Felasha
Beta Israel memorial in Mount Herzl
|
|
| Total population | |
|---|---|
| (150,000) | |
| Regions with significant populations | |
 Israel 130,000 (2011)1.75% of the Israeli population, >2.15% of Israeli Jews |
|
 Ethiopia
|
4,000 |
 United States
|
1,000 |
| Languages | |
|
|
| Religion | |
| Judaism (Haymanot · Rabbinism) · Christianity (Ethiopian Orthodox -- see Falash Mura and Beta Abraham) | |
Beta Israel (Hebrew: בֵּיתֶא יִשְׂרָאֵל, Beyte (beyt) Yisrael; Ge'ez: ቤተ እስራኤል, Bēta 'Isrā'ēl?, modern Bēte 'Isrā'ēl, EAE: "Betä Ǝsraʾel", "House of Israel" or "Community of Israel"), also known as Ethiopian Jews (Hebrew: יְהוּדֵי אֶתְיוֹפְּיָה: Yehudey Etyopyah; Ge'ez: የኢትዮጵያ አይሁድዊ, ye-Ityoppya Ayhudi), are Jews whose community developed and lived for centuries in the area of the Kingdom of Aksum and the Ethiopian Empire that is currently divided between the Amhara and Tigray Regions of Ethiopia. Most of these peoples have emigrated to Israel since the late 20th century.
The Beta Israel lived in northern and northwestern Ethiopia, in more than 500 small villages spread over a wide territory, alongside populations that were Muslim and predominantly Christian. Most of them were concentrated in the area around and to the north of Lake Tana, in the Gondar region among the Wolqayit, Shire and Tselemt, Dembia, Segelt, Quara, and Belesa.
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