A Sacred Awakening for Justice and Unity
The resonant blast of the shofar pierces through Rosh Hashanah’s sacred air, carrying within its ancient sound not merely the announcement of a new year, but a clarion call for justice, remembrance, and the urgent demand for human dignity. As we stand at the threshold of 5786, the ram’s horn echoes with a message that transcends religious ritual—it demands we confront the profound hypocrisy that has stained the very foundation of Jewish unity.
The Sacred Awakening of Rosh Hashanah
Rosh Hashanah, literally meaning “head of the year,” marks far more than a calendrical transition. It commemorates the creation of Adam and Eve, the birthday of the world itself, when humanity first proclaimed God as King of the Universe. The shofar’s voice carries ten sacred meanings, each one a spiritual awakening: it heralds God’s kingship, awakens slumbering souls from complacency, recalls the divine revelation at Mount Sinai, and echoes the prophetic calls for moral rectification.
The three distinctive sounds—tekiyah, shevarim, and teruah—form a symphony of spiritual awakening. The tekiyah announces divine love and God’s eternal kingship. The shevarim, three interrupted sounds like sobs, represents the Jewish heart’s longing to connect with the divine. The teruah, nine or more short blasts, serves as an alarm clock arousing us from spiritual slumber, demanding honest introspection about our lives and moral failures.
Yet this year, the shofar’s call must pierce through more than personal complacency—it must shatter the racist walls that have been erected within our own community.
The Persistent Stain of Racism Against Ethiopian Jews
For decades, Ethiopian Jews—the Beta Israel—have endured systematic discrimination that betrays the very essence of Jewish identity. These are Jews who practiced Judaism for over two millennia in isolation, preserving ancient traditions that other Jewish communities had forgotten. They follow Torah law, observe Sabbath, practice circumcision, maintain dietary laws, and have synagogue services led by village priests—their Judaism is undeniable.
Yet the cruelty they face in Israel is staggering. The most shameful revelation came in the 1990s when it was discovered that Israel’s national blood bank routinely destroyed blood donated by Ethiopian Jews out of unfounded HIV fears. This act of medical apartheid exposed the depth of institutional racism that permeates Israeli society.
Today, Ethiopian Jews constitute only 1.8% of Israel’s population, yet they face poverty rates of 39% compared to 14% for other Israeli Jews. Their unemployment rates remain significantly higher, their children face educational discrimination, and they endure disproportionate police harassment and incarceration. The fatal shooting of 19-year-old Solomon Tekah by an off-duty police officer in 2019 sparked nationwide protests, revealing the community’s deep frustration with being treated as “second-class citizens”.
The Blood That Binds Us All
The shofar’s call reminds us of the binding of Isaac, when Abraham’s faith was tested and a ram was provided for sacrifice. That ram’s horn now calls us to remember that the blood running through Ethiopian Jewish veins is as red as any fruit cultivated in the Negev or grown in the highlands of Ethiopia. Blood recognizes no color—it carries the same life force, the same divine spark, the same capacity for love, sacrifice, and devotion.
Ethiopia itself stands as the cradle of civilization, where humanity first walked upright in the Awash Valley millions of years ago. The ancient kingdoms of Axum, Yeha, and Damat flourished there, establishing meaningful relations with civilizations across the Mediterranean and beyond. When European Jews faced persecution, Ethiopian Jews maintained their faith in isolation, preserving traditions that connect them directly to ancient Israel.
Heroes of October 7: When Color Dissolved in Courage
The tragic events of October 7, 2023, revealed something profound about Ethiopian Jewish dedication to Israel. While Ethiopian Israelis represent only 1.8% of the population, they comprised over 3.5% of the fallen soldiers—nearly double their population proportion. Among the 120 outstanding soldiers honored at the President’s Residence on Independence Day, 10 were Ethiopian—five times their population percentage.
These statistics tell a story of extraordinary devotion and sacrifice. Ethiopian Jews serve in commando units at rates far exceeding their population share, fighting “like lions” according to military sources. They responded to October 7 not as second-class citizens, but as first-class heroes, bleeding and dying for a country that too often fails to embrace them fully.
Their courage on that terrible day stands in stark contrast to the racism they face in civilian life. When Hamas terrorists threatened innocent lives, Ethiopian Jewish soldiers didn’t see race or discrimination—they saw fellow human beings in need of protection. Their actions embodied the highest Jewish values while exposing the moral bankruptcy of those who question their belonging.
A Sacred Indictment: The Shofar’s Moral Demand
As the shofar blasts pierce the air this Rosh Hashanah, its sound carries a moral indictment of every person who has perpetuated racism against Ethiopian Jews. The horn’s cry recalls the prophets who called Israel to righteousness. It awakens us from the spiritual slumber that allows prejudice to fester in our communities.
To those who question Ethiopian Jewish authenticity: your racism is not merely wrong—it is a desecration of Judaism itself. When you judge by skin color rather than character, you violate the fundamental Jewish principle that all humans are created in God’s image. When you exclude based on appearance, you betray the very universality that makes Judaism a light unto the nations.
The Chief Rabbinate’s historical hesitation to fully recognize Ethiopian Jews despite their millennia of Jewish practice represents a profound failure of religious leadership. Rabbi Ovadia Yosef’s 1973 ruling acknowledging their Judaism as descendants of the tribe of Dan should have ended all debate. Yet discrimination persisted, requiring pro forma conversions that insulted their ancient heritage.
Ethiopia: The Forgotten Cradle
Those who diminish Ethiopian Jews must confront an uncomfortable historical truth: Ethiopia stands as one of civilization’s birthplaces. While other regions struggled with basic survival, Ethiopian kingdoms maintained sophisticated trade networks, developed written languages, and created architectural marvels that still inspire modern builders.
The Kingdom of Axum was listed alongside Rome, Persia, and China as one of the four great powers of the ancient world. Ethiopia’s contributions to human development—from agricultural innovations like teff and enset cultivation to the preservation of ancient Ge’ez language still used in religious services—demonstrate a civilization of remarkable sophistication.
When European Jews faced expulsion and persecution, Ethiopian Jews maintained their faith and traditions in relative stability. They preserved practices that connect directly to ancient Temple worship, maintaining animal sacrifice on Nisan 14 and purification rituals using red heifer ashes that other Jewish communities had long abandoned.
The Call to Teshuvah: Repentance and Return
The shofar’s most urgent message this Rosh Hashanah is the call to teshuvah—repentance and return to righteous behavior. The Ten Days of Awe that begin with this holy day demand honest self-examination and moral correction. For those who have harbored racist attitudes toward Ethiopian Jews, this period requires profound soul-searching and change.
Repentance must be followed by action. Educational systems must eliminate the discrimination that sees Ethiopian children rejected from schools. Employment practices must address the economic disparities that keep nearly 40% of Ethiopian families in poverty. Police training must address the disproportionate harassment that makes Ethiopian youth fear the very officers meant to protect them.
A Vision of Unity: The Shofar’s Promise
The shofar’s final meaning points toward the messianic age when the “great shofar” will gather all scattered Jews from the corners of the earth. That vision demands unity among all Jewish communities today. Ethiopian Jews have already gathered from their diaspora, enduring dangerous journeys from Sudan during Operations Moses and Solomon.
Their heroism on October 7 demonstrated that when crisis demands unity, artificial divisions crumble. Ethiopian Jewish soldiers didn’t fight as Ethiopians or as second-class citizens—they fought as Jews defending their homeland and fellow citizens. Their blood mingled with that of soldiers from every background, creating a sacred unity that transcends the petty prejudices of peacetime.
The Moral Imperative
As the shofar sounds this Rosh Hashanah, let its voice shatter every remaining barrier of racism within Jewish communities. Let it awaken us to the profound injustice of treating Ethiopian Jews as anything less than full and equal members of our people. Their ancient traditions, their contemporary heroism, and their unwavering dedication to Jewish survival demand nothing less than complete acceptance and respect.
The horn’s blast calls us to remember that Judaism’s strength lies not in racial purity or European customs, but in our shared commitment to justice, mercy, and righteousness. Ethiopian Jews embody these values through their historical preservation of faith under adversity and their contemporary sacrifice for Israel’s security.
This Rosh Hashanah, as we crown God as King of the Universe, let us also crown Ethiopian Jews as the honored members of our community they have always been. Let the shofar’s call inspire us to build a Jewish future where skin color is irrelevant, where ancient traditions from Ethiopia receive the same reverence as those from Europe, and where the blood that flows through every Jewish heart—regardless of its origin—is recognized as equally precious and equally red.
The shofar’s message is clear: our new year demands a new commitment to justice, equality, and the recognition that Ethiopian Jews are not merely Jews—they are our brothers and sisters whose courage, faith, and sacrifice enrich the entire Jewish people.
May 5786 be the year when this truth finally, fully, takes root in every Jewish heart.
