Encounter with Religions of Jerusalem 6th Session - 2nd January 2008:

Bi-weekly course jointly organized jointly by Interfaith Encounter Association and Mevakshei Derech Community

The sixth session of the course took place on January 2nd with Chief Rabbi of Ethiopian Jewry Yosef Hadana who presented the Ethiopian Jewish community.

PLEASE NOTE that the seventh session will take place on Wednesday, January 16th (at 19:30, 22 Shai Agnon, Jerusalem) with Pastor Ulrika Wolrov, who will present the Protestant Reform Christian community.

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Rabbi Yosef Hadana
Ethiopian Jewish Community
January 2nd

According to the tradition of Ethiopian Jews, they exiled some 2,500 years ago – after the destruction of the First Temple – to Egypt. This explains the many customs the community had in Ethipoia that were not practiced in other Jewish communities: they were observing the laws of purity in impurity, had the ashes of a red heifer, were sacrificing Pesach Sacrifice, burning red heifers etc. All these were absent in other communities as it is forbidden to sacrifice outside the Temple! However, it is well know in history that the Jews in Egypt had a temple in Yev and were sacrificing there and not going to Jerusalem in the Three Holidays. This community later disappeared and the tradition says that after some 400 years in Egypt they continued through Sudan and reached Ethiopia.

Until the mid-19th century the community had no connection to the general Jewish world. They knew that Jerusalem existed, the Temple destroyed and that the Nation of Israel went to exile – but did not know what happened to them. When they would have reached the part of prayer that talks about Jerusalem they would all rise and move in a special way. They always believed they will return to Jerusalem and an important element was the belief it will happen in through the same route. Therefore, when the immigration to Israel started via Sudan – they all said that the vision has finally come true and whole villages just packed and left. The way was very very difficult, they went by foot through the heavy heat of the desert, in huger and thirst, with robbers on the way, carrying old and sick on stretchers. 4,000 people died on the way.

In Ethiopia Jews, Christians and Muslims lived in separate villages and never mixed – each community with its own reasons. Jews saw gentiles as impure so after a visit of a non-Jew they would break the glass he drank from and go to the ritual bath. On the other had: the non-Jews were afraid that Jews bring the evil eye, so when a Jew visited their village all children would hide.

This situation had a positive effect as it kept the uniqueness of each community and in particular: prevented the Jews from assimilation.

The Jews fully observed the Shabbat: refrained from visiting their fields – in case some damage happened that will cause sadness, men would not wear a belt as it was associated with work etc. Even in a big village like Ambovar (where the Rabbi grew up) no one saw a person violating the Shabbat.

Every family was connected to a Kes who was the spiritual father and guide. They would also give a percentage of the crops to support the Kes.

They had all the Biblical Holidays but not those that are not in the Bible. Therefore, they did not have Hanukkah. They did know about Purim, as the Book of Esther is part of the Bible, but did not know how to celebrate it so they only observed the Fast of Esther.

They did not have the Mishna and the Talmud but an interesting point is that they had the whole of the Bible – even the books of Esther, Ezra and Nehemya that were written in the period of the Second Temple. The Rabbi's theory is that during the 400 years in Egypt they still maintained connection with the other Jews.

The Ethiopian community celebrates the unique Holiday of Segd as a day of prayer (in Hebrew the word "Sgida" means prayer). This Holiday also has its root in the Bible: after the return to Zion from Babylon there was massive assimilation and disconnection for tradition. When Ezra came he tore his cloths and called for a day of fasting and prayer and fixing the families through either converting or divorcing the non-Jews wives. In this day the community in Ethiopia used to go to the mountain top, read the Torah and pray. The community continues to observe this Holiday also in Israel on the 29th day of Heshvan.

Unlike other Jewish communities, who basically had the same prayer book with only minor differences, the Ethiopian community had a totally different one that was written in the Gez language. Only the Keises knew it and they continue to preserve it also in Israel. Other people used to pray in their own words.

They did not have Tefilin, Mezuzah and other commandments. The reason was the combination of total lack of communication with other Jews and many troubles and wars. So when the hardship caused loosing the tradition about the way to perform a certain commandment – there was no way to restore it.

Until 1973 the Ethiopian Jews were not recognized as Jews in Israel. Then Rabbi Ovadia Yosef ruled that they are Jews and it is obligatory to help them but only in 1975 they were recognized by the government as eligible to the Law of return. When Begin came into power in 1977 he started intensive efforts to bring them.

Adjusting to Israel was difficult. There they work basic farmers, usually did not go to school, had strong traditions of social structures. In Ethiopia hey also had – even though they were never aware of that – an autonomy: they never used the police, the court etc. Even the rare cases of murder, defiantely any other dispute, were solved through the leadership of the Keises. When they came here – the old structures did not work any more, the process of adjusting to the new way is very hard and there are failures. But there is also integration in all levels of life, including academia, Yeshivot etc.
 

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