INTRODUCING THE ETHIOPIAN JEWISH EXPERIENCE: AN “INSIDER” PERSPECTIVE FOR DIASPORA JEWRY
The history and heritage of the Ethiopian Jewish community and the wondrous story of our return to Zion after more than 2,500 years in exile is undoubtedly one of the greatest miracles of the modern Jewish era. Many Jews in Israel and the Diaspora speak with admiration and pride about the Beta Israel, describing our mass aliyah as a powerful expression of the Zionist dream. Many Jews also consider this journey back to Israel as a fulfillment of divine prophecy, in which G-d promised to “assemble the banished of Israel, and gather the dispersed of Judah, from the four corners of the earth’ (Isaiah 11:12).
Yet few Jews are truly familiar with the Beta Israel, and even fewer have considered what can be learnt from Ethiopian Jewish heritage as a basis for transformation in wider Jewish law, values, and traditions. The Beta Israel is the only Jewish community in history to have lived in a single geographic location, without any major physical or spiritual disruption, for over a millennium.
As such, the Beta Israel is a rare and significant living repository of authentic pre-Talmudic Judaism. By gaining a deeper understanding of the unique experiences of the Beta Israel, Jewish communities everywhere have an opportunity to reflect on their own values and traditions, as well as on the concept of halakhic pluralism, and the notion that there is more than one truth to Judaism.
The Ethiopian Jewish community’s exodus to Israel was arduous, to put it mildly. Many Ethiopian Jews died during the harrowing journey across land, air, and sea, and those who survived went on to contend with an array of obstacles and challenges while settling into their new home in the State of Israel.
It is essential for all Jews to hear and reflect on the personal stories of the Beta Israel, to understand the efforts and sacrifices that were made to turn an everlasting dreaming of reaching Jerusalem into reality.
It is critical to recognize that the Beta Israel’s story did not come to an end with our miraculous aliyah. Since arriving in the Jewish homeland, Ethiopian Jewry has faced an uphill battle throughout society, struggling against stigmatization, stereotyping, questioning of religious identity, and multiple forms of racism.
By learning from these experiences, Jewish students around the world can foster a deeper understanding and respect for one another and internalize that “they” are not so different from “us.” We are all sisters and brothers, the diverse children of one global Jewish family.
My Family – The Beta Israel Curriculum was designed for Jewish high school students in North America, specifically for grades 9 and 10. This curriculum focuses on the history, culture, journey, and religious identity of the Ethiopian Jewish community. We hope that this material will be both informative and transformative, allowing students to explore aspects of their own Jewish identity, traditions, and culture, as they gain a deeper and more intimate understanding of the Ethiopian Jewish experience.
This is the first English-language curriculum of its kind for high schoolers, compiled from the perspective of the Ethiopian Jewish community itself. Until now, books and articles about the Beta Israel have typically been told by “outsiders,” in a spirit and tone of sympathy for a marginalized sector. Ethiopian Jews have been portrayed as lacking knowledge, awareness, and participation in the expansive experience of Diaspora Jewry over the course of more than 2,000 years. The admiration and pride that many Jews feel toward the Beta Israel is lacking in understanding of our authentic oral history, tradition, and heritage.
So much can be learnt about Jewish law and values by exploring within the Ethiopian Jewish tradition. This curriculum is intended to provide an authentic “insider” perspective of the Ethiopian Jewish experience. The voices and stories included here are primary sources for education and interpretation, told by those who lived through the challenges themselves. This is a story set in two countries – Ethiopia and Israel – but it is primarily a story about one people, the Jewish family.
In the words of the late great Israeli President, Prime Minister, and Foreign Minister Shimon Peres: “We are one people. There are no black Jews and white Jews. There are Jews. History and faith bind us together, forever.”
RABBI DR. SHARON SHALOM
INTERNATIONAL CENTER FOR THE STUDY OF ETHIOPIAN JEWRY
ONO ACADEMIC COLLEGE, ISRAEL
FALL 5782 (2021)
