New Ethiopian center in the works

A long-standing cultural dream is about to be realized.

By SOPHIE ASHKINAZE-COLLENDER
Updated: JULY 3, 2016 13:29
‘You need spirit to get something done’: Dr. Simcha Getahune, chairwoman of the Heritage Center, at the gala kickoff (photo credit: GIDEON AGAZA)
‘You need spirit to get something done’: Dr. Simcha Getahune, chairwoman of the Heritage Center, at the gala kickoff
(photo credit: GIDEON AGAZA)
A long-standing cultural dream is about to be realized. Plans to build the National Institute for Ethiopian Jewry Heritage Center have officially been approved.
A gala kickoff event at the Jerusalem International Convention Center on June 19 marked a turning point in the struggle to translate the center, approved four years ago, into reality. Culture and Sport Minister Miri Regev delivered a keynote speech at the event and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu addressed participants by video.
The commemorative launch featured dances and performances native to Ethiopia.
“It was a declaration that it’s going to happen in a few years,” said the center’s new CEO Danny Adamsu. The Heritage Center is scheduled to open in about four years, furthering the Ethiopian Jews’ quest for equality and recognition. “You need the spirit to get something done,” said Adamsu. “It just takes time.”
Adamsu and Dr. Simcha Getahune, chairwoman of the long-awaited center, have far-reaching plans for it. “It will be a place for all, with different perspectives of Ethiopian life,” according to Adamsu. The newly elected board intends to include a venue for performance arts as well as a library/archive to organize the countless documents, photographs and mementos that have been collected over the past few decades.
The exact location is yet to be determined, but the board is hoping to root the center in Jerusalem. “I want to make [the center] as accessible as possible,” said Adamsu. The idea is to make Ethiopian history and culture tangible. “People can come, interact and learn about the Ethiopian community.” The board hopes the center will help narrow gaps between Ethiopian Jews and the rest of the community.
Today, Ethiopians are anxious to capture their history. As the generations age, it becomes increasingly urgent to preserve their memories. Family stories and documents become lost in translation from grandparent to parent to grandchild.
“For the last few years, it has been very clear that [the country] was going to lose something big,” said Adamsu. Now, the descendants of the Ethiopian immigrants will finally have the chance to transmit their history and rest assured that their personal narratives will not be lost.
Speaking about his role as CEO, Adamsu said he is “lucky to do it because it’s something that [he] really wanted. Find a job you love and never work a single day,” he said, smiling. Born in Ethiopia, Adamsu moved to Israel when he was eight years old and has been here ever since. He feels a personal connection to the center because of what it will do for his people.
It is critical for the new generation, Adamsu says, “to establish a national institute whose main job will be to write and preserve the history of the Ethiopian community, documenting the point of view of our parents, leaders, and spiritual leaders. That is important.”