Personally, I think these ancestry businesses are for the birds. I'm not included in 23andme Jewish ancestry because my people are Sephardic. It gets even more complicated in Israel.
In Ethiopia, people have been practicing Judaism for 3,000 years. As his Holiness Abuna Paulos, patriarch of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church, who hol…
Personally, I think these ancestry businesses are for the birds. I'm not included in 23andme Jewish ancestry because my people are Sephardic. It gets even more complicated in Israel.
In Ethiopia, people have been practicing Judaism for 3,000 years. As his Holiness Abuna Paulos, patriarch of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church, who holds a PhD in theology from Princeton University, explains: "We've had 1,000 years of Judaism, followed by 2,000 years of Christianity, and that's why our religion is rooted in the Old Testament."
When Christianity, and forced conversion, arrived in Ethiopia in the 4th century (AD), people who continued to practice Judaism were called “Falasha” (a derogatory term meaning outsider).
Sixteen hundred years later, during the political unrest of 1991, more than 14,000 Ethiopian Jews were airlifted to Israel. Unfortunately, Ethiopian Jews who had converted to Christianity were left behind. Ethiopian Israelis, known as Beta Israel (meaning House of Israel) have been trying to bring their family members to Israel ever since. Suffice to say, Israel’s immigration issues are as divisive as ours, and for much the same reason (religion).
The covenant of the ark, containing the two tablets with the Ten Commandments carried down the mountain by Moses is said to be in Ethiopia. The Smithsonian published a good article about this legend.
Conflation of ancestry via genetics vs. religious conviction? The point being that there is an identifiable genetic ancestry path, and there are also people who self-identify as Jews thru their religion. Thus, the two sides of the argument pertaining to a racial component.
Personally, I think these ancestry businesses are for the birds. I'm not included in 23andme Jewish ancestry because my people are Sephardic. It gets even more complicated in Israel.
In Ethiopia, people have been practicing Judaism for 3,000 years. As his Holiness Abuna Paulos, patriarch of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church, who holds a PhD in theology from Princeton University, explains: "We've had 1,000 years of Judaism, followed by 2,000 years of Christianity, and that's why our religion is rooted in the Old Testament."
When Christianity, and forced conversion, arrived in Ethiopia in the 4th century (AD), people who continued to practice Judaism were called “Falasha” (a derogatory term meaning outsider).
Sixteen hundred years later, during the political unrest of 1991, more than 14,000 Ethiopian Jews were airlifted to Israel. Unfortunately, Ethiopian Jews who had converted to Christianity were left behind. Ethiopian Israelis, known as Beta Israel (meaning House of Israel) have been trying to bring their family members to Israel ever since. Suffice to say, Israel’s immigration issues are as divisive as ours, and for much the same reason (religion).
The covenant of the ark, containing the two tablets with the Ten Commandments carried down the mountain by Moses is said to be in Ethiopia. The Smithsonian published a good article about this legend.
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/travel/keepers-of-the-lost-ark-179998820/
Conflation of ancestry via genetics vs. religious conviction? The point being that there is an identifiable genetic ancestry path, and there are also people who self-identify as Jews thru their religion. Thus, the two sides of the argument pertaining to a racial component.
I think you covered it - very well.
In Israel, you know, "the Jewish state," Sephardic Jews are second-class citizens.