KEY POINTS
- Thousands of Ethiopian Jews marked Sigd in Jerusalem on Monday.
- The holiday falls 50 days after Yom Kippur and centers on prayer and fasting.
- About 180,000 Ethiopian Jews now live in Israel.
Thousands of Ethiopian Jews gathered in Jerusalem on Monday to mark Sigd, the community’s most important holiday, Africanews reported, citing The Associated Press.
Religious leaders known as kessim led the prayers. Traditionally, Sigd was a day of introspection and prayer pleading for a return to Jerusalem. Now that most Ethiopian Jews live in Israel, the community gathers in the city to commemorate the day and celebrate its culture.
Ethiopian Jews renew an ancient covenant
Sigd falls 50 days after Yom Kippur and centers on prayer, fasting and renewing the covenant between the Jewish people and God, JNS reported. Crowds gathered at the Armon Hanatziv promenade and broke their fast in the afternoon.
“There is good integration today,” said Michael Maharat, a kes, or religious leader. Still, he noted that some Ethiopian Jews have yet to immigrate and voiced hope that they would be able to.
A community of 180,000
Today, about 180,000 Ethiopian Jews live in Israel. In 1991, during Ethiopia’s civil war, Israel airlifted some 14,500 Ethiopian Jews in less than two days in Operation Solomon.
However, a small number remain in Ethiopia, held back by bureaucratic red tape despite campaigns by relatives in Israel to bring them over.
Meanwhile, Israel recognized Sigd as a national holiday in 2008, although it remains largely a celebration of the Ethiopian Jewish community, The Jerusalem Post reported.
