The art of photography usually is perceived as catching moments in life. But Joan Roth's photos of the Beta Israel (the House of Israel) in her book, The Jews of Ethiopia, are not merely images of moments - they tell the whole story of the Ethiopian Jews, their lives in the villages of northern Ethiopia, their happiness and their grief.

Wandering through the pages of this book, the reader goes back in time and space into the vanished world of Ethiopian Jewry. One lives with them in their simple huts, works with them in their fields, witnesses the love flowing from parents to children, and sees the beauty of the people and the country. This book is a necessity to all who are interested in the life and history of the Ethiopian Jews, and it is a testimony to those who love their fellow women and men.

Micha Feldman, March 2008

Consultant on Ethiopian Jewish issues, former Israeli Consul to Ethiopia and head of the Jewish Agency in Ethiopia

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The book that you hold in your hands is the result of an unexpected journey that began in 1982 and continues today. After attending an event focusing on the plight of Ethiopian Jews and their efforts to reach Israel, I began a pilgrimage into the heart of a people and, in the process, I discovered the roots of my own heritage as a Jew. I came to feel more connected to my faith through understanding the struggles and triumphs of my brothers and sisters in Ethiopia. The story of the Ethiopian Jews, and their longing for a rightful place in the world Jewish community, is like a quilt made up of an eclectic mix of biblical narratives, historical fact, myths, legends folktales, and personal stories. These elements are filled with symbols, both personal and universal. Learning about the Ethiopian Jews, meeting many of them, and sharing their stories took me to a place I never imagined.

The Jews of Ethiopia is a story that needs to be told for it conveys the Ethiopian-Jewish experience. You will hear their voices, see their faces and participate in their lives. You will also read passages from the bible, historical accounts and a number of tales that are central to Ethiopian-Jewish identity. It is my hope that you will be visually transported to the spiritual and emotional landscape where Ethiopian Jews once lived and many still live, holding onto a dream through centuries of discrimination and persecution. Their migration from ancient Israel to Ethiopia, through the biblical Middle East, and the realization of their dream to return to Israel in the late twentieth century is a process that continues. Perhaps their journey is an endless one; the Ethiopian Jews will always be realizing a dream, it seems to be their destiny. Most of the photographs reproduced in this book were taken in Ethiopia from 1984-1985. Additional photographs were made in Israel from 1985-1998 and in America in 2004-2005. The historical data, legends and interviews are intended to provide a context for the images, and to create for the reader a rep resentation, rather than to serve as an authoritative scholarly text.

I felt privileged to travel to Ethiopia in 1983-1984 with the North American Conference on Ethiopian Jewry (NACOEJ), founded by Barbara Ribakov Gordon. According to NACOEJ literature, the organization helps Ethiopian Jews survive in Ethiopia and fosters a world solidarity with them by sending missions, doctors, supplies and, above all, hope to their villages.

Upon our arrival in the village of Waleka, African Jews rushed down the hill to greet us, skipping and jumping, eager to shake our hands and bless us over and over again. A beautiful woman named Abeba Abebe, her baby Shoshana cradled in her arms, reached out to me and said, “My sister, my sister.” I was extremely moved as together we walked to her tukul (hut). It had two rooms. In the bedroom, four of Abeba’s older children, Miriam, Moshe, Malke and Mordecai, played together harmoniously. In the living room, Abeba sat comfortably on a stool beside a tiny metal stove with a tea kettle on top, nursing Shoshana. A soft glow of light filled the room. Abeba’s emotional power and strength are evidenced in the photograph on page 72.

Rabbi Abebe Brehan, Abeba’s late husband of blessed memory, was the spiritual leader of Waleka and the only Jewish qes (priest) referred to as rabbi, worked tirelessly to keep alive the dream of his people’s return to Jerusalem. When this dream began to come true in 1984, Abebe was arrested for teaching Hebrew and for playing a lead role in his people’s plan to escape. He spent two years in jail, where he was brutally tortured. After Abebe’s release, he moved to Addis .... (continued)