Ethiopian Sigd festival - a religious worship in jerusalem Photo Gallery by Eyal Dor-Ofer at pbase.com

Ethiopian Sigd festival - a religious worship in jerusalem

NEW: Tel Shiloh - 'Church of the Ark' found on West Bank - click here

Sigd is an Amaharic word meaning "prostrating oneself". On the 29th of the Hebrew month of Cheshvan, members of the Ethiopian Jewish community fasted. They met in the morning and walked to the highest point on a mountain, the 'Kessim' (High Priests) came carrying the 'Orit' (The Bible). The 'Kessim' recited parts of the 'Orit', including the Book of Nehemiah. On that day, members of the community recited Psalms and remembered the Torah, its traditions, and their desire to return to Jerusalem.

In the afternoon they descended to the village and broke their fast, danced, and rejoiced. This holiday symbolized the covenant in receiving the Torah on Mount Sinai. Sigd is still celebrated in Israel today. The Ethiopian community comes from all over Israel to Jerusalem. The 'Kessim' recite the prayers while the community prays overlooking the old city of Jerusalem. The desire to return has been realized.

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To read more on the Jewish people: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jew

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Long Time .... No Seen
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"I love Ethiopia" sais the hat on the right IMG_3099-p.jpg
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Jewish Ethiopian prayer. Background: Dome of the rock 63530023-w.jpg
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Belle 30-Jul-2006 00:59
The Ethiopian Jew,

Thank you for your education. Though you have negative energy. Tone it down a little bit and teach us more. After all we are all the chosen people through jesus. How is the situation of the Ethiopian Jews in Israel?

Belle
USA

Mariyamawit 22-Jun-2006 19:17
Hi,
I was looking for Ethiopian artifacts on the web and somehow I ended up on this site. I love it. I don't have indepth knowledge about Ethiopian Jews but I don't consider them "Bandas" because they are not. They are Ethiopians who know their origin and who kept loyal to their religion. Love and respect to all. Most of all PEACE to the world. Christians, Jew, Moslems, Hinhus, Budhists, Pagans...etc. we are all creatures of God almighity. Let's agree to disagree and pray for peace.
Love to all.

anynymous 20-May-2006 10:55
tiruabat, if the falasha jews believe that aksum was their kingdom, does this mean they were once tigrinya speaking? as you know tigreans take great pride in aksum, they also claim allegeance to israel, even though their orthodox christians

Tiruabbat Maryam Minilik 09-Apr-2006 10:06
This thing doesnt let you re-edit your post to fix typos and has no spell checker so excuse typos below such as "babda" when I meant "banda" and "ulligitimate" when I meant "illigitimate"... etc.

Tiruabbat Maryam Minilik 09-Apr-2006 10:02
Lastly: You all need to know that some of the above pics are Bete Yahuda (Jews) but many of those pics are of orthodox priests and deacons. Abune Pailos is in the photos and he is not a jew, he is the ethiopian government-appounted orthodox christian "pope"! His appointment was illegitimate and caused the orthodox outside of Ethiopia to seperate from the domestic church and this is called "the great schism". all cause by him being made abune when the previous abune had notyet died for years to come, which is an illegal changing of the abune in orthodox church bylaws. Anyway, the point is that only some of the pics are jews. Someone did not know what he was looking at. As the 2nd highest clergyman in Ethiopian Jewry I do know and felt you should be informed. See the guys with the fancy umbrellas, those are all orthodox christian priests and deacons. Why didn' kalkidan know that? Because below he was too busy calling us jews bad names like "babda" which means "traitor", IE: someone who switches sides in a war like PM Meles Bandawi...

Tiruabbat Maryam Minilik 09-Apr-2006 09:46
One more thing. When you go to http://www.sacred-texts.com/chr/kn/ to read the book of the KEBRE NEGAST in English, look in the CONTENTS for the page entitled "PLATES" to see the original book plates in Ge'ez and with ancient illustrations too! Just click on the roman numerals on the left of each plates title to see the JPG's of the original plates of the ancient book. Then you can see where the Orthodox church admits that it was God's doing that the Ark and a batallion (3000) men of Judah with their families and 36 Levite priests and their families came with the Ark and with Minilik from Judah to relocate Zion in AKSUM where Zion is TODAY! (Zion was always the name of the Ark itself, NOT the name of a land or a people)

Plates are book pages but instead of using paper they used long-lasting metal, wood or ceramic pages in the ancient days which we call plates and they bound them together in a cover and binding made of metal, wood and/or leather.

If you know Ge'ez you can read the original plates!

Tiruabbat Maryam Minilik 09-Apr-2006 09:29
Correction! Sorry, the clickable link did not survive the last post so here is the URL:

To read how Jews migrated from JUDAH to Aksum in what some call our "second exodus", just go to http://www.sacred-texts.com/chr/kn/ to read the book of the KEBRE NEGAST in English! It tells how the Ark and the Jews wound up in Aksum which the ullegitimate government calls "Ethiopia". The Empire of Aksum is NO more rightly called "ethiopia" than Israel is rightly called "palestine"! And the only legitimate ruler today is the bloodline descendant of Lij Iyasu, grandson of Minilik II!

Tiruabbat Maryam Minilik 09-Apr-2006 09:26
To read how Jews migrated from JUDAH to Aksum in what some call our "second exodus", just CLICK HERE to read the book of the KEBRE NEGAST in English! It tells how the Ark and the Jews wound up in Aksum which the ullegitimate government calls "Ethiopia". The Empire of Aksum is NO more rightly called "ethiopia" than Israel is rightly called "palestine"! And the only legitimate ruler today is the bloodline descendant of Lij Iyasu, grandson of Minilik II!

Tiruabbat Maryam Minilik 09-Apr-2006 09:15
To Kalkidan: We are not banda. You forget that we are the descendents of Minilik the Great and the rest of the bete Yahuda who RULED the ancient NATION of Aksum, which you insult by calling it Ethiopia (a greek slur which means "darkie-land" translated to American vernacular). Furthermore in 359 AD you orthodox shiftas HIJACKED our nation just 30 years after your church was founded in 329 AD. It was founded as a means to overthrow the Messianic Jews who ruled the land since Minilik the Great and who became Messianic in 56 AD under Empress Garsemot Kandeke IV with our first Bishop being Jen Darabe (the Consecrated Priest sent to Jeruselem for Pesakh with the annual tithes as the Ambassador of the Empress, and he is wrongly called a "eunuch" in Acts 8:26-37... "Sanctified Servant" would have been a more accurate description).. We are not bandas, but rather we are the rightful rulers and you orthodox gentiles are shiftas who robbed us of our kingdom! THAT is the TRUE version and even the Kebre Negast which was written not by us but by ORTHODOX TEWAHIDO BETE KRISTIAN monks is a confession that WE ARE the original rightful rulers of the nation, not you gentiles! That makes you a traitor descended from traitors if you speak against the rightful rulers, Bete yahuida! We are not Bete Israel, because the rest of the tribes were rejected by God when they rejected Solomon as King! We are only descended from Judah and some of the Levites who were faithful to Solomon. The Gurdian of the Manbera Tabot (Ark of the Covenant) in Aksum himself is of LEVITE blood (God sees to it that every gurdian is a Levite or else he would die if he entered the Kedusa Keddes (Holy of Holies - the chamber of the Ark). So you better face it. We have not betrayed, we are teh VICTIMS of YOUR betrayal! Tell the story true or stay in your church!

Tiruabbat Maryam Minilik,
rasnebiyu* ye Bete Yahuda Messiasinya Aksuminya

(*a "rasnebiyu" is the Ge'ez way to say the title of the job which Samuel and Nathan both held in King David's time, etc... in Hebrew the term is "rosh-nevi")

Avrum 13-Feb-2006 20:30
I am happy to see my Ethiopian brethren gathered in Eretz Israel. I myself came from an opposite direction. This is without doubt the prelude of the time of Redemption. As an Ashkenazi Jew I feel deep, deep shame because of many Ashkenazi Orthodox rabbis' racist opinions against you and that they demand you to "convert" to Judaism.

For me you are true Jews and true heirs of Eretz Israel as much as all other Jews are. You live as Jews, you pray as Jews and you have been persecuted as Jews. I hope your community will flourish with Am Israel and that you may be proud of your beautiful, ancient and special heritage. Welcome home!!!

sofonias debabu 20-Jan-2006 23:45
this is a very good pictures of ethiopian background

debabu 20-Jan-2006 23:42
this is very good pictures that showes the back grond of ethiopia.keep it up

Matt Reichel 21-Dec-2005 16:18
very interesting, thanks for sharing.

aron nuttall 18-Dec-2005 04:29
the true jews

Don Jubas 14-Oct-2005 21:38
I attended a Sigd in 1984 in Ethiopia and have a number of photographs which I took at that time.

Gary 18-Sep-2005 23:36
So much for Mar Cheshvan (indicating that Cheshavan has no Jewish holidays). We will be celebrating the Sigd in NY this year. How cool is that? See the JCC website.

Elias 16-Sep-2005 16:01
Legal. Muito bonito !!!

Candi (Trinidad-Caribbean) 18-Aug-2005 01:44
The photos bring to the fore, the true believer in all his splendour! The enthusiasm and glee are etched on the faces of those participating in this momentous festival. I am a great respector of all religious beliefs, and as a result, I thirst for knowledge about same. The photographs have done great justice in quenching my thirst! Many thanks!

Candi 18-Aug-2005 01:40
The photos bring to the fore, the true believer in all his splendour! The enthusiasm and glee are etched on the faces of those participating in this momentous festival. I am a great respector of all religious beliefs, and as a result, I thirst for knowledge about same. The photographs have done great justice in quenching my thirst! Many thanks!

Eyal Dor-Ofer 02-Aug-2005 18:29
Please see http://www.pbase.com/yalop/image/46915060 The hat sais: "I Love Ethiopia"

kalkidan 02-Aug-2005 18:11
I am sory they are not ethiopian people!
They are stoped to be ethiopian they prefered to be Isralean
they are bandas
"ethiopian yelewetu nachewna endeethiopiawi anyachew!"

C. Nadira Jordan 18-Jul-2005 02:33
My heart has been truly blessed by these photographs which show the truth about Ethiopian Jewry. I wish that more African people would realize their Jewish heritage especially the wondrous gift of the Torah by God to them and begin to live according to its precepts. When the Torah becomes part of the way of life for African people we will see how the African continent will be redeemed and renewed. It will once again flourish and so will its people. Blessings and Shalom.

Australian Jew 08-Jul-2005 17:49
WOW
Excellent works!!!

Keep it update... post more photos of Falasha Mura please =)

Thanks heaps
Shalom :)

Guest 08-Jun-2005 22:14
I believe that the Beta Jews are the true descendant of one the "Lost tribes " of Isreal.

Frankalicsious 09-Mar-2005 07:10
Wow!

THis is overwhelingmly happy!!!

rebecca 21-Feb-2005 04:10
previous | next
wonderful photos

The high priests under the ceremonial umbrelas 45120026-w.jpg

rebecc 21-Feb-2005 04:10
previous | next
wonderful photos

The high priests under the ceremonial umbrelas 45120026-w.jpg

beakal 09-Feb-2005 16:39
really i'm happy to see this pictures nice work

Aron Sofer 09-Jan-2005 10:29
beautiful pitures

s. winn 15-Sep-2004 20:53
AN ENLIGHTENMENT, AN EDUCATION, A TREAT.

Guest 04-Aug-2004 12:26

What a beautiful series and such a fascinating subject Thanks!!!

Nir 27-Nov-2003 20:46
Excellent series!

Guest 27-Nov-2003 14:30
Beautiful shots

click on thumbnails for full image

Long Time .... No Seen	63520013-w.jpg	45140035-w.jpg	45130004-w.jpg	45130019-w.jpg
"I love Ethiopia" sais the hat on the right IMG_3099-p.jpg	63490022-w.jpg	63530014-wn.jpg	IMG_3271-n.jpg	45130015-w.jpg
he high priests under the ceremonial umbrelas 45120027-w.jpg	63520029-w.jpg	45120029-w.jpg	45140009-w.jpg	63530018-w.jpg
63490014-w.jpg	63520023-w.jpg	Jewish Ethiopian prayer. Background: Dome of the rock 63530023-w.jpg	63530032-w.jpg	63530026-w.jpg
63530035-w.jpg	63500032-w.jpg	45130023-w.jpg	45120034-w.jpg	45130008-wm.jpg
45120032-w.jpg	63500005-w.jpg	63500033-w.jpg	63500025-w.jpg	63520004-w.jpg
63490008-w.jpg	background: Dome of the Rock (Al-Aksa) 45120021-w.jpg	63520019-w.jpg	45140015-w.jpg	63520005-w.jpg

Belle		30-Jul-2006 00:59
The Ethiopian Jew, Thank you for your education. Though you have negative energy. Tone it down a little bit and teach us more. After all we are all the chosen people through jesus. How is the situation of the Ethiopian Jews in Israel? Belle USA

Mariyamawit		22-Jun-2006 19:17
Hi, I was looking for Ethiopian artifacts on the web and somehow I ended up on this site. I love it. I don't have indepth knowledge about Ethiopian Jews but I don't consider them "Bandas" because they are not. They are Ethiopians who know their origin and who kept loyal to their religion. Love and respect to all. Most of all PEACE to the world. Christians, Jew, Moslems, Hinhus, Budhists, Pagans...etc. we are all creatures of God almighity. Let's agree to disagree and pray for peace. Love to all.

anynymous		20-May-2006 10:55
tiruabat, if the falasha jews believe that aksum was their kingdom, does this mean they were once tigrinya speaking? as you know tigreans take great pride in aksum, they also claim allegeance to israel, even though their orthodox christians

Tiruabbat Maryam Minilik		09-Apr-2006 10:06
This thing doesnt let you re-edit your post to fix typos and has no spell checker so excuse typos below such as "babda" when I meant "banda" and "ulligitimate" when I meant "illigitimate"... etc.

Tiruabbat Maryam Minilik		09-Apr-2006 10:02
Lastly: You all need to know that some of the above pics are Bete Yahuda (Jews) but many of those pics are of orthodox priests and deacons. Abune Pailos is in the photos and he is not a jew, he is the ethiopian government-appounted orthodox christian "pope"! His appointment was illegitimate and caused the orthodox outside of Ethiopia to seperate from the domestic church and this is called "the great schism". all cause by him being made abune when the previous abune had notyet died for years to come, which is an illegal changing of the abune in orthodox church bylaws. Anyway, the point is that only some of the pics are jews. Someone did not know what he was looking at. As the 2nd highest clergyman in Ethiopian Jewry I do know and felt you should be informed. See the guys with the fancy umbrellas, those are all orthodox christian priests and deacons. Why didn' kalkidan know that? Because below he was too busy calling us jews bad names like "babda" which means "traitor", IE: someone who switches sides in a war like PM Meles Bandawi...

Tiruabbat Maryam Minilik		09-Apr-2006 09:46
One more thing. When you go to http://www.sacred-texts.com/chr/kn/ to read the book of the KEBRE NEGAST in English, look in the CONTENTS for the page entitled "PLATES" to see the original book plates in Ge'ez and with ancient illustrations too! Just click on the roman numerals on the left of each plates title to see the JPG's of the original plates of the ancient book. Then you can see where the Orthodox church admits that it was God's doing that the Ark and a batallion (3000) men of Judah with their families and 36 Levite priests and their families came with the Ark and with Minilik from Judah to relocate Zion in AKSUM where Zion is TODAY! (Zion was always the name of the Ark itself, NOT the name of a land or a people) Plates are book pages but instead of using paper they used long-lasting metal, wood or ceramic pages in the ancient days which we call plates and they bound them together in a cover and binding made of metal, wood and/or leather. If you know Ge'ez you can read the original plates!

Tiruabbat Maryam Minilik		09-Apr-2006 09:29
Correction! Sorry, the clickable link did not survive the last post so here is the URL: To read how Jews migrated from JUDAH to Aksum in what some call our "second exodus", just go to http://www.sacred-texts.com/chr/kn/ to read the book of the KEBRE NEGAST in English! It tells how the Ark and the Jews wound up in Aksum which the ullegitimate government calls "Ethiopia". The Empire of Aksum is NO more rightly called "ethiopia" than Israel is rightly called "palestine"! And the only legitimate ruler today is the bloodline descendant of Lij Iyasu, grandson of Minilik II!

Tiruabbat Maryam Minilik		09-Apr-2006 09:26
To read how Jews migrated from JUDAH to Aksum in what some call our "second exodus", just CLICK HERE to read the book of the KEBRE NEGAST in English! It tells how the Ark and the Jews wound up in Aksum which the ullegitimate government calls "Ethiopia". The Empire of Aksum is NO more rightly called "ethiopia" than Israel is rightly called "palestine"! And the only legitimate ruler today is the bloodline descendant of Lij Iyasu, grandson of Minilik II!

Tiruabbat Maryam Minilik		09-Apr-2006 09:15
To Kalkidan: We are not banda. You forget that we are the descendents of Minilik the Great and the rest of the bete Yahuda who RULED the ancient NATION of Aksum, which you insult by calling it Ethiopia (a greek slur which means "darkie-land" translated to American vernacular). Furthermore in 359 AD you orthodox shiftas HIJACKED our nation just 30 years after your church was founded in 329 AD. It was founded as a means to overthrow the Messianic Jews who ruled the land since Minilik the Great and who became Messianic in 56 AD under Empress Garsemot Kandeke IV with our first Bishop being Jen Darabe (the Consecrated Priest sent to Jeruselem for Pesakh with the annual tithes as the Ambassador of the Empress, and he is wrongly called a "eunuch" in Acts 8:26-37... "Sanctified Servant" would have been a more accurate description).. We are not bandas, but rather we are the rightful rulers and you orthodox gentiles are shiftas who robbed us of our kingdom! THAT is the TRUE version and even the Kebre Negast which was written not by us but by ORTHODOX TEWAHIDO BETE KRISTIAN monks is a confession that WE ARE the original rightful rulers of the nation, not you gentiles! That makes you a traitor descended from traitors if you speak against the rightful rulers, Bete yahuida! We are not Bete Israel, because the rest of the tribes were rejected by God when they rejected Solomon as King! We are only descended from Judah and some of the Levites who were faithful to Solomon. The Gurdian of the Manbera Tabot (Ark of the Covenant) in Aksum himself is of LEVITE blood (God sees to it that every gurdian is a Levite or else he would die if he entered the Kedusa Keddes (Holy of Holies - the chamber of the Ark). So you better face it. We have not betrayed, we are teh VICTIMS of YOUR betrayal! Tell the story true or stay in your church! Tiruabbat Maryam Minilik, rasnebiyu* ye Bete Yahuda Messiasinya Aksuminya (*a "rasnebiyu" is the Ge'ez way to say the title of the job which Samuel and Nathan both held in King David's time, etc... in Hebrew the term is "rosh-nevi")

Avrum		13-Feb-2006 20:30
I am happy to see my Ethiopian brethren gathered in Eretz Israel. I myself came from an opposite direction. This is without doubt the prelude of the time of Redemption. As an Ashkenazi Jew I feel deep, deep shame because of many Ashkenazi Orthodox rabbis' racist opinions against you and that they demand you to "convert" to Judaism. For me you are true Jews and true heirs of Eretz Israel as much as all other Jews are. You live as Jews, you pray as Jews and you have been persecuted as Jews. I hope your community will flourish with Am Israel and that you may be proud of your beautiful, ancient and special heritage. Welcome home!!!

sofonias debabu		20-Jan-2006 23:45
this is a very good pictures of ethiopian background

debabu		20-Jan-2006 23:42
this is very good pictures that showes the back grond of ethiopia.keep it up

Matt Reichel		21-Dec-2005 16:18
very interesting, thanks for sharing.

Don Jubas		14-Oct-2005 21:38
I attended a Sigd in 1984 in Ethiopia and have a number of photographs which I took at that time.

Gary		18-Sep-2005 23:36
So much for Mar Cheshvan (indicating that Cheshavan has no Jewish holidays). We will be celebrating the Sigd in NY this year. How cool is that? See the JCC website.

Candi (Trinidad-Caribbean)		18-Aug-2005 01:44
The photos bring to the fore, the true believer in all his splendour! The enthusiasm and glee are etched on the faces of those participating in this momentous festival. I am a great respector of all religious beliefs, and as a result, I thirst for knowledge about same. The photographs have done great justice in quenching my thirst! Many thanks!

Candi		18-Aug-2005 01:40
The photos bring to the fore, the true believer in all his splendour! The enthusiasm and glee are etched on the faces of those participating in this momentous festival. I am a great respector of all religious beliefs, and as a result, I thirst for knowledge about same. The photographs have done great justice in quenching my thirst! Many thanks!

Eyal Dor-Ofer		02-Aug-2005 18:29
Please see http://www.pbase.com/yalop/image/46915060 The hat sais: "I Love Ethiopia"

kalkidan		02-Aug-2005 18:11
I am sory they are not ethiopian people! They are stoped to be ethiopian they prefered to be Isralean they are bandas "ethiopian yelewetu nachewna endeethiopiawi anyachew!"

C. Nadira Jordan		18-Jul-2005 02:33
My heart has been truly blessed by these photographs which show the truth about Ethiopian Jewry. I wish that more African people would realize their Jewish heritage especially the wondrous gift of the Torah by God to them and begin to live according to its precepts. When the Torah becomes part of the way of life for African people we will see how the African continent will be redeemed and renewed. It will once again flourish and so will its people. Blessings and Shalom.

Australian Jew		08-Jul-2005 17:49
WOW Excellent works!!! Keep it update... post more photos of Falasha Mura please =) Thanks heaps Shalom :)

Guest		08-Jun-2005 22:14
I believe that the Beta Jews are the true descendant of one the "Lost tribes " of Isreal.

Frankalicsious		09-Mar-2005 07:10
Wow! THis is overwhelingmly happy!!!

rebecca		21-Feb-2005 04:10
previous \| next wonderful photos The high priests under the ceremonial umbrelas 45120026-w.jpg

rebecc		21-Feb-2005 04:10
previous \| next wonderful photos The high priests under the ceremonial umbrelas 45120026-w.jpg

beakal		09-Feb-2005 16:39
really i'm happy to see this pictures nice work

s. winn		15-Sep-2004 20:53
AN ENLIGHTENMENT, AN EDUCATION, A TREAT.

Guest		04-Aug-2004 12:26
What a beautiful series and such a fascinating subject Thanks!!!