MY FAMILY
THE BETA ISRAEL CURRICULUM

RETURN TO JERUSALEM

 Teachers should begin this unit by expressing the depth of the Beta Israel’s longing for Zion:

 From the moment the Beta Israel arrived in Ethiopia centuries ago, they hoped, prayed, and dreamed of returning to Jerusalem. Yearning for Jerusalem was core to the Beta Israel’s heritage – a physical and symbolic landmark of their ancestral home. As Rabbi Dr. Sharon Shalom explains: “Throughout the bitter history of the Diaspora, the Jews never stopped longing for Jerusalem. ‘I sleep, but my heart is awake’ (I am in Ethiopia, but my soul is in Jerusalem, Song of Songs 5:2). As such, when they did reach Israel, they felt that their dreams had come true, and many kissed the ground upon arrival.”146

 

146 Shalom, From Sinai To Ethiopia, 97.