March
27
International Conference Beta Israel – A History of Coping and Struggle
Tisch Center, ANU Museum, Tel Aviv University Campus
27.03.2023 - 28.03.2023
00:00
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; The Zvi Yavetz School of Historical Studies, Tel Aviv University
Monday, 27.3.2023 – Opening Evening
16:00 – 17:00 - Conference participants are invited to a guided tour at the ANU Museum of the Jewish People, and to experience the new tour on the topic of the Beta Israel community. 17:00 – 17:30 – Gathering and refreshments. 17:30 – 18:00 – Greetings Moderator: Ziona Desta Nega Dr. Simcha Getahune, chairwoman of the Ethiopian Jewry Heritage Center 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 Steven Friedman, representing the Baron De Hirsch Fund Dan Tadmor, CEO of ANU – the Museum of the Jewish People 18:00 – 18:30 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 18:30 – 19:45 Roundtable: Aliyah Activists Participants: Abraham Yerday, Addisu Masala, Belaynesh Ayeh, Rahamim Elazar, Babu Yakov 19:45 – 20:00 Concluding Remarks Naphtali Avraham, CEO, Ethiopian Jewry Heritage Center Tuesday, 28.3.2023 9:00 – 10:30 Chair: Prof. Bat-Zion Eraqi Klorman, The Open University of Israel Matteo D’Avanzo, Scuola Normale Superiore in Pisa and INALCO, Paris From Italian Fascist Rule to Jewish Internationalism through the Experience of Ethiopian Jews Dr. Alemayehu Erkihun Engida, Wollo University, Dessie, Ethiopia Ramifications of Boundary Disputes on the Beta-Israel Community: Evidence from Metema and West Armachiho Dr. Desalegn Amsalu, Addis Ababa University Legal Treatment of the Betä Israel Community in Ethiopia: A Historical Overview 10:30 – 11:00 Coffee Break 11:00 – 12:00 Second Session: Challenges of Survival (in English) Chair: Prof. Irit Back, Tel Aviv University Dr. Marcia Kupfer, Independent scholar The Representation of Jews and Judaism in Solomonic Ethiopia Dr. Tirsit Sahledingle, Addis Ababa University A Jewish Community of Kechene in Addis Ababa 12:00 – 13:30 Lunch Break 13:30 – 15:00 Third Session: Coping with Challenges in Ethiopia – Part 2 (in Hebrew) 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 Dr. Shula Mola, Brandeis University In the First Person: The Story of the Beta Israel Community from the Village of Enkash – Beyond the Myth of Persecution and Rescue 15:00-15:30 Break 15:30 – 16:30 Fourth Session: The Struggle for Aliyah (in Hebrew) Chair: Dr. Aviad Moreno, Ben Gurion University of the Negev 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. 16:30 – 17:30 Roundtable: Social Activists Moderator: Dr. Shula Mola Participants: Avi Yalou, Ziva Mekonen-Degu, Itzhak Tayeb, Banchi Meshesha 17:30 – 18:00 Break 18:00 – 19:30 Fifth Session: Social and Political Struggles in Israel (in Hebrew) 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 19:30 – 19:45 Concluding Remarks Prof. Galia Sabar, Tel Aviv University The conference will be broadcast live on the Ethiopian Jewry Heritage Center's website.
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: [email protected], 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
