As every year, and in keeping with the cherished traditions of the Ethiopian community, the Western Wall Heritage Foundation and the Jerusalem Municipality hosted today hundreds of community members. Led by the kessim (spiritual leaders), Minister of Settlements and National Missions Orit Strook, and Deputy Speaker of the Knesset MK Moshe Solomon, participants gathered from the early morning hours until the conclusion of the central ceremony to celebrate the Sigd holiday at the Western Wall Plaza.
The Sigd holiday, also known as Sigd Mahla, is observed annually on the 29th of Cheshvan, fifty days after Yom Kippur, and has been celebrated for thousands of years, since the time of Ezra and Nehemiah. The holiday marks the renewal of the covenant between the People of Israel and the Torah of Israel, the bond and reconciliation between individuals, and above all, the longing for the Land of Israel in general and for Jerusalem in particular, which accompanied the community for many generations.
The kessim and community members offered heartfelt prayers for national unity, for the redemption of Israel, and for the success of the IDF soldiers and security forces.
The rabbi of the Western Wall and holy sites, Rabbi Shmuel Rabinowitz, joined their prayers for the unity of Israel and for the rebuilding of the Temple, expressing hope that the yearning for unity would permeate all parts of the nation.
The emotional climax of the ceremony occurred when, for the first time, the ancient Orit – the sacred centuries-old book of the Beta Israel community – was brought to the Western Wall Plaza. This was the very book carried on the back of Kes Yitzhak Yaso during his journey to Israel in Operation “Brothers,” and preserved for decades in the National Library.
The book, passed down for centuries within the family of the kessim, was removed from the library vaults at the request of community leaders so that the Ten Commandments could be read from it as a living holy object rather than a museum artifact, and in honor of the legacy of Kes Yaso, one of the initiators of the Sigd celebrations at the Western Wall and a regular participant in them.
Community members prayed and toured various sites in the Western Wall Tunnels and visited a special exhibition prepared especially for them, presenting the ancient history and origins of the Ethiopian Jewish community dating back to biblical times.
Deputy Speaker of the Knesset MK Moshe Solomon:
“Today’s prayer at the Western Wall was especially meaningful, as it also addressed the urgent needs of the moment – the success of the Government of Israel, the IDF soldiers, and the security forces. My thanks to the Western Wall Heritage Foundation and the Jerusalem Municipality for their dedication in organizing and welcoming the entire community and the public throughout the year, and especially on the day of the Sigd. Praying that we may hasten our redemption soon.”
