Tanslation by Yehoshua Siskin
"Shalom Sivan, my name is Hodaya Mekonen. Tomorrow is the holiday of the Sigd and I want to suggest that no one should miss it. For many, I suppose today is simply when those who made aliyah from Ethiopia go up to Jerusalem with umbrellas, traditional clothes, and food associated with the holiday, but the Sigd is much more than this.
The Sigd engenders feelings of optimism and hope as we look toward the future. Sigd comes from the word 'sigidah' or bowing down. It recalls our longing for thousands of years for the Land of Israel, the place to fully live our identity as Jews. When was the last time we thought about the words 'we were as dreamers?' When did we last dedicate an entire day to thinking about our connection with God and with our land? When did we last appreciate the yearning of every past generation for Jerusalem?
The Sigd is observed exactly 50 days after Yom Kippur. It's a reminder to all of us that we should pause and take stock 50 days after that holiest of days. The Sigd is a day of contemplation, of covenant renewal, of the renewal of the choice we have made to live here. Yes, even after we got here. And perhaps mainly since we got here and are now living in our land. Because when we are comfortable, we may forget. Therefore it is important to check not only where we are physically, but where our soul is to be found.
In my view, the 'Beta Yisrael' community kept this holiday for thousands of years and brought it to our land so that the entire nation of Israel would receive it as a gift."
