Schedule for “Nafkot/Longing” Film Event

Ono Premiers Film About Ethiopians of Jewish Descent who Separated from Gondar Hundreds of Years Ago

On February 20, 2022 at 19:00, Ono Academic College will host the premier of a new film produced by Dr. Malak Shabtay, an Ono instructor and world expert on Ethiopian Jewry.  The film, “Nafkot/Longing” explored the lives of Ethiopians whose ancestors separated from the Ethiopian Jewish community in Gondar hundreds of years ago but continued practicing Jewish rituals and suffering persecution for their beliefs. Following the screening will be a panel discussion featuring world-renown authorities about Ethiopian and world Jewries.

The program includes:

  • Greetings:
    • Prof. Yuval Elbashan, Dean of the Multicultural Campuses in Jerusalem
    • Dr. David Bitton, Director of the Department of Judaic Studies
  • Movie Screening
  • Director’s Remarks: Dr. Malka Shabtay
  • Panel Discussion: “Rejected by Israel and New Additions to the Jewish People”
    • Dr. Ophir Haivry, Vice President, Herzl Institute
    • Rabbi Eliyahu Birnbaum, Publisher of the “World Jew”column and researcher of Jewish Communities and the Tribes of Israel
    • Keis Samai Elias, Traditional Ethiopian religious leader and Director of “Zera Aharon Kahanat”
  • Musical Performance: Ms. Ayala Ingedashet, Israeli recording star of Ethiopian origin
  • Summary Remarks: Rabbi Dr. Sharon Shalom, Director of the International Center for the Study of Ethiopian Jewry

To view the movie trailer click here: