First Edot Blog

Welcome to the first Temple Isaiah Edot blog. Our Edot track fifth and sixth graders have just completed a unit of study about the Beta Yisrael - the Ethiopian Jewish community. We learned about the history of the community, and about the unique Ethiopian Jewish culture that evolved due to centuries of being separated from other Jewish communities in the world. In fact, they believed they were the last Jews on Earth, and had a difficult time believing there were white Jews when they reached Israel. During the 6th century C.E., the Beta Yisrael lost the right to own land when they refused to convert to Christianity. To earn their livelihood, they became metalworkers, basket weavers, textile weavers, and potters. Since they were isolated for so long, they didn't know about the Jewish holiday of Chanuka, but did celebrate all the holidays in the Torah. They do celebrate a very interesting holiday called the "Sigd" (meaning, worship). On this day, they fast all morning, then climb a mountain (in Israel they go to Jerusalem) where their religious leaders, called Kessim, read the first eight verses from the book of Nehemiah, then lead prayers. The fast is then broken with Ethiopian breads and stews and beer, and the ensuing celebration includes storytelling, singing, and dancing the Ethiopian shoulder dance to the beat of drum circles.

On October 23rd, our fifth graders re-enacted this Sigd Festival on the Temple Isaiah campus. Enjoy the following photos of our classroom preparation for the event and the event itself!