By Anshel Pfeffer, haaretz.com
ADDIS ABABA – In the old Falasha village of Ambober, 15 kilometers outside Gondar, there are only Christians living today. All the village's original inhabitants left for Israel at least 17 years ago. The old ORT school which used to serve the Jewish community is now a government school. Opposite is the compound of the local synagogue. In the Beita Israel custom, there are two separate buildings, and while the women's synagogue is still the original tuckul, made from lathe walls of mud and wood, someone has made a donation and redone the men's synagogue as a sturdy, stone-walled building. No one prays there but it is one of the main stops on the routes of Jewish and Israeli groups who tour the Gonder region. Inside, there is a wooden bookcase that contains the siddurim (prayer books) and Hebrew books that served the community decades ago. They all bear the stamp of the religious services department of the World Zionist Organization. Among the dusty and time-eaten prayer books, bibles and Hebrew primers, I found one slim tome that seemed a bit out of place. It was a treatise on the laws of shehita printed by the famous "Brothers and Widow Rohm" Printers of Vilnius, in 1896. The incongruity of finding such a title in a Falasha village, a community with its own distinct laws of ritual slaughter, so different from those practiced by Orthodox Jews in late 19th Century, is incredible. The owners' scrawl inside the cover leaves little doubt this book used to reside in the private library of a religious Jew somewhere in Eastern Europe before the Second World War. How did it find its way to the Horn of Africa?
The most likely answer is that many holy books that, unlike their owners, somehow survived the destruction of the Holocaust, were sent to organizations like the WZO in Jerusalem in the hope that someone might find use for them. It probably lay in storage for years until someone assembled a shipment of books for the Falashas, and without thinking also chucked in the shehita book. It is unthinkable that anyone in Ambober ever found any use for the book — it probably lay there unopened until the Jews left for Israel — but just think about the passage it made. From the devastation of Jewish life in Europe, to Jerusalem and from there to Ethiopia, only to be forsaken again when another Jewish community ceased to exist. No one has read it for at least 70 years, but what a romantic voyage.
One has only to spend 24 hours in Ethiopia to understand that logic simply does not apply when trying to understand the Jewish story of this land. You can only comprehend it from a romantic perspective. When you review the serious research done on the origins or the Beita Israel, it is almost impossible to escape the fact that there is no real historical evidence connecting this group with the scattered branches of the people of Israel. It is just as much, if not more, plausible that they were simply a sect of the ancient Ethiopian Christian civilization, one of the oldest churches in the world, who believed at the same time that they were the children of King Solomon's first-born son Menelik. The last emperor of Ethiopia, Haile Selassie, the "Lion of Judah," believed himself to be a direct descendant.
The Star of David with a cross in its center is ubiquitous on buildings throughout Addis Ababa, and the Ethiopian "Bible," Kebra Nagast (The Glory of Kings), which chronicles Menelik's voyage to his father in Jerusalem and back to Ethiopian carrying the Ark of the Covenant, contains entire chapters that directly paraphrase the Old Testament. Seeing the Falashas as an outcropping of this culture – believing that instead of Zion moving to the ancient city of Aksum, the children of Israel should return to the original Zion – makes much more sense than imagining a section of the tribe that got lost for a millennium or two in Africa.
And yet the idea is so romantically appealing that normally levelheaded politicians, academics and rabbis just want to believe in it. After all, we are such a small and urban people, just imagine if there were indeed primitive tribes, scattered in exotic places around the globe. It would make being Jewish feel a lot less claustrophobic. That's why Rabbi Ovadia Yosef, whose Halakha (Jewish law) rulings are usually based on a wealth of evidence, recognized the Beita Israel's Jewishness in 1973 as the lost tribe of Dan, on the basis only of a ruling of a 16th-century rabbi who in turn based his on the writings of a mystical ninth-century figure, Eldad Hadani, a man who probably never existed, and even if he did, it is highly questionable whether Eldad had anything to do with the Falashas anyway.
In the same way, the current Chief Rabbi, Shlomo Amar, widely seen as Yosef's anointed successor, ruled that the Falashmura, the members of Beita Israel who converted to Christianity, were "definitely" Jews. But how could he make such a sweeping ruling? Surely this should be a matter for individual judgment. Jewish leaders and activists were quick to sound the alarm on threats facing the Jews of Ethiopia, even when these were far from certain, out of real concern but also because a generation still traumatized by the Holocaust wants to feel as if this time around, it is saving Jews from the jaws of mortal danger.
Israel airlifting 14,000 Jews from Addis Ababa in 1991, at the height of the Ethiopian civil war, felt for many like the closing of the circle. The Jews of the world had been powerless to help their brothers in Poland 50 years earlier, but now had an air force and sufficient funds and influence to organize the airlift overnight. Whether or not the rebel army posed a threat to the Jews is immaterial. However, for the last 17 years, the question of the Falashmura has been anything but romantic. The lack of a clear government policy, combined with the machinations of various lobby groups and unhealthy measure of political interests has abused the whole process of bringing the Falashmura to Israel.
The government now wants to stop them from arriving, in two months. But if they are eligible according to previously-agreed criteria, why can't the thousands of Falashmura in the Gondar compounds come to Zion? And if this is not enough for them to eventually become Israeli citizens, then why has Israel allowed at least 26,000 of them in so far, at a huge financial and social cost? Shouldn't someone be called to account? It is about time reality intruded on the romantic dream.
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"The government now wants to stop them from arriving, in Falashmura in the Gondar compounds come to Zion? And if this is not enough for them to eventually become Israeli citizens, then why has Israel allowed at least 26,000 of them in so far, at a huge financial and social cost? Shouldn't someone be called to account? It is about time reality intruded on the romantic dream."
OH yeah.
All this romantising about the Felasha and their connection with the jew in Israel or in any other places in the world is to cover up for the grave mistake committed against Ethiopians of jewish faith and for what? to recruit them for the Israeli army. The Falashas have no land they call their own and still after 17 years are threated second class citizens in Isreal. A very sad story.
April 11th, 2008 at 12:32 AM
It comes one day all Ethiopians return back to the motherland. Ethioians all over the world from West to East and from North to South, rich or poor, old or young, men or women return back to motherland Ethiopia.
One day her enemies: Woyane, Shabia, Egypt (because of Nile) destroyed by the power of God. Peace will be in place and no more stravation. Again Ethipia become the strongest country in the world.
YES WE CAN.
April 11th, 2008 at 2:03 AM
It is an insult to the millions of Ethiopians to suggest that Kibre Negest as Ethiopian "Bible". Do not push me to tell you that spade is spade. We know the difference b/n the real Bible "the word of God" and "the myth book" Kibre Negest.
I know some one might disgree with me. But this is the truth.
Thank you and may God bless you all.
April 11th, 2008 at 9:11 AM
kiber negest is not bible. it is totally different from bible. it contains mostly about historical happenning in different years.
April 11th, 2008 at 3:40 PM
DNA tests concluded that the present Day Flash Mura immegrated to Israel show a high content of Ancient Amhara and Agaw stalks.
They were simply marginalized because they converted/countinue to adhere to Judaism.
April 11th, 2008 at 3:46 PM
forget about flashaes. they are fake flashases. do they think all 24,000 israelians who came to ethiopia with king minilik's -1 settled in one palce in gonder? kkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkk they are crazy. after they built the first church for the ark of the covenant, they escatered all over ethiopia. most to wollo, nothren shoa, gojjam, gonder and tegeray,because they were more or less educated and hand crafts ppl. they should teach the people religion, about ten comandments,"blue kidan" and so. all these the so called the current flashashes immigrated from tegeray and from the high land gonder to the low land gonder because they refused to accept baptism, so the king told them to go and live in the low land gonder. those who refused to accept baptism were not only israelians, they were also pure ethiopians , because no body explained about baptism and addis kidan. untill that time all ethiopians followed blue kidan. those who refused should resettle to the low land area of gonder and they abandoned their property and settled there. they got their name " flasha " from that year. there are so many flasha in shoa also too.
April 11th, 2008 at 3:51 PM
negussu wede ethiopia yizewachewu yehedut eko hizbachewun hayimanote [ sele blue kidane sele 10 yeorite hige endiyastemerulachew newu engiyi ande bota hedewu gonder sendiseferu ayidelem. wede ethiopia 24,000 israelians abrewu tobotun yizewu sigebu le tabotu marefia temple keseru behuala wede teleyayu akababiwoch newu liyasetemeru newu yetesemarute. wede wollo, tegeray, northren shoa and gojjam derese newu yetebetenute. ahunem shoa wuste yinoralu
April 11th, 2008 at 4:26 PM
To be an Israeli citizen you can convert to Judaism and can fly to Israel. Instead of criticising the flashas (in my understanding Ethiopians) you can convert to Judaism and fly to Israel.
I believe, archiological and historical facts confirmed that, most of the sematic family of Ethiopians including Amrahas, Tigreans, Gurage etc have Jewish background so its upto the Israelies to consider to provide options to airlift as many of them as they like…
Good on you Israel
Ewnetu
April 11th, 2008 at 7:53 PM
The Ethiopian Jewish history is not a romantic history like the history of Romeo and Juliet; it is a religious history – a divine message, a revelation from the Almighty God, who purposely brought these children of God from his earthly city – Jerusalem – to Ethiopia almost thousands years ago.
The Ethiopian Jewish history is a well known fact that one does not have to dig deeper to find out the validity of this glorious Ethiopian Jewish history. The history of Ethiopia is the history of the Ethiopian Jewish people. If someone wants to know more about the reality of the Ethiopian Jewish history, one must read the Ethiopian prayer books among many others; one cannot read these prayer books without coming across, many times, these sweet words: “Amlake-Israel” (the God of Israel); also, one should read especially “saatat” the hourly or nightly prayer of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church, and one can see how many times “the God of Israel” has been mentioned there.
The writer of the article was dumbfounded when he descried among the “dirty and time-eaten prayer books” a collection of shehita whom he thought that someone had unknowingly “checked in the shehita book” and shipped it to Ethiopia. Could the same thing also be said about the Ark of the Covenant that when King Solomon ordered thousands of Jews to accompany his first Son, Menelik I, to Ethiopia, some of these Jews who were in a hurry because the King’s order was urgent, unknowingly chucked in the Ark of the Covenant and brought it with them to Ethiopia? It is possible it could have happened this way instead of saying that they had stolen the Ark.
I don’t think, according to Anshel Pefeffen, 24 hours is enough to understand and comprehend the over thousands years of Jewish history in Ethiopia; it may take, instead of 24 hours, 24 years to cover this religious message. Of course, it would take less than 24 hours if it were a romantic message, but it is a religious message that can be examined and written by religious people – God’s people only – people inspired by the spirit of God because they are writing about the history of the holy people of the Holy God – the Ethiopian Jews.
One does not need an evidence to connect the Ethiopian Jews to the scattered and cursed branches of the white people of the Israeli Jews; rather, the scattered white Israeli Jews must find evidence that connects them to the true Ethiopian Jews; these white Israeli Jews are the ones who have been contaminated with the gentile world, but the Ethiopian Jews have never been defiled; God has kept them holy, undefiled, and sacred for himself in Ethiopia, a religious country, thanks to the Ethiopian Jews.
The Ethiopian Jews have always been the Ethiopian Jews; they are not a sect, as the author of the article assumes they are; they did not come out of Christianity; in fact, Christianity came out of their religion – Judaism. They have been a big religious Jewish organization with their Ark of the Covenant, the Bible, the Sabbath, and with all the Jewish rituals for thousands of years, and God kept them that way for his own divine purpose.
The author of the article is wrong again when he believes that the Ethiopian Bible is the Kebre Negest; the Kebre Negest is not a holy book; it is a book about the achievements or successes of the Ethiopian kings, and it can be changed or amended whenever a new evidence pops up about a certain king; however, the Ethiopian holy Bible (81of them) cannot be changed; because it is a God-inspired book, written by Godly people and “useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training.”
As some people say, including the writer of the article, we cannot say for sure that the Ethiopian Jews as a lost tribe; they have never been lost; they have been living in Ethiopia for thousands of years: they were sent to Ethiopia by the Almighty God for a mission – to bring Judaism, belief in one God – to Ethiopia. While they are living in Ethiopia, they have never forgotten their origin – Jerusalem – and they have always been looking, instead of to Axum Zion, to Jerusalem, and, I hope, those Ethiopian Jews who are now in Jerusalem, are at present looking to the real Jerusalem where St. John in the book of the Revelation describes as the Holy city, the new Jerusalem (21:2). Such hope of the Ethiopian Jews has a religious appeal, not a romantic effect.
To some of us who do not know much about the history of the Ethiopian Jews, the Bete Israel or Ambober in Gondar may seem a very small place, almost insignificant, but we must remember that it is not the smallness of a place that matters but the history of that small place that matters the most. For example, for us Christians, what happened 2,000 years ago in a small place, less significant than any other places in Judea, called Bethlehem is more important than what happened in Germany in World War II. It was for such a small place that the Jewish Prophet Micah prophesied: “But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come for me one who will be ruler over Israel, whose origins are from of old, from ancient times” (5:2). So, Ambober or Bete Israel is very significant in the history of the Ethiopian Jews, even though what we find today at Ambober, a Jewish village, is only tuckul and old buildings, but one day, I will predict, this abandoned Ethiopian Jewish village will be a Mecca of the Ethiopian Jews.
Eldad Hadani or Rabbi Ovadia Yosef has nothing to do with the Ethiopian Jews whom the Almighty God brought them to Ethiopia from Jerusalem for his won purpose, and no one cares whether these Ethiopian Jews belong to Dan or to Joseph or to Ephraim tribe. We know they are the children of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and more than that they are the chosen children of God, and that is what it matters. Let the white Israeli Jews find their Dans, Benjimines, Josephs, Calebs, etc. The Ethiopian Jews belong to God only, not to any tribe or sect. Right now, if the white Israeli Jews say to God: “Dear God, we are the only true Jews left on this earth,” and God would tell them: “You are wrong; I have thousands of Jews who have never bowed down to Baal, and these Jews are the Ethiopian Jews.”
I agree with Rabbi Shlomo Amar that many Jews might have been converted to Christianity, and these present Ethiopian Christians may be the descendants of the ancient Jews, and that is why God brought the original Jews from Jerusalem for his divine purpose – Christianity -, and left the other Jews for his other divine purpose to go to Jerusalem and reclaim it as their own old city.
I hope with so many ups and downs, the Operation Moses will continue its religious, not its romantic, duties until all Ethiopian Jews left Ethiopia for Jerusalem, and this divine operation should not be hindered by man-made politics in Israel. It had a good beginning, and I hope it will have a positive ending – all the Ethiopian Jews should be there in Jerusalem, and perhaps after many years may come back to their motherland – Ethiopia – and build a second Jerusalem at Ambober, Gondar.
The Ethiopian Jewish history is not a romantic history like the history of Romeo and Juliet; it is a religious history – a divine message, a revelation from the Almighty God, who purposely brought these children of God from his earthly city – Jerusalem – to Ethiopia almost thousands years ago.
The Ethiopian Jewish history is a well known fact that one does not have to dig deeper to find out the validity of this glorious Ethiopian Jewish history. The history of Ethiopia is the history of the Ethiopian Jewish people. If someone wants to know more about the reality of the Ethiopian Jewish history, one must read the Ethiopian prayer books among many others; one cannot read these prayer books without coming across, many times, these sweet words: “Amlake-Israel” (the God of Israel); also, one should read especially “saatat” the hourly or nightly prayer of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church, and one can see how many times “the God of Israel” has been mentioned there.
The writer of the article was dumbfounded when he descried among the “dirty and time-eaten prayer books” a collection of shehita whom he thought that someone had unknowingly “checked in the shehita book” and shipped it to Ethiopia. Could the same thing also be said about the Ark of the Covenant that when King Solomon ordered thousands of Jews to accompany his first Son, Menelik I, to Ethiopia, some of these Jews who were in a hurry because the King’s order was urgent, unknowingly chucked in the Ark of the Covenant and brought it with them to Ethiopia? It is possible it could have happened this way instead of saying that they had stolen the Ark.
I don’t think, according to Anshel Pefeffen, 24 hours is enough to understand and comprehend the over thousands years of Jewish history in Ethiopia; it may take, instead of 24 hours, 24 years to cover this religious message. Of course, it would take less than 24 hours if it were a romantic message, but it is a religious message that can be examined and written by religious people – God’s people only – people inspired by the spirit of God because they are writing about the history of the holy people of the Holy God – the Ethiopian Jews.
One does not need an evidence to connect the Ethiopian Jews to the scattered and cursed branches of the white people of the Israeli Jews; rather, the scattered white Israeli Jews must find evidence that connects them to the true Ethiopian Jews; these white Israeli Jews are the ones who have been contaminated with the gentile world, but the Ethiopian Jews have never been defiled; God has kept them holy, undefiled, and sacred for himself in Ethiopia, a religious country, thanks to the Ethiopian Jews.
The Ethiopian Jews have always been the Ethiopian Jews; they are not a sect, as the author of the article assumes they are; they did not come out of Christianity; in fact, Christianity came out of their religion – Judaism. They have been a big religious Jewish organization with their Ark of the Covenant, the Bible, the Sabbath, and with all the Jewish rituals for thousands of years, and God kept them that way for his own divine purpose.
The author of the article is wrong again when he believes that the Ethiopian Bible is the Kebre Negest; the Kebre Negest is not a holy book; it is a book about the achievements or successes of the Ethiopian kings, and it can be changed or amended whenever a new evidence pops up about a certain king; however, the Ethiopian holy Bible (81of them) cannot be changed; because it is a God-inspired book, written by Godly people and “useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training.”
As some people say, including the writer of the article, we cannot say for sure that the Ethiopian Jews as a lost tribe; they have never been lost; they have been living in Ethiopia for thousands of years: they were sent to Ethiopia by the Almighty God for a mission – to bring Judaism, belief in one God – to Ethiopia. While they are living in Ethiopia, they have never forgotten their origin – Jerusalem – and they have always been looking, instead of to Axum Zion, to Jerusalem, and, I hope, those Ethiopian Jews who are now in Jerusalem, are at present looking to the real Jerusalem where St. John in the book of the Revelation describes as the Holy city, the new Jerusalem (21:2). Such hope of the Ethiopian Jews has a religious appeal, not a romantic effect.
To some of us who do not know much about the history of the Ethiopian Jews, the Bete Israel or Ambober in Gondar may seem a very small place, almost insignificant, but we must remember that it is not the smallness of a place that matters but the history of that small place that matters the most. For example, for us Christians, what happened 2,000 years ago in a small place, less significant than any other places in Judea, called Bethlehem is more important than what happened in Germany in World War II. It was for such a small place that the Jewish Prophet Micah prophesied: “But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come for me one who will be ruler over Israel, whose origins are from of old, from ancient times” (5:2). So, Ambober or Bete Israel is very significant in the history of the Ethiopian Jews, even though what we find today at Ambober, a Jewish village, is only tuckul and old buildings, but one day, I will predict, this abandoned Ethiopian Jewish village will be a Mecca of the Ethiopian Jews.
Eldad Hadani or Rabbi Ovadia Yosef has nothing to do with the Ethiopian Jews whom the Almighty God brought them to Ethiopia from Jerusalem for his won purpose, and no one cares whether these Ethiopian Jews belong to Dan or to Joseph or to Ephraim tribe. We know they are the children of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and more than that they are the chosen children of God, and that is what it matters. Let the white Israeli Jews find their Dans, Benjimines, Josephs, Calebs, etc. The Ethiopian Jews belong to God only, not to any tribe or sect. Right now, if the white Israeli Jews say to God: “Dear God, we are the only true Jews left on this earth,” and God would tell them: “You are wrong; I have thousands of Jews who have never bowed down to Baal, and these Jews are the Ethiopian Jews.”
I agree with Rabbi Shlomo Amar that many Jews might have been converted to Christianity, and these present Ethiopian Christians may be the descendants of the ancient Jews, and that is why God brought the original Jews from Jerusalem for his divine purpose – Christianity -, and left the other Jews for his other divine purpose to go to Jerusalem and reclaim it as their own old city.
I hope with so many ups and downs, the Operation Moses will continue its religious, not its romantic, duties until all Ethiopian Jews left Ethiopia for Jerusalem, and this divine operation should not be hindered by man-made politics in Israel. It had a good beginning, and I hope it will have a positive ending – all the Ethiopian Jews should be there in Jerusalem, and perhaps after many years may come back to their motherland – Ethiopia – and build a second Jerusalem at Ambober, Gondar.
April 11th, 2008 at 9:26 PM
I thank my old friend, Assta Bereket Gettu, for his quick response to Mr. Anshel Pfeffer’s article about the Ethiopian Jews. I wonder, the writer is even trying to tell us that ‘…the Star of David with a cross in its center is ubiquitous on buildings throughout Addis Ababa’. He also concluded that ‘Kibre Negest’ is an Ethiopian Bible. But any man any time can make physical inspection that such things are merely heap of lies. Unless all the new buildings built since I left Addis Ababa (some three years ago) carry this emblem this is totally untrue. Even then one cannot make such a wild generalization. Perhaps Mr. Pfeffer had drove around the Menelik Palace whose fence was built during the time of Haile Selassie with the said emblem and had made a short visit to Baata Church (that bears this sign) in the neighborhood, and then jumped to conclude that the entire city of Addis is built with this emblem. With regard to Kibre Negest, Mr Pfeffer is the first evangelist to teach us that this book is embodied to the Ethiopian Bible of 81 books
Bogale Dagne from Los Angeles
April 12th, 2008 at 3:56 PM
Anshel pfeffer, what the hell are you talking about. when you do not know the difference between bilble and kibre negset, you do not need to go far deep to your research about ethiopia's jews. WE, ethiopians know very well the white jews schollars who are settled in USA and europe have published so many baseless historical books about ethiopia. they told us ethiopia has 3000 years old history. that means ethiopia is being discovered by the ethiopia's jews . that is totally un acceptable and baseless history. before the ethiopia's jews arrival some 3000 year ago, there was more than 4000 years old ethiopia. the ethiopia's jews came and joined with the ethiopians. they did not discover any new nation. Queen shaba[makeda] went to jerusalem from ethiopia not from some where from the current iran or usa.
April 13th, 2008 at 12:38 PM
For more about the Falashmura and Ethiopian Jewry, make sure to visit "Religion and State in Israel".
http://religionandstateinisrael.blogspot.com/
Weekly review of media coverage on issues of religion and state in Israel.
Religion and State in Israel is not affiliated with any organization or movement.
April 14th, 2008 at 3:33 AM