October
15
Call for Papers The Ethiopian Jews in Israel
15.10.2024 - 15.12.2024
00:00
The fourth conference of the Ethiopian Jewry Heritage Center, in collaboration with the Azrieli Center for Israel Studies (MALI), Ben Gurion Institute, Ben Gurion University of the Negev; and the Africa Unit, S. Daniel Abraham Center for International and Regional Studies, Tel Aviv University
February 26, 2025
Tel Aviv University
The Aliyah (immigration) of the Beta Israel (Ethiopian Jewish) community to Israel opened a new chapter in its history and in the history of Israeli society. Hand in hand with the realization of the long-standing yearning to make Aliyah to Jerusalem, the reality of life in Israel and the complex dynamics vis-à-vis Israeli authorities and society presented many challenges to the community, some of which it is still dealing with. The community’s Aliyah has increased social and cultural diversity in the country, and that, in turn, has raised different issues in the realm of religion, society and politics.
At present, 162 years after the community’s first wide-scale attempt to make Aliyah to the Land of Israel, in a journey led by Abba Mahari, and 40 years after “Operation Moses”, among the largest and most influential Aliyah operations, the life of the Beta Israel community in Israel can be examined in historical perspective. This conference is dedicated to the life, works and dynamics of the Ethiopian Jews in Israel, both immigrants and those born in Israel.
The State Corporation – the Ethiopian Jewry Heritage Center, together with the Azrieli Center for Israel Studies (MALI), Ben Gurion Institute for the Study of Israel and Zionism at the Ben Gurion University of the Negev; and the Africa Unit, S. Daniel Abraham Center for International and Regional Studies, Tel Aviv University invite scholars from all research fields to submit proposals for papers. The conference will be held on February 26, 2025 at Tel Aviv University.
Relevant topics include, but are not limited to, recent research on processes and events relating to the Aliyah and the adaptation to life in Israel, and on developments in different fields, such as culture, education, heritage preservation, documentation and commemoration, dynamics vis-à-vis state authorities and different organizations and groups, coping with racism and exclusion, and dynamics within the community. To mark the 40th anniversary of “Operation Moses”, a special session at the conference will be dedicated to this operation and related processes.
Proposals should be submitted no later than December 15, 2024 to the following email address: tamar@moreshete.org.il. They should include the following details:
- Name of the researcher, contact details including a telephone number, email and postal address
- An abstract of up to 300 words (papers will be 20 minutes long)
- A short bio (up to 200 words)
- Proposals can be written in English or Hebrew
The conference will be held in-person with audience attendance by advanced registration. The event will also be live-streamed online.
Scholars from abroad who are interested in taking part and are in need of a travel grant can add a request for a travel grant and for accommodations in Israel to their proposal. The organizing committee will decide upon the distribution of a few travel grants.
June
05
Live broadcast from the state memorial ceremony for Ethiopian Jews who perished on their way to Israel
Herzl's Grave, Mount Herzl Cemetery, Jerusalem
05.06.2024
11:00 - 13:00
April
16
The launch of the holiday prayer book of Beta Israel
16.04.2024
17:00 - 20:00
The Ethiopian Jewry Heritage Center invites you to the launch of the holiday prayer book of Beta Israel on Tuesday, 8 Nissan 5784 (April 16, 2024) at 5:00 PM, in the Eshkol Auditorium, Binyanei Ha'uma, 1 Shazar Blvd., Jerusalem.
The launch will be attended by Liqa Kahenat Kes Baruch, Kessim, public figures, and the general public.
The holiday prayer book will be published in two volumes in Ge'ez:
Volume 1 - Spring Festivals, including Rosh Chodesh Nissan, Passover, and Yisnah Ma'rar (Shavuot)
Volume 2 - Festivals of the seventh month, including Brehane Sarka (Rosh Hashanah), Ba'ala Matzalot (Sukkot), and Yehdar Ma'rar (second Shavuot).
The prayer book was collected and written by Kes Mentasnot Memu. The Ethiopian Jewry Heritage Center collaborated in editing the book and its launch.
Participation requires pre-registration, as the number of places is limited.
We look forward to seeing you.
The event will be photographed and recorded.
November
13
Sigd Prayers in Jerusalem
13.11.2023
09:30 - 13:00
Due to the Swords of Iron War and the Home Front Command guidelines, we will not be able to host the annual mass Sigd prayer event this year.
The prayers at the Armon Hanatziv Promenade will be attended by the honorable Kessim only from 9:30 to 13:00
and will be broadcasted to the public on the website, Facebook, and the YouTube channel of the Ethiopian Jewry Heritage Center.
The blessings ceremony will not be held.
Presented by the Ministry of Culture and Sports, the Ethiopian Jewry Heritage Center – a statutory organization, the Kessim – spiritual leadership, and the State Ceremonies and Events Administration.
May
24
International Conference Beta Israel – A History of Coping and Struggle
Ze’evi Auditorium, ANU Museum, Tel Aviv University Campus
24.05.2023
09:00 - 19:50
The third conference of the Ethiopian Jewry Heritage Center, in collaboration with the Goldstein-Goren Diaspora Research Center at Tel Aviv University; the Africa Unit, S. Daniel Abraham Center for International and Regional Studies, Tel Aviv University; the Azrieli Center for Israel Studies (MALI), Ben Gurion Institute for the Study of Israel and Zionism, Ben Gurion University of the Negev; ANU Museum of the Jewish People; the Baron De Hirsch Fund; and the Zvi Yavetz School of Historical Studies, Tel Aviv University
Wednesday, 24.5.2023
9:00 – Gathering and refreshments
9:30 – 10:00 – Greetings
Moderator: Ziona Desta Nega
Dr. Simcha Getahune, former chairwoman of the Ethiopian Jewry Heritage Center and lecturer at the Kibbutzim College
Prof. Avi Bareli, director of the Ben-Gurion Institute for the Study of Israel and Zionism, Ben Gurion University
Prof. Roni Stauber, head of the Goldstein-Goren Diaspora Research Center, Tel Aviv University
Representative of the Baron De Hirsch Fund
Dan Tadmor, CEO of ANU – the Museum of the Jewish People
10:00 – 10:30 Keynote lecture
Danny Admasu, MALI, Ben Gurion University of the Negev
A Narrative of Glorification and Exclusion in the Aliyah of the Ethiopian Jews in the 80s: ‘Operation Moses’ as a Test Case
First Session: Coping with Challenges in Ethiopia 10:30-11:30
Chair: Prof. Esther Meir, Ben Gurion University of the Negev
Dr. Wovite Worku-Mengisto, Hebrew University of Jerusalem and David Yellin College and Dr. Bar Kribus, Tel Aviv University
The Impact of the Ethos of the Struggles in the Sǝmen Mountains in the Days of the Gideonite Dynasty on the Life of the Betä Ǝsraʾel Community in this Region in Later Times
Mauricio Lapchik Minski, Ben Gurion University of the Negev
Jews and Judaism in Ethiopia in the Eyes of the Jesuits – Resistance and Struggles
11:30 – 12:00 Coffee break
12:00 – 13:00 Second Session: The Struggle for Aliyah
Chair: Dr. Anbessa Teferra, Tel Aviv University
Mordechai Baruch, Ariel University
The Ways in Which the Religious Leader Qes Berhan Baruch Coped in His Twofold Struggle: Vis-à-vis the Christian Mission in Ethiopia and the Zionist and Rabbinical Institutions in Israel
Dr. Louise Fischer and Michal Saft, Israel State Archives
‘If the Rescue Activities Will Not Increase in Momentum… There Will Be No One To Save’: The Israeli Government and the Beta Israel Activists in the Struggle for Aliyah from Ethiopia.
13:00 – 14:30 Lunch break
14:30 – 16:00 Third Session: Social and Political Struggles in Israel
Chair: Dr. Simcha Getahune, Kibbutzim College
Dr. Elad Wexler, Ethiopian Jewry Heritage Center
The Struggle of the Ethiopian Jews Against the Chief Rabbinate and Against the Giyur le-Chumra
Uri Perednik, Bar Ilan University
Israel Even Though He Has Sinned? A Critical View on the Media Coverage of the Struggle for the Aliyah of the Ethiopian Jews between the Years 2015-2020
Dr. Ravit Talmi-Cohn, Ruppin Academic Center
A Vague Aliyah Policy – Its Expressions and Consequences
16:00 – 17:30 - Conference participants are invited to a tour at the ANU Museum of the Jewish People, and to experience the new tour on the topic of the Beta Israel community.
17:30 – 18:30 Round table, activists in the struggle for aliyah
Moderator: Ziva Mekonen-Degu
Participants: Abraham Yerday, Addisu Masala, Belaynesh Ayeh, Rahamim Elazar, Babu Yakov
18:30 – 19:30 Round table, activists in social struggles
Moderator: Danny Admasu
Participants: Avi Yalou, Ziva Mekonen-Degu, Itzhak Tayem, Banchi Meshesha
19:30 – 19:40 Concluding Remarks
Prof. Galia Sabar, Tel Aviv University
19:40 – 19:50 Thanks
Naphtali Avraham, CEO, Ethiopian Jewry Heritage Center
The conference will be broadcast live on the Ethiopian Jewry Heritage Center's website.
May
18
Live broadcast from the state memorial ceremony for Ethiopian Jews who perished on their way to Israel
Herzl's Grave, Mount Herzl Cemetery, Jerusalem
18.05.2023
11:00
November
23
The Sigd holiday in jerusalem
Sherover Promenade in Armon Hanatziv, Jerusalem.
23.11.2022
08:00 - 14:00
The central prayer assembly in Jerusalem in honor of the Sigd holiday will take place on Wednesday, November 23 2022, from 8:00 AM – 2:00 PM, at the Sherover Promenade in Armon Hanatziv, Jerusalem.
On the day of the prayer assembly, a special line of shuttles will operate from the Central Bus Station in Jerusalem, opposite Binyanei HaUma, to the location of the assembly. In addition, there will be buses from all over the country – contact your local authority for more information regarding points of departure and times, or call: 050-3705684.
November
14
Call for Papers: Beta Israel – A History of Coping and Struggle
14.11.2022 - 15.12.2022
00:00 - 23:59
The third conference of the Ethiopian Jewry Heritage Center, in collaboration with the Goldstein-Goren Diaspora Research Center at Tel Aviv University; The Africa Unit, S. Daniel Abraham Center for International and Regional Studies, Tel Aviv University; and the Azrieli Center for Israel Studies (MALI), Ben Gurion Institute, Ben Gurion University of the Negev
March 27–28, 2023 Tel Aviv University
Throughout history, the Beta Israel (Ethiopian Jewish) community was forced to overcome many challenges in order to survive as a religious minority and preserve its identity and way of life. These challenges included pressure and limitations imposed by the Christian Solomonic authorities in Ethiopia and dominant Christian society, and the activities of European missionaries, who aimed to convert the Ethiopian Jews to Christianity. The process of the Aliyah (immigration) of the Beta Israel to Israel and the process of their integration there also entailed challenges, albeit different in nature. The community was forced to act decisively so that its Judaism would be recognized and its Aliyah made possible, and in order to deal with discrimination and prejudice. On several occasions, the community was engaged in struggles to safeguard its rights and lead to changes in the State’s policy towards it. These struggles are central to its ethos, past and present.
This conference will examine the ways in which the Beta Israel community addressed these challenges. Its first part will be dedicated to the ways in which the community coped with challenges vis-à-vis Ethiopian authorities and society and different groups active in Ethiopia. The second part will be dedicated to the ways in which the community coped with challenges vis-à-vis the State of Israel’s authorities and within the dynamics of Israeli society. Central to the conference will be questions of continuity, change, and diversity in methods of coping in Ethiopia, in the course of the Aliyah and in Israel, and of the contribution of these methods, and among them of struggles, to shaping the community’s ethos.
The State Corporation – the Ethiopian Jewry Heritage Center, together with the Goldstein-Goren Diaspora Research Center at Tel Aviv University; The Africa Unit, S. Daniel Abraham Center for International and Regional Studies, Tel Aviv University; and the Azrieli Center for Israel Studies (MALI), Ben Gurion Institute for the Study of Israel and Zionism at the Ben Gurion University of the Negev invite scholars from all research fields to submit proposals for papers. The conference will be held on March 27–28, 2023, at Tel Aviv University.
The organizing committee is seeking proposals dealing with challenges faced by the Ethiopian Jews and struggles which they led. Relevant topics include discussions and evaluations of the actions taken in order to enable Aliyah to Israel, preserve their Jewish identity, and integrate and thrive as an integral part of Israeli society.
Proposals should be submitted to Dr. Elad Wexler, head of the Research Institute of the Ethiopian Jewry Heritage Center, through the following E-mail: elad@moreshete.org.il, no later than the December 15, 2022. They should include the following details:
- Name of the researcher, contact details including a telephone number, E-mail and address
- An abstract of up to 300 words (papers will be 20 minutes long)
- A short bio (up to 200 words)
- The name of each file should be the name of the submitter + a designation of the file’s content
- Proposals can be written in English or Hebrew
January
19
The Kingdom of the Gideonites
Via ZOOM APP
19.01.2022
15:30 - 21:10
The Ethiopian Jewry Heritage Center presents the second annual conference:
The Kingdom of the Gideonites The Political Autonomy of the Beta Israel (Ethiopian Jews) and Their Wars with the Christian Solomonic Kingdom Online conference Wednesday, January 19th, 2022 15:30-21:10 Throughout the Middle Ages and early modern times, Jews commonly lived as a religious minority under Christian or Muslim rule. The Beta Israel (Ethiopian Jews), on the other hand, maintained political autonomy in the Semien Mountains, the highest mountains in the Horn of Africa, and initially, in surrounding areas as well. This self-governed area is known in Beta Israel tradition as the Kingdom of the Gideonites, named after the monarchs who ruled over it and were called Gedewon (Gideon). The acts of valor of the Beta Israel in the wars waged between them and the Christian Solomonic kingdom (15th-17th century) served for generations as a source of inspiration for the community and for World Jewry in general, and had a deep impact on the interaction between the Beta Israel and the Jewish World. This conference is dedicated to the history of the Beta Israel at the time of their political autonomy and military conflicts with the Solomonic kingdom. This period in the community’s history, despite its crucial importance, has so far received very little scholarly and public attention.| 15:30-16:00 | Introduction: Dr. Elad Wexler, Head of the Research Institute of the Ethiopian Jewry Heritage Center Welcome addresses: Hili Tropper, Minister of Culture and Sport Dr. Simcha Getahune, chairwoman of the Public Council, the Ethiopian Jewry Heritage Center Dr. Anbessa Teferra, chairman of the Scientific Committee, the Ethiopian Jewry Heritage Center |
| 16:00-17:00 | First panel: The Place of the Kingdom of the Gideonites in the Community’s Traditions and Heritage Chair: Dr. Simcha Getahune, chairwoman of the Public Council, the Ethiopian Jewry Heritage Center, Kibbutzim College Rabbi Moshe Baruch: Queen Judith and Who Were the Gideonites? Daniel Belete: Gideon VII at the Time of His Reign and Afterwards |
| 17:00-17:30 | Break |
| 17:30-19:00 | Second Panel: The Political Autonomy of the Beta Israel in the Sources of the Jewish and Christian World Chair: Dr. Anbessa Teferra, Tel Aviv University |
| Dr. Bar Kribus, Ruhr University, Bochum: Where was the Kingdom of the Gideonites? The Borders and Scope of the Political Autonomy of the Betä Ǝsraʾel and the Location and Characteristics of Its Political Centers Dr. Leonardo Cohen and Mauricio Lapchik Minski, Ben Gurion University of the Negev: The Fall of the Political Autonomy in the Semien Mountains in the Eyes of Manuel de Almeida (1580-1646) – War, Destruction, and Resistance | |
| . | Rabbi Menachem Waldman: The Wars of the Gideonites in Ethiopia as Reflected in the Jewish Sources of the 15th and 16th Century |
| 19:00-19:30 | Break |
| 19:30-21:00 | Third session: The Involvement of the Politically Autonomous Beta Israel in the Politics and Military Struggles of the Northern Ethiopian Highlands Chair: Prof. Bat-Zion Eraqi Klorman, The Open University of Israel |
| Dessalegn Bizuneh Ayele, University of Gondar: On the Beta Israel-Muslim Alliances during the Muslim-Christian Con_icts of the 16th Century | |
| Dr. Solomon Gebreyes Beyene, Hamburg University: Representations of the history of Beta Israel (Ethiopian Jews) in the royal Chronicle of King Sarsa Dengel (r. 1597-1563): A Historical Commentary | |
| Prof. Steven Kaplan, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem: Ya’eqob: A Christian Emperor with Beta Israel Roots | |
| 21:00-21:10 | Concluding Remarks: Naphtali Avraham, CEO, of the Ethiopian Jewry Heritage Center |
| Thanks: Dr. Elad Wexler, Head of the Research Institute of the Ethiopian Jewry Heritage Center |
May
26
Dr Shula Mola, “I am completely ordinary"
26.05.2021
00:00
The lecture was given on 26.5.2021 The full name of the Lecture: “I am completely ordinary” - Efforts of .belonging of Ethiopian origin Israeli citizens into the Israeli society
May
16
Moria Tadela, Secondary traumatization among the second generation of Ethiopian Jews exodus via Suda
16.05.2021
00:00