ABSTRACT
Alequa Birre loved to speak about Ethiopian religious superiority over the jare11j : 'There is no connection between the datiim (religious Jewish men. Hebrew) religion and ours. We take out the animal's shu/ida (biblically impure sciatic nerve): the fnwrj. however. do not slaughter meat properly: we therefore cannot eat their meat. but they can eat ours because we slaughter according to the Bible. All this lhe details several purity laws] was the law given to us by Moses. When a baby girl was born the mother stayed in a hut alone for eighty days. Here women who have given birth stay at home! We follow it [the Bible]! They call this country 'Israel'. but it is just a name. we are the true Israel! (He is making a pun on the name of the country 'Israel' and the name that Ethiopian jews give themselves. which is also 'Israel'. short for Beta Israel].' just as many Ethiopian jews speak of the cultural traditions
they brought with them from Ethiopia as "better'' and ··tougher'' than Israeli practices. so too do they claim religious superiority compared to other jews: they are the purest and most authentic Jews. Witnessing the predominantly secular character of Israel. where. with the exception of the religious minority, Israelis drive cars on the Sabbath. dress immodestly and generally fail to observe religious precepts. Ethiopian jews assert that their religious practice is more intense and fervent. and lament the negative impact of immigration on their youngsters. who increasingly adopt lax standards of observance. They pride themselves on the nature of their religious belief and practice because it rests solely on the Oril. 1 unadulterated by later Rabbinical texts: while all other jews
dropped or substantially modified biblical purity laws and marriage rules. the Beta Israel proudly uphold the fa ith of their ancestors.1
