On November 3rd, we celebrated Sigd, a holiday that originated in the Ethiopian Jewish community, which is also known as Beta Yisrael (House of Israel). The holiday celebrates the receiving of the Torah at Sinai, as well as the celebration of the recent immigration of Ethiopian Jews to Israel. At Tefillah, our 5th-grade class led the school in celebration of the holiday, providing facts and concepts of Sigd and Beta Yisrael that they learned from class. We also heard from one of our own students who comes from an Ethiopian Jewish background, Ruby (Tzegge) B, who shared the unique dress, food, language, and prayers of Beta Yisrael. All of the students did an amazing job, and we especially loved the beautiful Ethiopian Jewish prayer sung by Ruby herself. Happy Sigd!

Jonathan Emanuel
Jewish Studies & B'nai Mitzvah Resource