian Jewish background
Qes Adana Takuyo was born in Seqelt and studied with the Qessim as a child. During the Italian occupation of Ethiopia, he had moved to Ambober where he worked as a farmer. He studied Hebrew briefly in 1955 when an Israeli rabbi taught in Asmara. In 1985 Qes Adana immigrated to Israel along with his wife and eleven children. His oldest son Rabbi Josef Adana, who had immigrated earlier, had become the first Ethiopian Jewish Rabbi. [20]
In the 1920s, Yona Bogale was sponsored by Jacques Faitlovitch to study abroad. Yona Bogale was the first leader of the Ethiopian Jewish community in Israel Jacques Faitlovitch (1881-1955 an Ashkenazi Jew born in Łódź, Congress Poland, studied Ethiopian languages at the Sorbonne under He spent two years in British Mandate Palestine, four in Germany, one in Switzerland, and one in France. After returning to Addis Ababa around 1930, he taught in the Faitlovitch school there. During the Italian occupation, he went into hiding and worked as a farmer in Wolleka. After the war Yona Bogale worked for the Ethiopian Ministry of Education for twelve years and then for the Jewish Agency.
Yona Bogale was fluent in Hebrew, English, and German, as well as Amharic. English is a West Germanic language originating in England and is the First language for most people in the United Kingdom, the United States The German language (de ''Deutsch'') is a West Germanic language and one of the world's major languages. Amharic (አማርኛ amarəñña) is a Semitic language spoken in North Central Ethiopia by the Amhara. He was author of an early Hebrew-Amharic dictionary. He left Ethiopia in late 1979 and immigrated to Israel. Yona was an early proponent of Ethiopian Jews' praying in Hebrew instead of Ge'ez. He believed the latter language was no longer appropriate for those seeking to be part of the modern Jewish world. He felt that Ethiopian Jews should set Hebrew prayers to the traditional Jewish melodies. [21]
Rabbi Sharon Shalom is a lecturer in Jewish ritual and tradition at Bar Ilan University in Israel. He is a counselor for the Ethiopian-Israeli community in the town of Kiryat Gat. [22]
Rabbi Yefet Alemu was born in 1961 in a small village in Ethiopia. In 1980, he left his village to go to Israel. He was arrested in Addis Ababa and escaped from prison. He arrived in the Gondar region and then set out walking to Sudan. There he met a Jewish Red Cross director who arranged for him to fly on one of the Israeli-organized secret flights to Israel. In Israel he studied and became a nurse.
While continuing to be a believing Jew, Yefet became disillusioned with organized Judaism and the Israeli religious establishment's insistence on a conversion ceremony for all Ethiopian Jews. Yefet helped organize an Ethiopian protest vigil opposite the Chief Rabbinate building in Jerusalem. At the vigil, he met students from the Schechter Institute of Jewish Studies who were studying to be Conservative rabbis. He was confused and surprised to see that they were without beards and without long black coats. The students replied that there was more than one type of rabbi, more than one way of being Jewish. Yefet excitedly embraced this pluralistic approach to Judaism. He was accepted by the Schechter Institute and after 6 years of hard work, he received a BA, MA, and his rabbinical ordination. [23]
Ethiopian-Israelis have been participating more in Israeli political life. The Atid Ekhad party sees itself as the political representative of the community, though other parties include Ethiopian members. Atid Ehad (עתיד אחד lit One Future) is a political party in Israel. In 2006, Shas, a party representing ultra-orthodox Jews of Sephardic and Middle Eastern background, included an Ethiopian rabbi from Beersheba, in its list for the Knesset in a conscious attempt to represent diverse geographic and ethnic groups. Shas (ש״ס is a political party in Israel, primarily representing Haredi Sephardi and Mizrahi Judaism. Haredi or Chareidi Judaism is the most theologically conservative form of Orthodox Judaism. Beersheba (בְּאֵר שֶׁבַע Be'er Sheva, بئر السبع, Birüssebi is the largest City in the Negev desert of southern For Beit Knesset a Jewish Place of worship, see Synagogue. The Knesset (כנסת lit Rabbi Mazor Bayana, rabbi of an Ethiopian community of 10,000 in Beersheba, studied at Yeshivat Porat Yosef, one of the most prestigious Sephardi yeshivot in Israel. Rabbi Bayana, however, did not win a seat in the Knesset.
Shas was not the only party attempting to appeal to the Ethiopian vote. Herut and Kadima both had Ethiopians on their lists. Kadima (קדימה lit Forward) is a political party in Israel. Shlomo Mula, head of the Jewish Agency's Ethiopian absorption department, was ranked 33 on Kadima's list and Avraham was number three on Herut's list.
Adisu Massala, of Labour and later One Nation, is the first Ethiopian-Israeli to have served in the Knesset. Adisu Massala (አዲሱ መሰለ Addīsū Messele, אדיסו מאסלה born 16 June 1961) is an Israeli politician One Nation (עם אחד Am Ehad) was a socialist Political party in Israel. For Beit Knesset a Jewish Place of worship, see Synagogue. The Knesset (כנסת lit
Esti Mamo is an Ethiopian Jewish model. Esti Mamo ( Ge'ez: እስቲ ማሞ istī māmmō, Hebrew: אסתי ממו (born 1983 is a leading Israeli fashion model and budding actress She is one of the first Ethiopian-Israelis to make it into the entertainment industry and is a budding actress. The first Ethiopian-Israeli model was Mazal Pikado in 1990.
Avraham Negussie is one of Israel's most prominent Ethiopian Activists and a member of the South Wing to Zion. His struggle, with the support of many other Ethiopian-Israelis has resulted in the Israeli government continuing to bring the last 23,000 Ethiopian Jews from Ethiopia; though the Israeli government has set a quota of 300 Jews per month, half of what they agreed to under pressure from Negussie, NACOEJ and the United Jewish Communities.
Shas's spiritual mentor, Rabbi Ovadia Yosef, enthusiastically embraced Ethiopians when they first began immigrating to Israel four decades ago. Despite Rabbi Ovadia's halachic ruling, some refuse to marry Ethiopians without a conversion in accordance with official Chief Rabbinate policy. Only in cities and towns with rabbis that accept Ovadia's ruling or the ruling of Rabbi Shlomo Goren are Ethiopians married without immersion in a ritual bath (mikva) or, for men, hatafat dam, הטפת דם, see brit milah), the symbolic cut to produce a drop of blood instead of circumcision. Hi and welcome to Wikipedia! Please understand that this article is frequently subjected to vandalism and the insertion of personal opinions [10]
Meskie Shibru-Sivan is a female Ethiopian-Israeli actress and vocalist, well known in Israel and beyond for acting on theater stages, in television programs, movies as well as being an accomplished singer. Meskie Shibru-Sivan (מַסְקי שיברוּ-סיוון born September 29, 1967) is an Israeli actress and Vocalist. Theatre (or theater, see spelling differences) is the branch of the Performing arts defined by Bernard Beckerman as what "occurs when one
Ethiopian Heritage Museum: Rehovot, Israel
A museum highlighting the culture and heritage of the Ethiopian Jewish community is to be built in Rehovot. The Ethiopian Heritage Museum is a museum highlighting the culture and heritage of the Ethiopian Jewish community to be built in Rehovot, Israel. The museum, planned as a research, interpretive and spiritual center, is the brainchild of Tomer. This is an association of veteran Ethiopian immigrants and former Mossad agents who participated in the first operations to bring Ethiopian Jews to Israel. The Mossad ( HaMossad leModi'in v'leTafkidim Meyuhadim) (המוסד למודיעין ולתפקידים מיוחדים - Institute for Intelligence and Special Operations
- "The Jews of Ethiopia have a rich cultural heritage, and are the only Jews who strictly kept their Judaism although they were entirely cut off from the Jewish people," said Tomer chairman Moshe Bar-Yuda. Judaism (from the Greek Ioudaïsmos, derived from the Hebrew יהודה Yehudah, " Judah " in Hebrew יַהֲדוּת Yahedut "The museum will present Ethiopian Jewish culture to Israelis who are not familiar enough with it, and also to young Ethiopians who fall between the cracks - on one hand they are not connected to their parents' culture, and on the other, they sometimes find it hard to become part of the dynamic of life in Israel. When they see the ancient culture of their forbears, they will be filled with pride, and it will be easier for them to become part of veteran Israeli society. "
Plans for the museum, expected to cost some $4. 5 million, include a model Ethiopian village, an herb garden, an artificial stream, an amphitheater, classrooms, and a memorial to both Ethiopian Jews who died in Sudan on their way to Israel, and Ethiopian Zionist activists. "We view the conservation of the past as very important and believe the museum will attract young people and adults alike," Rehovot Mayor Shuki Forer says.
Numerous Ethiopian Jews live in Rehovot and surrounding towns, which is why it was chosen as the site of the museum. The city has set aside six dunams, 1. 5 acres, of land for the museum complex.
- "All 21 members of the Rehovot City Council, both coalition and opposition, voted for the establishment of the center," says Abai Zaudeh, a council member and a member of Tomer's board of directors. "It's the first time they all agree and leave politics behind to focus on the reality that the establishment of the museum will assist the absorption of the Ethiopian community a great deal. "
One of the museum's founders was Baruch Tegegne, who pioneered escape routes from Ethiopia via Sudan and fought for the right of Jews to emigrate to Israel. Other founders include veteran Ethiopian rights activist Babu Yaakov, a former member of the Ramle City Council, and Shetu Barehon, who worked in the transit camps in Sudan to bring Ethiopian Jews to Israel. A number of Ethiopian Jewish spiritual leaders and rabbis are also working to increase support for the project in the community and the Diaspora.
Bar-Yuda's long association with the Ethiopian Jewish community began in 1958. The Jewish Agency asked him to go to Ethiopia to look for Jews and to reach remote villages. His report, together with a 16th Century ruling by Rabbi David B. Zimra, known as the Radbaz, was the basis for chief Sephardic rabbi Ovadia Yosef's determination in 1973 that the Jews of Ethiopia were to be considered Jews according to halakha (Jewish religious law). Rabbi David ben Solomon ibn (Abi Zimra (דוד בן שלמה אבן אבי זמרא also called Radbaz ( רדב"ז) after the initials of his name R [24]
Origins
Traditions of the Beta Israel
The Ethiopian legend described in the Kebra Negast relates that Ethiopians are descendants of Israelite tribes who came to Ethiopia with Menelik I, alleged to be the son of King Solomon and the Queen of Sheba (or Makeda, in the legend). The Kebra Nagast (var Kebra Negast, Ge'ez,ክብረ ነገሥት kəbrä nägäst or the Book of the Ethiopia is the oldest independent country in Africa, with one of the longest recorded histories in the world Menelik I (originally named Ebna la-Hakim, "Son of the Wise" first Jewish Emperor of Ethiopia, is traditionally believed to be the son of King Solomon King Solomon ( Ge'ez: ስለሞን Arabic: ar سليمان, Sulayman, all from the Triliteral root S-L-M, "peace" The Queen of Sheba (ንግሥተ ሳባ, 'מלכת שבא, ملكة سبأ) was the woman who ruled the ancient kingdom of Sheba and is referred to in Habeshan The legend relates that Menelik, as an adult, returned to his father in Jerusalem, and then resettled in Ethiopia, and that he took with him the Ark of the Covenant. The Ark of the Covenant (אָרוֹן הָבְרִית ʔārōn hāb’rīθ, Modern aron habrit) is described in the Bible as a sacred container wherein In the Bible there is no mention that the Queen of Sheba either married or had any sexual relations with King Solomon; rather, the narrative records that she was impressed with his wealth and wisdom, and they exchanged royal gifts, and then she returned to rule her people in Kush. Etymology According to the Online Etymology Dictionary, the word bible is from Latin biblia, traced from the same word through Medieval Latin and Late Latin Kush civilization centered in the confluence of the Blue Nile and the White Nile, and the confluence of the River Atbara and Nile in what However, the "royal gifts" are interpreted by some as sexual contact. The loss of the Ark is also not mentioned in the Bible.
However, most of the Beta Israel consider the Kebra Negast legend to be a fabrication. Instead they believe, based on the 9th century stories of Eldad ha-Dani (the Danite), that the tribe of Dan attempted to avoid the civil war in the Kingdom of Israel between Solomon's son Rehoboam and Jeroboam the son of Nebat, by resettling in Egypt. The 9th century is the period from 801 to 900 in accordance with the Julian calendar in the Christian / Common Era. Eldad ha-Dani or Eldad HaDani or Eldad ben Mahli ha-Dani (אלדד הדני was an Ethiopian merchant and traveler of the ninth century The Kingdom of Israel ( ( KJV Israel in Samaria) was one of the successor states to the older United Monarchy (also often called the 'Kingdom of Israel' Rehoboam ( Hebrew:רחבעם Rehav'am was a king of the ancient Kingdom of Judah, succeeding his father Solomon. Jeroboam (yarobh`am Hieroboam in the Septuagint; commonly held to have been derived from riyb and `am and signifying "the people contend" or "he pleads the From there they moved southwards up the Nile into Ethiopia, and the Ethiopian Jews are descended from these Danites. This tradition was made known to Rabbi Ovadiah Yare of Bertinoro who wrote a letter from Jerusalem in 1488:
- I myself saw two of them in Egypt. Obadiah ben Abraham ( Hebrew: עובדיה מברטנורא) of Bertinoro was a Jewish Rabbi and a commentator on the Mishnah They are dark-skinned. . . and one could not tell whether they keep the teaching of the Karaites, or of the Rabbis, for some of their practices resemble the Karaite teaching. . . but in other things they appear to follow the instruction of the Rabbis; and they say they are related to the tribe of Dan. [25]
Other sources tell of many Jews who were brought as prisoners of war from Eretz Israel by Ptolemy I and also settled on the border of his kingdom with Nubia (Sudan). For the astronomer see Ptolemy; for others named "Ptolemy" or "Ptolemaeus" see Ptolemy (disambiguation. This article is about the region in Africa for other uses see Nubia (disambiguation. Sudan (officially the Republic of Sudan) ( السودان al-Sūdān is a country in northeastern Africa. Another tradition handed down in the community from father to son asserts that they arrived either via the old district of Qwara in northwestern Ethiopia, or via the Atbara River, where the Nile tributaries flow into Sudan. The Atbarah River ( Arabic: نهر عطبرة transliterated: Nahr 'Atbarah in northeast Africa rises in northwest Ethiopia, approximately 50 The Nile (النيل, Ancient Egyptian iteru or Ḥ'pī, Coptic piaro or phiaro) is a major north-flowing River Some accounts even specify the route taken by their forefathers on their way upstream from Egypt. [11]
Rabbinical views
Some Jewish legal authorities have asserted that the Beta Israel are the descendants of the tribe of Dan, one of the Ten Lost Tribes. Judaism (from the Greek Ioudaïsmos, derived from the Hebrew יהודה Yehudah, " Judah " in Hebrew יַהֲדוּת Yahedut Halakha ( הלכה; alternative transliterations include Halocho and Halacha) is the collective body of Jewish Religious law Tribe of Dan was also a band from the mid 1990s The Tribe of Dan ( was one of the Tribes of Israel. The phrase Ten Lost Tribes of Israel refers to the ancient Tribes of Israel that disappeared from the Biblical account after the Kingdom of Israel was destroyed This is supported by the medieval traveller Eldad ha-Dani. Eldad ha-Dani or Eldad HaDani or Eldad ben Mahli ha-Dani (אלדד הדני was an Ethiopian merchant and traveler of the ninth century In their view, these people established a Jewish kingdom that lasted for hundreds of years. With the rise of Christianity and later Islam, schisms arose and three kingdoms competed. Christianity ( Greek Χριστιανισμός from the word Xριστός ( Christ)is a monotheistic Religion centered on the life and teachings For other meanings including people named 'Islam' see Islam (disambiguation. Eventually, the Christian and Muslim Ethiopian kingdoms reduced the Jewish kingdom to a small impoverished section. A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, a monotheistic Religion centered on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth A Muslim (مسلم pronounced Muslim, not Muzlim) is an adherent of the Religion The earliest authority to rule this way was the Radbaz (Rabbi David ben Zimra, 1479 – 1573). Rabbi David ben Solomon ibn (Abi Zimra (דוד בן שלמה אבן אבי זמרא also called Radbaz ( רדב"ז) after the initials of his name R Rabbi David ben Solomon ibn (Abi Zimra (דוד בן שלמה אבן אבי זמרא also called Radbaz ( רדב"ז) after the initials of his name R Radbaz explains in a responsum concerning the status of a Beta Israel slave:
- But those Jews who come from the land of Cush are without doubt from the tribe of Dan, and since they did not have in their midst sages who were masters of the tradition, they clung to the simple meaning of the Scriptures. If they had been taught, however, they would not be irreverent towards the words of our sages, so their status is comparable to a Jewish infant taken captive by non-Jews … And even if you say that the matter is in doubt, it is a commandment to redeem them. [26]
In 1973 Rabbi Ovadia Yosef, then the Chief Sephardic Rabbi, based on the Radbaz and other accounts, ruled that the Beta Israel were Jews and should be brought to Israel. Rabbi Ovadia Yossef ( עובדיה יוסף) (born in 1920 in Basra, Iraq) is a Haredi Rabbi, Talmudic scholar a recognized He was later joined by a number of other authorities who made similar rulings, including the Chief Ashkenazi Rabbi. In contrast to some Ashkenazi rabbis, Rabbi Yosef further held that the Beta Yisrael were not Mamzerim and thus could marry just like other Jews. In Halakha ( Jewish religious law a Mamzer (ממזר is a person born of certain forbidden relationships between two Jews
Other legal authorities, primarily Ashkenazim, have maintained that the Jewishness of the Beta Israel is seriously suspect. Ashkenazi Jews, also known as Ashkenazic Jews or Ashkenazim ( Hebrew: אַשְׁכֲּנָזִים, ˌaʃkəˈnazim sing Such dissenting authorities include Rabbis Moshe Feinstein, Yosef Shalom Eliashiv, and Shlomo Zalman Auerbach. Moshe Feinstein ( March 3, 1895 – March 23, 1986) was a Lithuanian Orthodox Rabbi, scholar and Posek Rabbi Yosef Sholom Elyashiv (יוסף שלום אלישיב (born April 19 1910 is a Haredi Rabbi and Posek (arbiter of Jewish law Rabbi Shlomo Zalman Auerbach ( July 20 1910 - February 20 1995) ( Hebrew: שלמה זלמן אוירבך) was a renowned
In either case, some modern rabbinical authorities require the Beta Israel to undergo shortened conversions as a religious precaution. Those who believe this consider the conversion a necessity for an Ethiopian Jew to be accepted within other Jewish communities.
DNA evidence
Gerard Lucotte and Pierre Smets in Human Biology (vol 71, December 1999, pp. 989 – 993) [12] studied the DNA of 38 unrelated Beta Israel males living in Israel and 104 Ethiopians living in regions located north of Addis Ababa and concluded that "the distinctiveness of the Y-chromosome haplotype distribution of Beta Israel Jews from conventional Jewish populations and their relatively greater similarity in haplotype profile to non-Jewish Ethiopians are consistent with the view that the Beta Israel people descended from ancient inhabitants of Ethiopia who converted to Judaism. Deoxyribonucleic acid ( DNA) is a Nucleic acid that contains the genetic instructions used in the development and functioning of all known For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Israel topics. Addis Ababa (sometimes spelled Addis Abeba, the spelling used by the official Ethiopian Mapping Authority Amharic " [13] This study confirms the findings of an earlier study by Avshalom Zoossmann-Disken, A. Ticher, I. Hakim, Z. Goldwitch, A. Rubinstein, and Batsheva Bonné-Tamir titled "Genetic affinities of Ethiopian Jews," published in Israel Journal of Medical Sciences 27:245 (1991). [14]. A study of Y-chromosome biallelic haplotypes of Jewish and non-Jewish groups titled Jewish and Middle Eastern non-Jewish populations share a common pool of Y-chromosome biallelic haplotypes and published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences in June, 2000 suggested that "paternal gene pools of Jewish communities from Europe, North Africa, and the Middle East descended from a common Middle Eastern ancestral population," with the exception of the Beta Israel, who were "affiliated more closely with non-Jewish Ethiopians and other North Africans. 2000 ( MM) was a Leap year that started on Saturday of the Common Era, in accordance with the Gregorian calendar. North Africa or Northern Africa is the Northernmost Region of the African Continent, separated by the Sahara from Sub-Saharan The Middle East is a Subcontinent with no clear boundaries often used as a synonym to Near East, in opposition to Far East. " [15]. These Y-chromosome studies refer to only a partial section of the paternal lineage. Some ethnic groups are a product of one maternal lineage and a different paternal lineage, see Métis people (Canada). The Métis are descendants of marriages of Cree, Ojibway Algonquin, Saulteaux, and Menominee aboriginals to Europeans,
A study of Mitochondrial DNA [16] (which is passed through only maternal lineage to both men and women) showed that the most common mtDNA type found among the Ethiopian Jewish sample was present only in Somalia. Mitochondrial DNA ( mtDNA) is the DNA located in Organelles called mitochondria. Somalia ( Soomaaliya; الصومال) officially the Somali Republic ( Jamhuuriyadda Soomaaliya, جمهورية الصومال) and formerly known This furthered some researchers' idea that most Ethiopian Jews were of local or Ethiopian origin. Both the MtDNA and Y-chromosome analyses, although reliable in tracing two lines of ancestry, could reflect only two partial sections of total genetic inheritance. Studies did not include DNA analysis on Autosomal or X-chromosome variation. An autosome is a non-sex Chromosome. It is an ordinarily paired type of chromosome that is the same in both Sexes of a species. The X chromosome is one of the two sex-determining Chromosomes in many animal species including mammals (the other is the Y chromosome)
A study by the Department of Biological Sciences at Stanford University found a possible genetic similarity between 11 Ethiopian Jews and 4 Yemenite Jews who took part in the testing. Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly known as Stanford University or simply Stanford, is a private Research university located in Yemenite Jews ( Hebrew: תֵּימָנִים, Standard Temanim Tiberian Têmānîm The differentiation statistic and genetic distances for the 11 Ethiopian Jews and 4 Yemenite Jews tested were quite low, among the smallest of comparisons involving either of these populations. Ethiopian Jewish Y-Chromosomal haplotype are often present in Yemenite and other Jewish populations. Analysis of Y-Chromosomal haplotype frequencies does not indicate a close relationship between Ethiopian Jewish groups.
The 4 Yemenite Jews from this study may be descendants of reverse migrants of African origin who crossed Ethiopia to Yemen. Yemen ( Arabic: اليَمَن al-Yaman officially the Republic of Yemen ( Arabic: الجمهورية اليمنية al-Jumhuuriyya The study result suggests gene flow between Ethiopia and Yemen as a possible explanation for the closeness. The study also suggests that the gene flow between Ethiopian and Yemenite Jewish populations may not have been direct, but instead could have been between Jewish and non-Jewish populations of both regions. [27]
Scholarly view
In the past, secular scholars were divided on the origins of the Beta Israel; whether they were the descendants of an Israelite tribe, or converted by Jews living in Yemen, or by the Jewish community in southern Egypt at Elephantine. Yemen ( Arabic: اليَمَن al-Yaman officially the Republic of Yemen ( Arabic: الجمهورية اليمنية al-Jumhuuriyya Elephantine (جزيرة الفنتين is an Island in the River Nile, located just downstream of the First Cataract at at the southern border of [28] Some have conjectured, based on references in the Bible, that they could be remnants of an ancient Jewish community in the region. In the biblical book of Isaiah, for example, the author writes a prophecy that "the Lord will bring back a remnant of his people. . . returning them to the land of Israel from Assyria, Lower Egypt, Upper Egypt, Ethiopia, Elam, Babylonia, Hamath, and all the distant coastlands" (Isaiah 11:11). The book of Zephaniah also contains a prophecy that "from beyond the rivers of Ethiopia, my worshipers, even the daughter of my dispersed people, will bring my offering" (Zephaniah 3:10). Both biblical books are believed to have been written during the 8th and 7th century BCE.
Modern scholars of Ethiopian history and Ethiopian Jews, such as James Quirin, Steve Kaplan, Kay Shelemay, and Harold Marcus, consider the Beta Israel to be a native group of Ethiopian Christians, who took on Biblical practices, and came to see themselves as Jews. Steven Kaplan (born October 5 1953, New York United States is a professor of African studies and comparative religion at Hebrew University in As Paul B. Henze explains:
- These groups came into conflict with the military colonies and Christian missions which were the main instruments of the extension southward of the Ethiopian state. They may have been joined by dissidents or rebelling northern Christians who felt their interpretation of ritual, sacred texts and traditions of art represented a more ancient Israelite connection than Orthodox Miaphysite Christianity itself. Miaphysitism (sometimes called henophysitism) is the Christology of the Oriental Orthodox Churches The Beta Israel can thus be understood as a manifestation of the kind of rebellious archaism that has often come to the surface in Christianity -- e. g. Russian Old Believers and German Old Lutherans. Introductory summary of origins In 1652 Nikon (1605 – 1681 Patriarch of the Russian Orthodox Church from 1652 to 1658 introduced a number of ritual and textual Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany ( ˈbʊndəsʁepuˌbliːk ˈdɔʏtʃlant is a Country in Central Europe. Old Lutherans refers to those German Lutherans who refused to join the Prussian Union (Evangelical Christian Church in the 1830s and 1840s Assertion of Jewish derivation, they felt, provided them with a stronger claim to legitimacy than their Christian enemies. [29]
In fiction
Operation Moses was the subject of an Israeli-French film titled Va, Vis et Deviens (Go, Live, and Become), directed by Romanian-born Radu Mihaileanu. Live and Become or Va Vis et Deviens is a 2005 film about an Ethiopian Christian boy who disguises himself as an Ethiopian Jew in order Radu Mihăileanu (born April 23, 1958 in Bucharest) is a Jewish Romanian born French Film director and The film tells the story of an Ethiopian Christian child whose mother has him pass as Jewish so he can emigrate to Israel and escape the famine looming in Ethiopia. The film was awarded the 2005 Best Film Award at the Copenhagen International Film Festival. Copenhagen International Film Festival is a film festival held in Copenhagen, Denmark.
Photos
See also
References
- ^ Shas to help speed up Ethiopian Jewry immigration to Israe Israel Insider
- ^ Controversy:
Israel is losing its sovereignty Ha'aretz
Israel "can't bring all Ethiopian Jews at once" - foreign minister. Asia Africa Intelligence Wire (From BBC Monitoring International Reports)
[http://www.accessmylibrary.com/coms2/summary_0286-5572893_ITM Israel orchestrates mass exodus of Ethiopians. Since Biblical times the Jewish people have had close ties with Africa beginning with Abraham 's sojourns in Egypt, and later the Israelite captivity under Jews of the Bilad al-Sudan ( Judeo-Arabic) describes West African Jewish communities who were connected to known Jewish communities from the Middle Yemenite Jews ( Hebrew: תֵּימָנִים, Standard Temanim Tiberian Têmānîm The Lemba or Lembaa are an Ethnic group numbering 70000 in Southern Africa who claim a common descent and belonging to the Jewish people ] Knight Ridder/Tribune News Service
Families Across Frontiers, pg 391, ISBN 9041102396 - ^ A. H. M. Jones and Elizabeth Monroe, A History of Ethiopia (Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1935), p. 40
- ^ Compare Stuart Munro-Hay, Aksum: An African Civilization of Late Antiquity (Edinburgh: University Press, 1991), p. 65
- ^ Taddesse Tamrat, Church and State in Ethiopia: 1270-1527 (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1972), pp. 38-9
- ^ Knud Tage Andersen, "The Queen of Habasha in Ethiopian History, Tradition and Chronology," Bulletin of the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London, Vol. 63, No. 1 (2000), p. 20.
- ^ Steven Kaplan, "Eldad Ha-Dani", in Siegbert von Uhlig, ed. , Encyclopaedia Aethiopica: D-Ha (Wiesbaden: Harrassowitz Verlag, 2005), p. 252.
- ^ a b c d e Steven Kaplan, "Betä Əsraʾel", in Siegbert von Uhlig, ed. , Encyclopaedia Aethiopica: A-C (Wiesbaden: Harrassowitz Verlag, 2003), p. 553.
- ^ a b c d Kaplan,"Betä Əsraʾel",Aethiopica p. 554.
- ^ History of High Ethiopia or Abassia, trans. and ed. C. F. Beckingham and G. W. B. Huntingford, London: Hakluyt Society, 1954, pp. 54-55
- ^ Glorious Victories of Amda Seyon I, trans. G. W. B. Huntingford [Oxford: Clarendon Press], p. 61
- ^ Kay Kaufman Shelemay, Music, Ritual, and Falasha History, Michigan State University Press, 1989, page 45-53
- ^ Shelemay, Music, page 48.
- ^ Shelemay, Music, page 42
- ^ Israeli Central Beaurau of Statistics, Immigrants, by Period of Immigration, Country of Birth and Last Country of Residence from the Statistical Abstract of Israel 2007-No. 58
- ^ Onolemhemhen Durrenda Nash, The Black Jews of Ethiopia, Scarecrow Press; Reprint edition 2002, page 40
- ^ Tovi Fenter, "Ethnicity, Citizenship, Planning and Gender: the case of Ethiopian immigrant women in Israel," Gender, Place and Culture, Vol. 5, No. 2, page 179, 1998
- ^ Fenter, "Ethnicity,", page 181.
- ^ Heilman, Urile. "Falash Mura supporters hail vote to keep monthly immigration steady", Connecticut Jewish Ledger, 2006-11-17, pp. Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. Events 284 - Diocletian is proclaimed emperor by his soldiers 22, 26. Retrieved on 2006-11-17. Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. Events 284 - Diocletian is proclaimed emperor by his soldiers (English)
- ^ Shelemay, Music, p. 347
- ^ Shelemay, Music, pp. 351-352
- ^ Batsheva Pomerantz, "Ethiopian Israeli rabbi a beacon for his people, Boy’s long, lonely journey leads to fulfillment of dreams," The Jewish News Weekly of California, Friday May 25, 2007
- ^ Ira Kerem, "DC Community Brings Pesach Seder to 900 Ethiopian Residents of Beit Shemesh," The Jewish Agency for Israel, June 2002
- ^ Ayanawu Farada Sanbetu, "Museum on history of Ethiopian Jewry to be built in Rehovot," 19:26 18/07/2005, HAARETZ. com
- ^ Avraham Ya'ari, Igrot Eretz Yisrael, Ramat Gan 1971.
- ^ Responsum of the Radbaz on the Falasha Slave, Part 7. No. 5, cited in Corinaldi, 1998: 196.
- ^ Distinctive genetic signatures in the Libyan Jews, Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2001 January 30; 98(3): 858–863, 2001, The National Academy of Sciences [1]
- ^ For a discussion of this theory, see Edward Ullendorff, Ethiopia and the Bible (Oxford: University Press for the British Academy, 1968), pp. 16f, 117. According to Ullendorff, individuals who believed in this origin included President Yitzhak Ben-Zvi of Israel. Yitzhak Ben-Zvi (יצחק בן צבי ( November 24, 1884 &ndash April 23, 1963) was a historian Labor Zionist leader and the second
- ^ Paul B. Henze. Layers of Time. Palgrave, 2000. p. 55.
Related Sources
- Kaplan, Steve The Beta Israel (Falasha in Ethiopia: from Earliest Times to the Twentieth Century). New York University Press, re-issue edition, 1994. ISBN 0-8147-4664-0
- Berhanu, Girma Learning In Context (An Ethnographic Investigation of Meditated Learning Experiences Among Ethiopian Jews in Israel). Goteborg University Press, 2001. ISBN 91-7346-411-2
- Leslau, Wolf Falasha Anthology (Translated from Ethiopic Sources with an introduction by Wolf Leslau). Yale Judaica Series, vol. 6. New Haven & London: Yale University Press 1951. ISBN 0-300-03927-1.
- Lyons, Len. "The Ethiopian Jews of Israel: Personal Stories of Life in the Promised Land. " Jewish Lights Publishing. 2007. ISBN_13:978-1-58023-323-1.
- Marcus, Harold G. A History of Ethiopia. University of California Press, updated edition, 2002. ISBN 0-520-22479-5
- Quirin, James. The Evolution of the Ethiopian Jews: A History of the Beta Israel (Falasha) to 1920. University of Pennsylvania Press, 1992. ISBN 0-8122-3116-3
- Shelemay, Kay Kaufman. Music, Ritual, and Falasha History. Michigan State University Press; 1989. ISBN 0-87013-274-1
- Aescoly, A. Z. Recueil de textes falachas: introduction textes Ethiopiens (edition critique et traduction). Paris: Institut d'ethnologie 1951.
- Aescoly, A. Z. Notices sur les Falacha ou juifs d'Abbyssinie, d'apres le journal de voyage d'Antoine d'Abbadie. Cashiers d'etdues africaines 2; 1961.
- Neugebauer, Otto. Ethiopic Astronomy and Computus. Vienna: Verlag der osterreichischen Akademie der Wissenschaften; 1979.
External links
- Ethiopian Jews site
- Collection of photos of Ethiopian Jews celebrating the Sigd Festival in Jerusalem
- Construction of Beta Israel Identity
- Jewish Encyclopedia
- The Jews of Ethiopia and their Names
- Israel Association for Ethiopian Jews
- Exile in Ethiopia
- Abstract of the Lucotte-Smets article.
- Marc Shapiro, "Return of a lost tribe." details the rediscovery of the Falasha.
- History of Ethiopian Jews
- North American Conference on Ethiopian Jewry
- A New Light for Ethiopian Jews at Tel Aviv University
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