On October 16th, 2020, we had the honor and pleasure of having a guest speaker: Professor Steven Kaplan, who was gracious enough to allow us to share a recording of his presentation about Ethipian Jews in Israel.
The migration of tens of thousands of Beta Israel (“Ethiopian Jews”) to Israel over the past 40 years is a fascinating story. In this lecture Professor Steven Kaplan emphasizes some of the unique aspects of their arrival and “absorption” in Israel. In particular, he examines their own concepts of race, the complexity of their status in Jewish law, and larger issues of race in Israel. Although both Ethiopians and other Israelis commonly identify assimilation processes in Israel with those in the United States, Kaplan argues that there are important differences which must be considered to fully appreciated the challenges faced by Israel and its Ethiopian population.
Professor Steven Kaplan is the Gail Levin de Nur Professor of Comparative Religion (Emeritus) at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. Prior to completing his doctorate at the Hebrew University, he was educated at Brandeis University and Harvard Divinity School. He has written several books and dozens of articles on the social and religious history of Ethiopia, and on Ethiopians in Israel and the USA. These include The Beta Israel (Falasha) in Ethiopia from Earliest Times to the Twentieth Century, Surviving Salvation: The Ethiopian Jewish Family in Transition (co-author Dr. Ruth Westheimer), and Creating the Ethiopian Diaspora (co-editor, Professor Kay Kaufman Shelemay). He also served as Dean of the Faculty of Humanities, Provost of the Rothberg International School, and Director of the Harry S. Truman Research Institute, in the Hebrew University.
Watch a recording of his presentation:
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