Dr. Simcha Getahune
Council Chair of the Ethiopian Jewry Heritage Center - A Government CorporationThe core focus of our work as a heritage center is to disseminate knowledge and deepen the research on the captivating history of Beta Israel, in hopes that the community’s story, heritage, and history will become part of the central narrative of Israeli history and will be familiar to all. Therefore, the Center’s primary objective is to establish the historical heritage of Ethiopian Jewry in the national consciousness as an influential culture and partner in shaping Jewish-Israeli identity, including among the next generation of the community itself. The heritage center hopes to appeal to people of various ages in Israeli society, and to those of Ethiopian descent in particular. The older audience will rediscover – and will sometimes be surprised to find – testimonies, writings, certificates, and letters that will expose them to new elements of life in Ethiopia and enrich their knowledge regarding Beta Israel. The younger audience will be exposed to new stories, learn about its roots, and acquire a sense of pride in their origins. At the same time, the Center is interested in exposing Israeli society at large to the community’s customs, preserved despite the geographic distance and the social challenges. Beta Israel is a symbol and example of a Jewish community that existed in isolation from world Jewry, yet against all odds, succeeded in preserving its Judaism. It expresses the Jewish emotion – the deeply rooted, spiritual force – that preserved the unity and continuity of the Jewish nation for thousands of years. The essence of the community and its strengths are apparent among the younger generation in Israel, which is forming a strong ethnic identity that expresses the foundations laid by its ancestors. My hope, as a descendant of the Gideon Kingdom and the chair and founder of the Center for Ethiopian Jewish Heritage, is that the historical, cultural, and educational content curated by the center or with its support will be a source of inspiration and will reflect our unique and collective identity, which is a thread in the tapestry of Israel’s multicultural society. As someone who was raised on the rich heritage, history, language, lifestyle, tradition, food, and culture of Ethiopian Jewry, I would like to now pass these treasures onto future generations. It is my honor and great privilege to serve as the chair and founder of the Center, and I will work to maintain and develop it for the current generation and for generations to come.
Naphtali Avraham
CEO of the Ethiopian Jewry Heritage Center - A Government CorporationThe history of Beta Israel (the Jews of Ethiopia) is one of the most interesting and captivating in the history of the Jewish nation. These are Jews who were disconnected from the rest of their nation for thousands of years, faced many challenges, and yet preserved their heritage with great devotion. Their struggles were led by the Kesim (the spiritual leaders of Beta Israel) and political figures who rose up from within the community. Ethiopian Jewish heritage has an important place in the historical puzzle of the Jewish nation. The primary role of the Center for Ethiopian Jewish Heritage is to bring this heritage to the attention of Israeli society as a whole and to weave our story into the primary narrative of the Jewish nation. The story of Beta Israel is complex: this is a community that was, as aforementioned, isolated from the rest of the Jewish nation and repeatedly dealt with forces that tried to change its Jewish character. The community’s sons and daughters longed to return to Jerusalem, the focus of their hopes and dreams, and the struggle to immigrate to Israel has continued even to this day. The Center plays an important role in encouraging research about Beta Israel from a historical, cultural, and religious perspective, including the process of their immigration and absorption in Israel. We hope that this will establish the historical narrative in which we believe. At its permanent location, the Center for Ethiopian Jewish Heritage will be open to all communities of the Jewish nation and will serve as a meaningful home for the men and women of the Ethiopian community. We at the Center will continue to collect and document all information that contributes to the community’s rich history, and we will make these information sources accessible via a range of platforms, including the Center’s website. We invite you, sons and daughters of the community, to take part in creating the database.
Council
Racheli Kaplan
Strategic Partnerships, Director
ANU – Museum of the Jewish People
Matan Stutao Malada
Budgets for theaters in the Ministry of Culture and Sports
Maya Zalka
Amitim Program Coordinator
Prof. Leah Bornstein Makovetsky
Associate Professor of Jewish History, Head of the department of Jewish Heritage, Ariel University
Menachem Sunbato
Lawyer
Adam Tesma
Ministry of Aliyah and Integration
Assaf Tractinsky
R&D Director Israel State Archives
Prof. Rachel Sharaby
Head of the Sociology and Anthropology Department at the Ashkelon Academic College
Dr. Simcha Getahune
The core focus of our work as a heritage center is to disseminate knowledge and deepen the research on the captivating history of Beta Israel, in hopes that the community’s story, heritage, and history will become part of the central narrative of Israeli history and will be familiar to all. Therefore, the Center’s primary objective is to establish the historical heritage of Ethiopian Jewry in the national consciousness as an influential culture and partner in shaping Jewish-Israeli identity, including among the next generation of the community itself.
The heritage center hopes to appeal to people of various ages in Israeli society, and to those of Ethiopian descent in particular. The older audience will rediscover – and will sometimes be surprised to find – testimonies, writings, certificates, and letters that will expose them to new elements of life in Ethiopia and enrich their knowledge regarding Beta Israel. The younger audience will be exposed to new stories, learn about its roots, and acquire a sense of pride in their origins. At the same time, the Center is interested in exposing Israeli society at large to the community’s customs, preserved despite the geographic distance and the social challenges.
Beta Israel is a symbol and example of a Jewish community that existed in isolation from world Jewry, yet against all odds, succeeded in preserving its Judaism. It expresses the Jewish emotion – the deeply rooted, spiritual force – that preserved the unity and continuity of the Jewish nation for thousands of years. The essence of the community and its strengths are apparent among the younger generation in Israel, which is forming a strong ethnic identity that expresses the foundations laid by its ancestors.
My hope, as a descendant of the Gideon Kingdom and the chair and founder of the Center for Ethiopian Jewish Heritage, is that the historical, cultural, and educational content curated by the center or with its support will be a source of inspiration and will reflect our unique and collective identity, which is a thread in the tapestry of Israel’s multicultural society. As someone who was raised on the rich heritage, history, language, lifestyle, tradition, food, and culture of Ethiopian Jewry, I would like to now pass these treasures onto future generations. It is my honor and great privilege to serve as the chair and founder of the Center, and I will work to maintain and develop it for the current generation and for generations to come.
Scientific Committee
Dr. Anbessa Teferra
Senior Lecturer at Tel Aviv University
Prof. Galia Sabar
Scholar of African and Migration Studies
Prof. Leah Bornstein Makovetsky
Associate Professor of Jewish History, Head of the department of Jewish Heritage, Ariel University
Prof. Bat-Zion Eraqi Klorman
Professor of History
Department of History, Philosophy and Judaic Studies
The Open University of Israel
Prof. Haggai Erlich
Professor Emeritus
History of the Middle East and Africa
Tel Aviv University
Dr. Simcha Getahune
The core focus of our work as a heritage center is to disseminate knowledge and deepen the research on the captivating history of Beta Israel, in hopes that the community’s story, heritage, and history will become part of the central narrative of Israeli history and will be familiar to all. Therefore, the Center’s primary objective is to establish the historical heritage of Ethiopian Jewry in the national consciousness as an influential culture and partner in shaping Jewish-Israeli identity, including among the next generation of the community itself.
The heritage center hopes to appeal to people of various ages in Israeli society, and to those of Ethiopian descent in particular. The older audience will rediscover – and will sometimes be surprised to find – testimonies, writings, certificates, and letters that will expose them to new elements of life in Ethiopia and enrich their knowledge regarding Beta Israel. The younger audience will be exposed to new stories, learn about its roots, and acquire a sense of pride in their origins. At the same time, the Center is interested in exposing Israeli society at large to the community’s customs, preserved despite the geographic distance and the social challenges.
Beta Israel is a symbol and example of a Jewish community that existed in isolation from world Jewry, yet against all odds, succeeded in preserving its Judaism. It expresses the Jewish emotion – the deeply rooted, spiritual force – that preserved the unity and continuity of the Jewish nation for thousands of years. The essence of the community and its strengths are apparent among the younger generation in Israel, which is forming a strong ethnic identity that expresses the foundations laid by its ancestors.
My hope, as a descendant of the Gideon Kingdom and the chair and founder of the Center for Ethiopian Jewish Heritage, is that the historical, cultural, and educational content curated by the center or with its support will be a source of inspiration and will reflect our unique and collective identity, which is a thread in the tapestry of Israel’s multicultural society. As someone who was raised on the rich heritage, history, language, lifestyle, tradition, food, and culture of Ethiopian Jewry, I would like to now pass these treasures onto future generations. It is my honor and great privilege to serve as the chair and founder of the Center, and I will work to maintain and develop it for the current generation and for generations to come.
Staff
Gadi Geta Melaku
Yosi Mengstu
Vicky Hendelman
Tamar Garden
Daniel Zucker
Dr. Elad Wexler
