Sig'd, the Jewish Holiday You Have Not Heard About

 

Which is the name by which the Ethiopian Community calls themselves?

 

1)     Beit Keneset

2)     Beit Itiopi

3)     Beta Yisrael

4)     Yehudim

5)     Sufganiot

 

 

2.     What did Ethiopian Jews have in the past 2000 years that no other Jews had until the 20^th century?

1)     A separate kingdom with an army and king or queen

2)     A goal to return to the land of Israel

3)     Copies of the works of King Solomon

4)     Copies of the words of King David

5)     The location of the lost ark of the covenant

 

 

3.     What is an Ethiopian Jewish religious leader’s title?

1)     Gabbi

2)     Chazzan

3)     Kes

4)     Rav

5)     Ombudsman

 

4.     Which Jewish Holiday did Ethiopian Jews not celebrate until they came to the state of Israel?

1)     Hannukah

2)     Purim

3)     Shavuot

4)     Yom Kippur

5)     All of them

 

5.     Which of the following is not one of the theories about how the Ethiopian Jewish community came to be?

1)     The Beta Israel may be the lost Israelite tribe of Dan fleeing the destruction of the Kingdom of Israel in 762.

2)     They were Ethiopain Christians who converted after meeting the great scholar and wandering poet Yehudah Halevi

3)     They may be descendants of Menelik I, son of King Solomon and Queen Sheba.

4) They may be descendants of Jews who fled Israel for Egypt after the destruction of the First Temple in 586 BCE and settled in Ethiopia.

 

 

 

 

 

6.     Operation Solomon was a massive Airlift of Ethopian Jews from to Israel.  How many Jews were rescued?  Over…

1)     1,400

2)     5,400

3)     7400

4)     14,000

 

7.     Which language was the native language of Ethiopian Jews?

1)     Amharic

2)     Arabic

3)     Aramaic

4)     Swahili

 

8.     It’s not all good news for Ethiopian Jews living in Israel, who face racism and the challenges of coming from the world of rural Africa.  What percentage of Ethiopian Israelis live below the poverty line?

1)     6%

2)     12%

3)     42%

4)     72%

 

9.      Not all Israelis welcomed the Ethiopian Immigrants.  To make matters worse, many rabbis said the Ethiopians were not really Jews, and had to convert if they wanted to be part of the Jewish people. Which rabbi  and his followers said that the Ethiopian Jews were already Jewish? 

1)     Rabbi Moshe Feinstien-- US Ashkenazi Jews

2)     Rabbi Ovadiah Yosef-- Sephardic Jews in Israel

3)     The Lubavitcher Rebbe -- Chabbad Chasidim worldwide

4)     Rabbi Shalom Elyahshiv and Ashkenazi Jews in Israel

 

 

 

10.  Yityish Aynaw (26), a former officer in the Israel Defense Forces, became the first Ethiopian-Israeli to do what?

1)     Rise to the rank of Major

2)     Become elected to the Kenesset

3)     Become the winner of Israel’s version of “the voice”

4)     Win the Miss Israel beauty pageant

 

11.  How many Ethiopian Jews live in Israel today?

1)     15,000

2)     50,000

3)     125,000

4)     375,000

There is a Jewish holiday that is an official holiday in Israel, yet remains widely unknown to most American Jews. Unless you already  have a connection to the Ethiopian Jewish Community,  you have likely never heard of Sig'd (סיגד‎).  Ethiopian Jews have different customs, foods,  dress, and other treasures,  but they are as Jewish as you- and many have suffered and endured much to remain Jewish. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qvy0Wb5m2z8

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gCYia7Pegaw

Rabbi Dr. Sharon Shalom:

It's one thing to make aliyah to Israel, but it's another thing to do so on foot. Rabbi Dr. Shalom, an Ethiopian refugee and Rabbi ordained in Israel, is a masterful speaker with a powerful personal story  to tell. We watched this  video as a class,  and here is a more in depth essay he wrote about his life for the Brandeis Center for Israeli Studies.

Who are they?

The Jewish Virtual Library, a terrific source for all things Jewish, has an amazing article on the
Ethiopian Jews (found here),  the Beta Israel. For those who don't have time at the moment,  the TL;DR  is that the People of Beta Israel are one of the oldest Diaspora community of Jews who developed a distinct Jewish culture outside the influence of either Ashkenazic or  Sephardic Rabbinic Judaism.

Sig'd???

 

Sigd is an Amharic word meaning "prostration" or "worship" and is the commonly used name for a holiday celebrated by the Ethiopian Jewish community on the 29th of the Hebrew month of Cheshvan. This date is exactly 50 days after Yom Kippur, usually falling out in late October or November, and according to Ethiopian Jewish tradition is also the date that God first revealed himself to Moses.

 

Traditionally on Sigd, members of the Ethiopian Jewish community would fast for a day during which they would meet in the morning and walk together to the highest point on a mountain. The “Kessim," spritual leaders of the community, would carry the “Orit,” the Ethiopian Torah, which is written in the ancient Ge’ez language and comprised of the Five Books of Moses, the Prophetic writings, and other writings such as Song of Songs and Psalms. The Kessim recited parts of the Orit, including the Book of Nehemiah. On that day, members of the community recited Psalms and remembered the Torah, its traditions, and their desire to return to Jerusalem. In the afternoon they would descend back to the village and break their fast, dance and rejoice in a sort of seder reminiscent of Passover.

 

The holiday symbolizes the Jewish covenant in receiving the Torah at Mount Sinai in addition to the re-acceptance of the Torah that was led by Ezra the Scribe before the construction of the Second Temple. Its date is similar to the 50 days which are counted between Passover and Shavuot when the Torah was given on Mount Sinai.

 

The Ethiopian community in Israel has been celebrating the holiday by holding a mass ceremony on Mount Zion in Jerusalem, topped with a procession to the Western Wall. Recently, the ceremony has been held in Jerusalem's Armon Hanatziv Promenade. Israel’s President and many other politicians usually make a formal appearance at the ceremony.

 

In February 2008, MK Uri Ariel submitted legislation to the Knesset that would see Sigd established as an Israeli national holiday. In July of that year the Knesset followed Ariel's suggestion and added Sigd to the list of State holidays. The law states that in addition to being a state holiday, Sigd would also be marked in a special assembly organized by the Ministry of Education. The holiday's history, traditions and ceremonies will be included in the educational system's curriculum and going to work during the holiday will be optional

Ruby Rivlin, President of Israel, greets the
Kesim (traditional clergy) of the
Ethiopian community at Sigd in 2018.

Racism:

Israel is a complex state, with a complex social structure, facing the same problems many democracies face.  It is important to understand that Ethiopian Jews face racial and religious discrimination in the State of Israel. Many Ashkenazi Relgious leaders across the globe rejected the Beta Israel's claim of being Jews.  In some cases these leaders demanded that the Beta Yisrael "convert" to Judaism, complete with repeating Brit Milah!    That said, most Israelis see the Ethiopian Jewish community as another "tribe" among many in Israeli Jewish life.

Continue the Conversation at Home: 

What we did not get to explore is how Ethiopians are making serious inroads into Israeli society, however slowly.  Yityish Aynaw was Israel's first Ethiopian "Miss Israel" pageant winner in 2013, and spent the year representing Israel in a number of ways (like meeting a certain President of the US) . 

And while we here in America are barely aware of the Eurovision world song contest, Israel competes every year.  Just before the pandemic arrived,  Ethio-Israel superstar Eden Alene's song "Feker Libi"  won the chance to represent Israel at the international competition.  The song is  in  Amharic, Hebrew, English and Arabic, representing many of Israel's  cultures and peoples.  

And then here Eden Alene's performance of a very different song which you all know.