Steven Kaplan

What goes around, comes around: rotating credit associations among Ethiopian women in Israel

African Identities, 2009

... Pedersen, K. 1983. The history of Ethiopian community in the Holy Land from the time of Tewod... more

The glorious violence of Amdä Seyon of Ethiopia

Families in Many Shapes and Sizes

Grandparenthood, 2020

Te'ezāza Sanbat: A Beta Israel work Reconsidered

Gilgul, 1987

Groundwork, Fieldwork and Transnational Research - Christians and Jews in Ethiopia

Entangled Religions, 2018

This paper gives a short overview of the current state of research of the study of Beta Israel hi... more

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Notes Towards a History of Aṣe Dawit I (1382–1413)

Aethiopica, 2013

Dawit I has received far less attention than either his grandfather ʿAmdä Ṣǝyon I or his son Zärʾ... more Dawit I has received far less attention than either his grandfather ʿAmdä Ṣǝyon I or his son Zärʾa Yaʿǝqob. This comparatively brief article attempts to partially redress the balance. During the more than three decades during which he reigned, Dawit strengthened the religious and political fabric of Ethiopia. By promoting devotion to both the Cross and the Virgin Mary, he provided the Church with two pan-Christian symbols which transcended local rivalries and regional loyalties. These were, moreover, symbols particularly suited to visual representation and hence comparatively easy to propagate among Ethiopia’s largely illiterate population. He did not, however, neglect the role of religious texts. His reign is remembered both for the important translations initiated, most notably Täʾammǝrä Maryam and for original works composed by his close associate Giyorgis of Sägla. Dawit also made great strides in solidifying Church state relations, particularly through his generous land grants,...

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The Liturgy of Beta Israel: Music of the Ethiopian Jewish Prayer. 2019. Jewish Music Research Centre, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem. Anthology of Music Traditions in Israel, no. 26, AMTI0118. Digital editing and mastering by Avi Nahmias and Gil Stein. Annotated by Simha Arom, Frank Alvarez-P...

Yearbook for Traditional Music, 2019

The Ethiopian Jewish exodus: narratives of the migration journey to Israel, 1977-1985

Choice Reviews Online, 2003

From Tragedy to Triumph: The Politics Behind the Rescue of Ethiopian Jewry, by Mitchell G. Bard. ... more From Tragedy to Triumph: The Politics Behind the Rescue of Ethiopian Jewry, by Mitchell G. Bard. Westport, CT: Praeger Publishers, 2002. xiii + 205 pages. Sel. bibl. top. 208. Index top. 217. $64.95. The Ethiopian Jewish Exodus: Narratives of the Migration Journey to Israel 19771985, by Gadi BenEzer. London, UK and New York: Routledge, 2002. xiv + 202 pages. Appendix to p. 205. Notes to p. 224. Bibl. to p. 246. Index to p. 254. n.p. During the period from 1977 to 1985 over 14,000 Beta Israel (Falasha) or as they are most commonly called today, Ethiopian Jews, emigrated from Ethiopia and settled in Israel. Since then, they have been followed by more than 45,000 of their compatriots. Nevertheless, it is this first group, most of whom arrived via the Sudan, who have long been the subject of a disproportionate amount of attention. While several books about "Operation Moses" were published in the 1980s, as a rule these were either journalistic accounts or autobiographical narratives. Both of the volumes under review seek to take the story one step further by offering new information (Bard) and a new level of interpretation (BenEzer). Bard's goal is to offer a behind-the-- scenes look at the political maneuvering which made the Operation possible. Follow-- ing a rather weak chapter recounting Beta Israel history (pp. 1-23) and a brief survey of Ethiopia-Israel relations (pp. 25-38), he turns his attention to the lobbying, negotiations, and deal-making which made the mission possible. Using a combination of published accounts, interviews, and archival sources, Bard tells the story behind the story. In particular, he highlights the manner in which American Jewish activists transformed the topic of Ethiopian Jewry from an obscure issue barely on the radar of the Jewish world into a litmus test for the immigration policies of successive Israeli governments. Indeed, by being more Zionist than the Zionist state (at least insofar as they were promoting the rights of others to live in Israel), they cajoled, embarrassed, and threatened the Israelis into pursuing actions they might otherwise have never undertaken. Despite the book's title, the focus of the study is far narrower than one might expect. Over half the book (pp. 39-160) is devoted to Operation Moses, which took place from November 1984 to January 1985. In contrast, Operation Sheba (March 1985) and Operation Solomon (May 1991) receive a mere 15 pages (pp. 161-75). This gap is especially glaring in the case of Operation Solomon, in which extensive diplomatic efforts were undertaken to achieve the airlift of over 14,000 people in less than two days. Fortunately, at least two books discussing these events are close to completion. Moreover, although Bard's book claims to present "the politics behind" the airlifts, here, too, his scope is somewhat limited. Bard discusses in much greater detail the activities of Americans (especially, those of the American Association for Ethiopian Jewry) and of Israelis than events in other countries and by other organizations. We read comparatively little about either Sudanese or Ethiopian politics. The complex relations between the Ethiopian Jews and their country's various rebel factions is all but ignored. Karadawi's Refugee Policy in Sudan 1967-1984, which is the best analysis of the larger issue of refugees in this period appears to have escaped Bard's notice. Indeed, throughout the book, Ethiopians whether Jewish or non-Jewish, appear primarily in the background. Ferede Aklum, who pioneered the Sudanese route of emigration, does not even receive the courtesy of having his last name mentioned. There is, of course, nothing as easy or as unfair as a reviewer chiding an author for not writing the book which he (the reviewer) wishes to have read. However, in this case, the omissions themselves are noteworthy because they are indicative of the particular ideological approach of the author. Bard's is the latest in a long line of books written from a Jewish or Zionist perspective. …

Ethiopian Prisoners of Zion: The Struggle for Recognition in a Bureaucratic Setting

Scrinium, 2005

». They also used the term (Beta) Israel «(House) of Israel», to refer to themselves. They have i... more

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The Social and religious functions of the Eucharist in Medieval Ethiopia

Annales d'Ethiopie, 2003

... on numerous occasions as a designation of the Eucharist52. The social context ofeucharistic t... more

Court and Periphery in Ethiopian Christianity

Asian and African Studies, 1986

Ethiopians Immigrants in the United States and Israel: A Preliminary Comparison

The purpose of this article is to present a preliminary overview of the two largest Ethiopian imm... more The purpose of this article is to present a preliminary overview of the two largest Ethiopian immigrant communities: the United States and Israel. While Ethiopians in Israel have been the subject of a vast literature, Ethiopians in the United States have received far less attention. This paper seeks to initiate a comparative discussion by discussing both populations in terms of a variety of features such as demography, geographic distribution, resettlement, domestic life, religion, diaspora politics and race. It argues that the complex picture of similarities and differences which emerges cannot be explained by any one variable such as home country culture, host country policies, pre–migration characteristics or resources allocated for immigrant resettlement.

A New Source about a Jew from Vienna at the Court of the King of Ethiopia / מקור חדש על יהודי מווינה בחצרו של מלך אתיופיה

Black and White, Blue and White and Beyond the Pale: Ethiopian Jews and the Discourse of Colour in Israel

Jewish Culture and History, 2002

ABSTRACT This article explores aspects of racial discourse employed in discussing Ethiopian Jews ... more ABSTRACT This article explores aspects of racial discourse employed in discussing Ethiopian Jews in Israel. It assumes that racial classifications are social constructions which themselves must be analysed and explained. Although Ethiopian immigrants did not consider themselves to be ‘black’ in Ethiopia, they are usually described as such in Israel. This serves not only to associate them with other ‘black’ groups in the African diaspora, but also to emphasise that other Israelis are ‘white’. This ‘whiteness’ of veteran Israelis, like the ‘blackness’ of Ethiopians is not a mere description of pigmentation, but rather a designation which carries with it numerous social and political associations. In contrast to Ethiopian Jews and other Jewish Israelis, other groups—most notably Israeli Arabs—do not figure as part of the colour spectrum and are thus rendered invisible in discussions, which ignore their existence.

Falasha" Religion: Ancient Judaism or Evolving Ethiopian Tradition?

The Jewish Quarterly Review, 1988

Page 1. THE JEWISH QUARTERLY REVIEW, LXXIX, No. 1 (July, 1988) 49-65 "FALASHA"RELIGION:... more

Genealogies and Gene-ideologies: The Legitimacy of the Beta Israel (Falasha)

Social Identities, 2006

The migration of the vast majority of Beta Israel (Falasha) to Israel has been accompanied by maj... more The migration of the vast majority of Beta Israel (Falasha) to Israel has been accompanied by major shifts in the discourse regarding their 'Jewishness' and 'Ethiopianness'. This article discusses the adoption of traditions of Danite descent in place of traditions of Solomonic descent and the emergence of genetics as the most important identity marker, replacing reckonings of lineage. The first shift is connected to the migration of the Beta Israel from Ethiopia to Israel; the second to changing concepts of what represents 'proof ' of identity in the modern and post-modern world.

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The Ethiopian holy man as outsider and angel

Religion, 1985

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The Hebrew Letters of Prester John

Numen, 1985

Iyäsus Mo'A and Täklä Haymanot: A Note on a Hagiographic Controversy

Journal of Semitic Studies, 1986

... The story was then adopted by the spiritual descendants of Takla Haymanot because it brought ... more

In the Shadow of Conquest: Islam in Colonial Northeast Africa

Journal of Religion in Africa, 1997

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