Sue
din
O

Speaking to Ethiopian immigrants, Yitzhak
Zagai explains modern observance. "In
Ethiopia you make the gravy and that's all, I
add the spices, to make the gravy tasty."

The Lucky 13

thank God, the whole coun-
try stops and they will see
that the whole country
keeps it," Mr. Harel says.
Among the new elements
of observance the ohm learn
is the shofar. According to
Mr. Zagai, in Ethiopia only
the passages on sounding
the shofar are read; the
shofar itself isn't sounded.
He explains to the im-
migrants why it is sounded
elsewhere in the world and
what the shofar is made of.
At every absorption center,
a rabbi blows the shofar so
the newcomers can hear its
sound.
Other explanations in-
clude the Ten Days of Repen-
tance (in Ethiopia only the
kessim recited Selichot) and
traditions such as the apple
dipped in honey and other
special foods. The seminars
include information on Yom
Kippur and Sukkot. While
in Ethiopia everyone fasted
on Yom Kippur; there were
no leniencies for pregnant
women or the sick and elder-
ly. On Sukkot, both the four
species and the sukkah
itself were lacking as part of
the observance.
Rabbi Hadana conducts

New immigrants learn Hebrew
in ulpanim organized by
volunteers at an absorption
center in Jerusalem.

—mmir=nury=tql:
mcmmmiliww—m

separate seminars on the
holidays. He also is writing
a magazine in Amharic that
explains the differences bet-
ween the holidays in Israel
and in Ethiopia, from the
beginning of Elul to Sukkot.
Less is planned for the ac-
tual holidays. This year on
Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kip-
pur and Sukkot, traditional
Ethiopian services will
begin early in the morning
at the absorption centers,
arranged and led by the
kessim. Wherever there isn't
a kes, a shmagle (village
elder) will organize services:
After these services,
"Israeli-style" services will
be led by the Ethiopian-born
rabbinic students or by
young men studying in the
Hesder and educational
yeshivot. These services will
follow the Sephardi liturgy
as determined by Sephardi
Chief Rabbi Mordechai
Eliahu.

"They will listen, and we
will explain to them during
the service what we are
praying," Mr. Zagai says.

According to Mr. Zagai,
more is being done for the
recent arrivals in terms of
religion than for any other
wave of Ethiopian immigra-
tion. In addition to the
seminars sponsored by the
Jewish Heritage Division
and Amichai, and those
given by Rabbi Hadana,
classes on Judaism are held
in the ulpan by members of
Orit Torah, religious ulpan
teachers and rabbis.

The immigrants who
came on Operation Solomon
and earlier this year are
more receptive to these
classes, Mr. Zagai says,
because the chief rabbinate
is only saying to them:
"Learn."
While many appear eager
to learn, Mr. Harel says that
the older generation, for the
most part, will continue to
observe the traditions as in
Ethiopia; it will be the next
generation that will follow
traditions found in Sephar-
di synagogues throughout
Israel and the world.

hen Rabbi Yosef
Hadana came in
1972 to Israel as a
young man after studying
in a yeshiva in Italy for
three years, few Ethiopian
Jews were living in Israel.
Today, immigrants from
Ethiopia number in the
tens of thousands, but
Rabbi Hadana is the only
Ethiopian-born rabbi in
Israel or anywhere else in
the world.
Rabbi Hadana, whO re-
ceived his smichah, ordina-
tion, from Torah V'hora'ah
and Israel's Chief Rabbin-
ate through then-Chief Se- Rabbi Yosef Hadana
phardi Rabbi Ovadia Yosef,
deals with matters
concerning the Ethiopian highly respected smichah
community in Israel. In of Israel's chief rabbinate,
1987, he visited Detroit as they will become "spiritual
part of an American tour leaders;' dealing with the
sponsored by the American Ethiopian immigrant com-
Jewish Committee and munity country-wide.
While they are com-
spoke on behalf of the
plight of the Jews of pleting their studies, the
13 are supported in their
Ethiopia.
Within several years, the learning through a small
Ethiopian Jewish commu- monthly stipend from
nity will be able to the Joint Distribution
welcome more rabbis into Committee.
its midst. A rigorous, - The Ethiopian-born rab-
special nine-year rabbinics binic students at Machon
course for Ethiopian Meir banded together to
immigrants at the Machon form Orit Torah (Orit is the
Meir yeshiva in Jerusalem name of the Ethiopian
will end in 1994, its Torah, written in Ge'ez), an
participants aiming to organization designed to
receive smichah from the preserve and advance
religion among Ethiopian
chief rabbinate.
According to Yitzhak immigrants. The organi-
Zagai, a participant in the zation, which operates on a
program, some 30 students shoestring budget, has
started together six years about 55 members in its
ago. Yet little by little their ranks who conduct
- ranks were reduced as the lectures, tours of holy sites
students had to pass one and other religious
difficult course after activities for Ethiopian
another. Today, 13 learn Jews living in absorption
together. If all of them centers throughout
succeed in earning the Israel. ❑

❑

THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS

27

