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Sharon Shalom
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Sharon Shalom
The Blogs

Sharon Shalom

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Nov 29, 2023, 10:29 AM
The Question of a Kiss: An Ethiopian Keis Would be Surprised If Jacob DIDN’T Kiss Rachel
In the jazz standard, "As Time Goes By,” the great Louis Armstrong asserts that "A Kiss Is Just A Kiss." The same question is addressed by the Torah in the weekly portion of “Vayetze” and in our days by...
Nov 21, 2023, 12:25 AM
Baseless Hatred? The Ethiopian Jewish Experience
Since Hamas’ barbaric attacks of October 7th, my son has asked me several times: "Why do they hate us? What did we do to these people who are murdering our babies? All in all, we just took our own...
Nov 7, 2023, 9:29 AM
A Return to the Abrahamic and Ethiopian Jewish Concept of Equality
Recently, we’ve been reading about our forefather Abraham in the weekly Torah portion. The Bible does not tell us why God chose Abraham to be the founder of His people. This contrasts the situation of Noah, regarding whom, the...
Oct 20, 2023, 11:02 AM
Featured Post
From Hamas to redemption, through the eyes of Ethiopian Jewry
Illustrative: Ethiopian Jews aboard an Israeli plane during Operation Moses (November 21, 1984 – January 5, 1985). (Screen grab from The Spielberg Jewish Film Archive)
Throughout history, a consciousness of redemption has helped Jews stave off despair, and move forward into the light (Noah)
Oct 10, 2023, 5:56 PM
‘Survivor of Sudan’ sees sparks of light in darkness of Simchat Torah war
I write as “a survivor of Sudan.” That is how the Mossad official involved in my escape defined it. Sudan, in those days, was an "accident of a country" in which 4,000 Ethiopian Jews, who fled from Ethiopia hoping...
Oct 3, 2023, 3:28 PM
Featured Post
Look to Ethiopian Judaism to truly understand unity
Kesim, Ethiopian rabbinical leaders, at a Sigd celebration at Jerusalem's Haas Promenade when thousands gather to pray and recite Psalms. (Flash90)
The principle that everyone is equal before God can serve as a foundation for a shared Israeli identity
Aug 29, 2023, 5:56 PM
Marriage Advice from Oscar Wilde for the Israeli Jewish and Arab Couple
Many years ago, I taught a course called, "The Challenge of Diversity in Educational Institutions" at Ono Academic College. This institution, where I have since founded the world’s first International Center for the Study of Ethiopian Jewry, was created...
Jul 28, 2023, 7:56 PM
Featured Post
Redemption not destruction: What the elders in my village taught me
This is not the destruction of the Third Temple. It's the construction of another floor inside the Third Temple.
Mar 22, 2022, 6:12 AM
Equal opportunity in Israel is more than a dream; at Ono College, it’s a promise
Rabbi Dr. Sharon Shalom and Ethiopian religious leaders affix a mezuzah at Ono Academic College's International Center for the Study of Ethiopian Jewry in January 2019. (Credit: Ono Academic College)
As an Israeli rabbi born in Ethiopia, my Jewish identity is unequivocal and the color of my skin irrelevant to my spirit. Generations of Ethiopian Jews have questioned or muddled their identities for the sake of inclusion, and many...
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About Me
Rabbi Dr. Sharon Shalom is the founding director of Ono Academic College's International Center for the Study of Ethiopian Jewry. He is also the author of Dialogues of Love and Fear (Koren, 2021) and From Sinai to Ethiopia (Gefen, 2016).