There are many forms of art within Judaism, every place Jews have lived they have produced art. Jewish art takes on a bit of the culture in form and materials of the place of residence. Art is not limited to the picture painted, metal or clay sculpted, or cloth embroidered. Art can be movies, music, people, tradition and rituals, or education. Ethiopian Jews are artistic.
In a book called International Dialogues about visual Culture, Education and Art, edited by Rachel Mason and Teresa Torres Pereira de Eca, there were several drawings made by Jewish Ethiopian children in the chapter titled The Ethiopian village in Jewish Children’s Drawings by Rachel Droupp of the Kaye Academic College in Israel. Pp. 260-263) There were pictures of the tukul (huts) they had lived in; a ‘shelter of blood’ one girl had shared during her mother’s niddah (menstruation); a masgid (synagogue); and a kes (priest) in priestly dress. (The picture at above right is a picture I took of a preschool in Israel.) Art is a way of expression or of just being. I have an embroidery machine, through which I express myself, and cannot make a living solely by its use, though I have tried. Embroidery has been used by many people around the world to express their universe and/or themselves. Sometimes embroidery is said to be the best way people can earn a living. Why is that?
While Ethiopian Jews were waiting in Addis Ababa, for Operation Solomon, named after Solomon Ezra (the first Ethiopian Israeli officer), to begin their entrance into Israel, they were living without jobs and needed a way to support their families. The North American Conference on Ethiopian Jews (NACOEJ), created a program for the heads of families to make a living by embroidering scenes of biblical stories. This occurred over 14 years. On the NACOEJ site these pieces are priced at $110 each. They are beautiful pieces (see the sample of Miriam dancing and a kes). I wondered to whom the money is given and how much does the person actual make. The money was and is still being spent on Ethiopians both in Israel and Ethiopia.
The next question popping up in my mind revolved around the Jewish Ethiopians now in Israel – What was going on now? Here's the teen view.
The Israel Association for Ethiopian Jews (IAEJ) is an organization run by Ethiopian Jews for Ethiopian Jews. IAEJ advocates for changes in Israeli society. It is difficult for Ethiopians in Israel, and like the Mizrahim, work in low paying jobs, live in high crime areas and old housing. IAEJ pushed equal opportunity employment for Ethiopian Jews with university degrees to obtain jobs in the private and government sectors. IAEJ pushed for police dealing with Ethiopian youth to obtain special sensitivity training. IAEJ advocates for educational opportunities. IAEJ is trying to educate Israelis through the media about Ethiopian Jews. IAEJ managed to enlist two Chief Rabbis of Israel and have the Knesset pass a Ethiopian Jewish holiday known as Sigd – the Sigd Festival is a national holiday and it is an opportunity to teach about Ethiopian Jews. According to the IAEJ, all the Ethiopian "community needs is the opportunity." (See below video.) I had an opportunity to listen to Dr. Yarden Fanta-Vagenshtein talk, at Temple Emmanuel in Beverly Hills, about her experiences as an Israeli immigrant from Ethiopia. Dr. Yarden Fanta-Vagenshtein walked from Ethiopia through the Sudan (two month trip) and was airlifted to Israel. She was twelve years old and illiterate upon arrival in Israel. Dr. Yarden Fanta-Vagenshtein is the first Ethiopian Jew to earn a PhD in Israel and is now at Harvard, where she has written a paper about “How Illiterate People Learn” and working on a book about how immigrants adjust. She talked about how the women in her village would break all their dishes before Pesach (Passover) and make new clay ones. She mentioned that men were head of the households in Ethiopia and now it is the women earning a living. Men have a hard time finding jobs. It was a big deal to come from an agrigarian society and enter an urban modern society. It was hard making the adjustment to Israel and made harder because of the Ethiopians Jewishness being questioned.
It was Shabbat and I had my granddaughter, Eva, with me. We sat behind Dr. Yarden Fanta-Vagenshtein. Dr. Fanta, 33, is a mother of two very little girls and they were not out here with her. So when she saw Eva, Dr. Fanta wanted to play with Eva. We talked a little more about what it was like in Israel for her, and, even though it has been tough, she feels that Israel is her home.
In the book, The Israelis, by Donna Rosenthal, the chapter on Ethiopian Jews was informative and also sad to read. The Israeli Chief Rabbinate wants these Jews to go through circumcision again and go through the conversion process. (Page 168) The Chief Rabbinate also did not recognize the Ethiopian Jewish religious leaders, the kes, as equal to rabbis. The function of the kes is closer to the Cohanim than rabbis are presently. Or is that the reason for disallowing the kes?
I found it simply amazing that the Ashkenazi Jews in Israel have such a hard time allowing for the cultural richness of other Jews from other nations. To be reasonable here, the Chief Rabbinate are not just Ashkenazi, but are Sefardi and Ashkenazi. Ashkenazi Jews are only several hundred years old in their traditions, while Ethiopian, Mizrahim, and Indian Jews have far older traditions and history.
The book, the Israelis, had the following statement which made me think of the El Al commercial below, because of all the different faces and tropes during the Israel National Anthem, Hatikvah: “When Ethiopians complain about being discriminated against, the reply has been ‘Welcome to the club.’” (Page 166) Dr. Yarden Fanta-Vagenshtein mentioned it was the plight of being an immigrant. With so many immigrant Jews from different countries, maybe it is just a process of learning the Israeli way.
