Nov 21, 2022

Miami Celebrates Sigd With Our Community Shaliach

Earlier this week, members of Miami’s Jewish community celebrated the Ethiopian-Israeli holiday of Sigd with a special program presented at the Miami Beach Jewish Community Center by Federation’s community shaliach (emissary), Yehuda Michael. Sigd is celebrated on the 29th of Cheshvan, exactly 50 days after Yom Kippur. Established by law in 2008 as an official national Israeli holiday, Sigd’s roots are ancient, with scriptural ties to the biblical books of Ezra and Nehemiah, when the Jewish people returned to Jerusalem from exile in Babylon, gathering at the First Temple. Preserved by Ethiopian Jews for centuries, it is a day of fasting, purification and renewal. Michael’s program included an explanation of the holiday, an Ethiopian coffee ceremony and the chance for participants to learn to write their name in the Ethiopian language of Amharic. Click here to watch a video about what Sigd means to two Ethiopian-Israelis who made aliyah with the help of Federation’s overseas partner, The Jewish Agency for Israel.