(Hat Tip: Israel National News and IsRealli, Image Credit: Haaretz.com)
It looks as if the Israeli Knesset has voted in a new holiday to honor the Ethiopian Jews, many who made aliyah towards the Jewish state.
(Ynet News) The Knesset plenum decided to formally add the Ethiopian Sigd holiday to the list of State holidays, and will be holding an annual state ceremony for it during the Hebrew month of Heshvan, which usually falls on October or November.
Sigd is a traditional Ethiopian day of fast, dedicated to prayers for the rebuilding of the Temple and giving thanks for the right to return to the Holy Land. The fasting ends in mid-day, in a Seder of sorts.
Apparently Ethiopian Jews have been celebrating Sigd for quite some time in Jerusalem, although it was not previously observed by the majority of Israelis (at least until this month).
Israel is one of the few middle eastern countries that recognizes the holidays of faiths of different cultures (and religions), and this addition is a testimony to the Jewish state’s diversity.
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