With Unique Traditions, Ethiopian Israelis Celebrate the Jewish New Year

While societal problems and differences still persist between the Ethiopian community and other Jewish communities in Israel, Ethiopian Israeli Rabbi Sharon Shalom sees the holidays as an opportunity to come together

Jews around the world are preparing to turn their calendar pages to the year 5784, with Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year, beginning on the evening of Friday, Sept. 15. And with this, a series of high holiday traditions is set in motion.

But with Israelis having origins from many different countries, holiday customs can be quite different from one group to another. And some of the biggest differences are between the traditions of Ethiopian Jews and those of Ashkenazi or Sephardi Jews, whose influences come from Europe and the Middle East respectively.

“I’m so confused when I see stressed people here in Israel who say, ‘Wow, it’s Rosh Hashanah, it’s Yom Kippur, it’s Judgment Day, I’m afraid, God’s going to kill me,’” Ethiopian Israeli Rabbi Sharon Shalom told The Media Line. “In Ethiopia, these are the happiest days of the year. As a child, I waited for these days all year.”

Shalom serves the Kedoshei Yisrael synagogue in the southern Israeli town of Kiryat Gat and is also a lecturer and head of the International Center for the Study of Ethiopian Jews at the Ono Academic College, a rabbi for the Tzohar “Open Communities” program in Kiryat Gat and works for the Merkaz Shapira Or-Meofir Special Program for Ethiopian Immigrants.

Rosh Hashanah marks the day that the biblical forefather Abraham’s faith was tested by being ordered to sacrifice his son Isaac.

The test is if I’m good with other human beings. Are my relationships peaceful, honorable, and respectful? This is very important, even more so than the ties between man and God.

“Some people say the test was to see if Abraham would be willing to sacrifice his son, [but Ethiopians] say the test was to see if he would stop and listen” to the angel telling him not to, Shalom said.

“The test is if I’m good with other human beings. Are my relationships peaceful, honorable, and respectful? This is very important, even more so than the ties between man and God. And this is the message. We remember to stop, think, and do the right thing. We emphasize that as humans, we all do good and bad. But on the new year, we have the opportunity to restart.”

Asked to explain the practical differences in interpretations, Shalom said that the disparities are not limited to the holidays.

He said that while there are differences between Ashkenazi and Sephardi Jews, and between different religious streams such as Orthodox, Conservative, and Reform, their laws and customs are based on the Talmud, the ancient body of rabbinic interpretations and debates on the Torah, the Hebrew Bible.

However, Ethiopians did not have the Talmud and their traditions are based solely on the Torah and their own interpretations.

This manifests in many ways, from the number of days for which Rosh Hashanah is celebrated (one day for Ethiopians, two for other communities), different prayer methods and ceremonial foods, and even the role of the shofar, the traditional ram’s horn blown by Ashkenazi and Sephardi Jews on Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur. Ethiopians do not blow the shofar on either of those holidays.

The differences also extend to the number of fast days, with Ethiopians, unlike Ashkenazi and Sephardi Jews, fasting during each of the days between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur.

As the head of a mixed congregation, Shalom said his perspective was about pluralism and legitimizing every custom.

“At first it was hard for me, but I studied and now I understand that all the different ways people do things, they’re all just different ways to worship God, and they’re all correct,” he said.

Still, the differences are not without their complications. According to the Israeli Central Bureau of Statistics, around 165,000 Israelis of Ethiopian origin live in the country, nearly half of them born in Israel. Within the Ethiopian community, the younger generations have struggled to maintain their traditional culture.

The youth in the past were ashamed and tried to integrate into Israeli culture. But now the movement is to return to tradition and be proud. They now understand that their culture is not a source of shame, but of power.

Asaf Imbrum, an Ethiopian immigrant to Israel and brother-in-law to his community’s “kes” (an Ethiopian spiritual leader), told The Media Line: “The generation that grew up in Israel has started to forget their tradition. Our culture is very generous, respectful, and loving to all people, no matter if you’re strangers or whatever. [But] there’s an unfortunate pressure to assimilate with other Israelis … and when people leave the tradition it disappoints me. But many are coming back.”

Similarly, Shalom said: “The youth in the past were ashamed and tried to integrate into Israeli culture. But now the movement is to return to tradition and be proud. They now understand that their culture is not a source of shame, but of power.”

Shalom admits that he himself struggled with his identity, after comparing his rabbinical studies in Israel with the teachings of his grandfather.

Externally, meanwhile, the Ethiopian community faces other issues, including a lack of formal recognition by some Jewish communities and authorities. The Ethiopian tradition is still not recognized as a legitimate stream of Judaism by the Israeli Chief Rabbinate, and despite the immense advancement of Ethiopians in Israeli society, there are still problems of race relations, disproportionate imprisonment, and even a higher rate of suicides in the Ethiopian sector.

While it was important to mention these challenges, Shalom said the Ethiopian community’s story is still that of the Jewish and Zionist dream, with Ethiopians going from a largely illiterate group to being doctors, judges, and lawyers in the span of 30 to 40 years.

“The word racism isn’t quite applicable in Israel. There are problems that have racist characteristics, but mostly it’s just fear of the other,” he said.

“Jewishness is against racism. There is diversity and difference … but to be Jewish is not about color. It’s about putting what’s important first, being a good human being.”

And with that, Shalom expressed his hope that in the coming year, all Jews will find a connection and put ideological, religious, and customary differences aside. On a national level, he said he hopes Israelis can respect individuality while also finding a collective identity.

“There is great wealth in the Israeli people and in our differences. It’s an incredible opportunity to take advantage of our specialness,” he said.