Celebrating Sigd with Beth Israel Congregation in Edmonton

By Regan Lipes

The evening of December 1was festive at Beth Israel Synagogue with much celebration, and as with most Jewish holidays – lots of good food. This, however, was a holiday new to many in the community, and an opportunity for learning. In partnership with the Jewish Federation of Edmonton, Beth Israel hosted its second community Sigd event. On the 29th of Cheshvan, Beta Israel (Ethiopian Jews) begin the day by fasting, followed by intense prayer, and a culminating feast as they remember their shared longing to return to Jerusalem after so long being displaced by the Diaspora. Sigd, meaning “prostration” in Ge’ez, was, according to Hillel Integrational, “originally expressed by the prophets Ezra and Nehemiah while exiled in Babylon. […] Praying for the Great Temple in Jerusalem to be rebuilt is the central religious theme of Sigd.”

Those who have seen the Netflix original Red Sea Diving Resort (2019) will be familiar with Gideon Raff’s dramatization of Israel’s famous Operation Moses and Operation Solomon to repatriate Beta Israel Jews from Ethiopia. For many, even within the Jewish community, this may be the extent of the knowledge amassed about Ethiopian Jewry – until now! At Beth Israel Sigd is especially meaningful each year because of Rabbi Guy Tal and his wife, Rebbetzin Fentaye Tal. The Rebbetzin, of Ethiopian-Jewish decent, continues to share this rich tradition of Sigd with the Edmonton Jewish community year after year.

“In Israel, we used to attend the Sigd holiday in Jerusalem whenever we could. It is a joyful and colourful event. Many family members and friends come together to celebrate. It is a very special day to bring children and help them learn about their roots,” explained Rabbi Tal to Alberta Jewish News. The Tal family also served Jewish communities in both Mexico and Venezuela previously, and Rabbi Tal further noted: “In Mexico and Venezuela, we did not celebrate, but I gave lessons to the community about the heritage of Ethiopian Jews. In Mexico, we also organized an evening at home with traditional food and invited some friends.”

“At the beginning of 1977, fewer than 100 Ethiopian Jews had been grudgingly allowed—by either Ethiopian or Israeli authorities—to settle in Israel. By the end of 1993 the number of immigrants had risen to nearly 45,000! This mass migration took place over a relatively short period, not as a single event but rather in a series of waves, each of which had its own special character,” note Steven Kaplan and Chaim Rosen in “Ethiopian Jews in Israel” published in the American Jewish Yearbook (1994).

“Although promises of land reform and freedom of worship led many to hope that Ethiopia’s Marxist rulers would ameliorate the situation of the Beta Israel, this did not prove to be the case. While seldom victims of organized persecution, they suffered all the tribulations inflicted on the general population as well as those reserved for a particularly weak and vulnerable minority group. As conditions in Ethiopia deteriorated the religious devotion to Jerusalem began to be transformed into an active desire to emigrate.”

This is echoed by Rabbi Tal, who explained that: “The key point is that they did not come to Israel to seek more comfortable lives or improve their economic situation. In the Jewish community of Ethiopia, there was a strong yearning and deep longing for the Land of Israel. Ethiopian Jews dreamed of Israel and prayed for the day they could return. This is also part of the significance of the Sigd holiday. When the opportunity to come to Israel finally opened up, they did not hesitate and left en masse, some risking their lives (indeed, many died during the journey) to fulfill the old dream of returning to the Land of Israel.”

Thanks to the Tal family, Sigd is becoming an integral part of the annual Edmonton Jewish calendar. The synagogue’s social hall was filled with attendees of all ages and from across the community. There were tables with photographs and informational placards as well as a few traditional objects that would typically adorn a Sigd table. After a warm welcome from Stacy Leavitt-Wright, CEO of the Jewish Federation of Edmonton, Rabbi Tal provided some introductory remarks before jokingly declaring: “Food is always the most important: eat first, then talk.”

The scrumptious feast was lovingly prepared by Rebbetzin Tal and a team of volunteers. There was traditional bread that would be typically served, like challah, for Shabbat in a Beta Israel home, Ethiopian injera, a zesty fresh salad that did not spare the zing, and a number of mouthwatering vegetable stews and sauces. There was Ethiopian-style coffee and sfinj for dessert. Everything was outstanding, and each dish was more wonderfully explosive with flavor than the last. Nobody left hungry, and, in fact, many probably departed uncomfortably full.

Rabbi Tal’s after-meal speech to attendees was particularly moving as he provided a detailed picture of how much Ethiopian Olim have achieved in Israel. He cited education as a societal sphere where women dominate, and this has also been substantiated within the scholarly community.

The contribution of Ethiopian Jews in Israel goes far beyond brains and beauty, but as Rabbi Tal elaborated during his presentation, they have also enriched the country with their devotion and practice of Jewish observance.

Rabbi Tal expounded meaningfully about the profound cultural influence of the Beta Israel people, the touching significance of welcoming them back to the Holy Land, and the important societal embracing of diversification. He left attendees with the resonating sentiment that the Jewish people, regardless of where they were born, share an age-old identity, a history, a spiritual connection, and must stay united as one people flourish further.

Regan Lipes is a Local Journalism Initiative Reporter.