Yesterday, the skies over Jerusalem were filled with the sounds of ancient prayers in Ge’ez, a sacred Semitic language that originated in Ethiopia. The event was full of joyful beats from traditional music and shofar blasts, with a colorful display of traditional white garments. Tens of thousands of members of Israel’s Ethiopian Jewish community, known as “Beta Israel,” alongside some fellow Israelis, gathered at the Armon Hanatziv Promenade, overlooking the Old City, to celebrate this year’s festival of Sigd.
Sigd, which means “prostration” or “bow down” in Ge’ez, is an annual event for Beta Israel that connects them to their history and their own unique identity. Many centuries ago, in Ethiopia, geographically isolated from the rest of the Jewish world, it was a holy day of prayer and desire for the promise of returning to the Holy Land to come true. Today, what was once a desire has transformed into an answered prayer, marking a community homecoming celebration in their permanent home, which is now a central place in the modern state of Israel.
For over a millennium, the Ethiopian Jews, many of whom survived violent and brutal persecution, lived in isolation, disconnected completely, and even thought they were the only Jews left in the world. While in isolation, this small resilient community managed to preserve their Jewish heritage and developed a distinct and codified form of Judaism, passing it through the generation that followed. When war broke out, and they were faced with total annihilation, a special rescue operation organized by the Israeli government airlifted and brought thousands of them to Israel, their ancestral land.
Today, more than 170,000 population make up the Ethiopian Jewish community resident in Israel, making the celebration of Sigd not only sacred, but emotional. The ceremony creates a tangible link between the past and the present. A powerful contrast— because their ancestors on this day stood on mountains looking toward a dreamed-of Zion. But now, this generation stand on this promenade in Jerusalem, looking at a realized Zion.
Usually held 50 days after Yom Kippur on the 29th of Cheshvan, it continues to be a day to renew their covenant with God and the Torah. It is modeled on the biblical account of Ezra and Nehemiah, where the returning exiles publicly read the Torah and recommitted to their faith. The entire community, led by their spiritual leaders, the Kessim, would fast and usually climb to the highest mountain they could find. Today, the promenade, a beautiful, scenic walkway on elevated ground, serves as the venue for this activity. This spot is one of Jerusalem’s most famous and stunning lookout points, offering an unbeatable view of the old city in its entirety, especially the Temple Mount.
So, this year’s celebration in Jerusalem, just like previous ones, isn’t just a ceremony; it is the living answer to those centuries of prayers. The fact that they could now stand within the city limits of their holy capital and look straight at the Temple Mount changed the day from one of longing to one of victorious homecoming.
The Kessim, dressed in white ceremonial robes, would chant from the Orit the same prayers their ancestors chanted on Ethiopian mountaintops. The Orit’s holy scriptures, written in Ge’ez, comprise the Five Books of Moses as well as other biblical books like Joshua, Judges, and Ruth. Even though most of the younger people don’t understand the language conversationally, the reading of the day is drawn from the books of Nehemiah and Ezra.
The Knesset, which is Israel’s parliament, passed the “Sigd Law” in 2008, formally adding the holiday to the Israeli calendar. This was a landmark moment for the Ethiopian Jewish community in Israel, representing a major step in national recognition and integration of their unique heritage. Since then, the celebration has attracted many global visitors, including from Ethiopia to visit Israel and experience it.
However, this celebration also casts a light on those still waiting. A significant number of Ethiopian Jews remain in Africa, their eligibility for Israeli citizenship under the Law of Return often a subject of complex scrutiny. Abere Teshome, a member of Bet Shalom in Kechene village, Addis Ababa, hopes to reunite with relatives and friends already in Israel. “We follow Sigd every year,” says Abere. “It is a time of joy, but also a heartfelt reminder of our shared past and our hope for a shared future. We are hopeful that the program of return will be extended to accommodate some of us still here.”
Abere was part of a delegation to Abidjan in 2022 for the first-ever Pan-African Jewish Conference, which led to the formation of the Sub-Saharan African Jewish Alliance (SAJA). Recently, his community was visited by Jator Abido, head of SAJA’s international working committee. “Part of my visit is to reach out to our member community here in Ethiopia,” Jator explained. “We want to see how they’re doing and how we can connect them to economic opportunities with my partners in the Horn of Africa.”
In a similar manner, Adane Mekonen and a group of Amharic Jews, who were displaced during the war in Ethiopia only to become trapped in Sudan, also celebrated Sigd while in exile. Due to the recent raging war in Sudan, their last location when we tracked them recently was in South Sudan, where they managed to flee to, surviving in the most horrific way. When the African Jewish Voices reached out to them, Adane said, “Of course, we remember the Sigd; how can we ever forget a day like this? How can we stop thinking of the Holy Land, where we belong and want to be? Even here in exile and living as refugees, we can never forget about Eretz Israel.”
The voices from South Sudan are a strong reminder that the journey is not yet complete. From the mountaintops of Ethiopia to the streets of Jerusalem and the refugee camps of East Africa, the same covenant is remembered, the same prayers are whispered, and the same hope for Zion is kept alive. The story of Sigd is one of ancient roots, and now with a modern celebration. A testament to a strong faith that can be celebrated simultaneously in its promised home and in the deepest of exiles and disapora, forever binding the Jewish people together.