Thousands of Jews of Ethiopian descent gathered at Jerusalem’s Sherover Promenade on Thursday to celebrate the community’s ancient Sigd holiday, joined by Israeli government officials and public figures.
The celebration, held annually on the 29th of the month of Cheshvan (50 days after Yom Kippur), saw thousands flock to the promenade in the Armon Hanatziv/East Talpiot neighborhood—which overlooks the Temple Mount from the south—as leaders led prayers recalling God’s revelation at Mount Sinai and his covenant with the Jewish people.
Former Hamas hostage Avera Mengistu, who was freed in February after 10 years and five months in the Gaza Strip, attended Sigd prayers in Jerusalem for the first time on Thursday. During the ceremony, Mengistu received a blessing from the kessim, or spiritual leaders.
Sigd, which means “prostration” in Ge’ez, or Classical Ethiopic, has been observed by Ethiopian Jews, the Beta Israel, for centuries as a day to renew their covenant with God and express their longing for Zion.
Traditionally in Ethiopia, community members would ascend a high mountain to pray, symbolizing the giving of the Torah at Mount Sinai. Now in the Jewish state, the 178,000-strong Beta Israel community continues this tradition with a focus on unity and cultural pride.
Sigd became an official Israeli holiday in 2008 and continues to serve as a bridge between Ethiopian Jewish traditions and the wider Israeli society.
“Today in Jerusalem, I joined the Ethiopian Jewish community in celebrating Sigd, a sacred day of prayer and longing for our holy city,” Israeli President Isaac Herzog tweeted. “This is the beauty of Zionism.
“For thousands of years, Ethiopian Jews dreamed of returning home to Zion. For many, this dream is now a reality,” said Israel’s head of state.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also marked Sigd, which he called “a holiday that expresses deep faith, renewal and the enduring longing for the Land of Israel and for our capital Jerusalem,” in a statement.
“This holiday symbolizes your great dedication, which was required to preserve Jewish identity in exile, and it also marks the unity within your magnificent community and within the entire Jewish people,” he said.
The Israeli Ethiopian community totaled 177,600 people in 2024, according to data shared on Sunday by Israel’s Central Bureau of Statistics.
Of those, 93,400 (~53%) were born in Ethiopia, and 84,200 (~47%) are native-born. Over the course of 2024, 285 people immigrated to Israel from Ethiopia.
