Bete Israels (Falashas) Part 1 , Our tormented story

According to the famous historian Dr. Lapso G Delebo , It has been proven that the 'falasha' people; were an already recognized group in the pre-Christian Axumites (Before 330 AD). Documents written in Greek and Ge'ez languages mention these people and their land by the name "SIMIEN"; a sovereign state existing in the estimated time between 300 until 1632 Gregorian Calendar. These people and state fought for their survival with the neighborhood states; geographically located between Tekeze and Abay Rivers. After having a devastating war with Atse Yis'haq (1414-1429) for independence and other reasons, these people got the label "FALASHA", the word meaning Migrant, New comer or Strangers by their political and land rivals. Eventually, they began to call themselves as "Jews" and "Bete-Esra'els", with the two alternative names.
So many things happened in this vast time of history, but so much of our history is missing because of various factors, and we are unfortunate to identify exactly what happened in our past. One of the missing years in the region's history is the time between 320 and 1332 (i.e. for 1000 years) where ‘nonentity’ is known about the "Falasha" people within these years, in terms of historical facts. According to Dr. Lapso, within this long millennium, two major events happened. In one side, because of the Greeko-Romans preaching of the Bible in Ethiopia, the north pagan neighborhood and inter-related people of Axum-Tigre, Simien-Falasha, Agaw-Amhara caused a history of religious-cultural inter assimilation process. These people adopted the ancient Middle Eastern Jewish history and culture with the Genesis belief because of the influence of their religion (The new Christianity) and incorporated it with their own beliefs. Secondly, the fall of the Axumite Kingdom, which was substituted by the 'Zagwe' dynasity (The then meaning in Ge'ez was 'Ze-Agaw'. The exact historical institution of the statehood, its development process is not identified until present date.
Despite the fact of the native ness of the Simien-Falasha people and state mentioned previously, several local and foreign writers raise the history of the 'Falasha' name and history, basing their theory to strengthen the belief that;
1. According to the Kibre-Nagast legend, Orit (Old Testament) religion used to exist among the Jewish-Falasha before Christianity materialized in Ethiopia.
2. To emphasize the accusation that the “cruel” Falasha Woman leader Yodit (Gudit) burnt and destroyed Axum; and
3. To answer the other questions how? When? And who founded the Zagwe dynansity after Gudit destroyed the Axumites.

However, since the 1950s, serious archaeological studies are being carried out disclosing each time more and more of the fact that THERE WAS NO ANY MONOTHEISTIC (ORIT/JUDAISM) RELIGION AND TEACHING IN THE DA'AMAT-AXUM STATE AND PLACE BEFORE THE COMING OF CHRISTIANITY IN THE 330S BY GREEKO-ROMANS TO THE REGION.
Secondly, Both Christianity and Orit Religions arrived in Ethiopia after 330, written in Greek-Ge'ez, solely through the Bible media.
The third and most important thing to realize is that the ancient indigenous people who lived in the North-Highland area, called SIMIEN/FALASHA, accepted the Orit Belief in GE'EZ LANGUAGE media between 550-1270 years from the new book called "Kebra-Nagast" and the then teachers and Monasteries of the Orthodox Monotheistic church called "Aeostatians". This is easily understandable by any logical thinker who studied the available sources of data of that time.
Fourth: One reason why the Falashas were rescued from a total extermination and spared their survival with their Orit religion was the war between Atse Susneous/ Jesuits and the revolts of the Damot, Agaw, Tigre, and Amhara peasants (1616-1632) struggle and victory. This in another way shows that there was not war due to ethnic, and religious differences and could be regarded as strong evidence about the strength of bond between the different ethnic groups of the regions.
Fifth: After Atse Susneous defeated the rebellion of the Simien/ Falasha people revolt and made them tributary and slaves, between 1616-1632, the strategic geographical area of their land found between the Tekeze and Abay Gorges became the economic and political center for the new Gondarian empire. Therefore, the ancient Simien/Falasha social group is the basis and source for the current Amhara people historical and political development.
Sixth: When Atse Susneous gave Simien/Falasha people the choice between death and being babtized to be Christians in 1616, "Many Falashas eventually were converted and became Christians", according to the then palace spokesperson Tekle Sellasies's* records. Within this Solomonian governing dynasty, many Simien/Falasha people changed their names and religion and became Christians and Gondarians. Others became mixed up with their associated people of Agaw, Tigre, and Amharas in language as well as culture.
Seventh: those who persisted on retaining their religion after the declaration of 1616 were displaced from their lands and were moved to specified areas and villages. These people who call themselves "Bet Israels"; displaced Simien/Falashas survived to our time being engaged in Some agriculture, pottery, woodcraft, blacksmithing, hide works, weaving, for around four centuries. Because of their long, but deliberate isolation, others alienated them; different names given to them as Te'ib, Buda (one with the evil eyes), magicians, and other cursing and undermining labels. To our time, these people became one special religious and crafts-people caste.
Lastly, in the 1980s, Ethiopian "Bet Israels" migrated to Israel/Palestine after long years of strong religious and political oppressions by their own brothers.

Conclusion
What we can only understand from the above short summery about the history of the Simien/Falasha is an example and expression of the prolonged oppression the Ethiopian people passed through by the Monarchy rulers of this Country. By this reality, the recent migration and residency of the 60,000 plus Ethiopian Falashas in Israel is not the end of the story since throughout history inter migrations and mixing of these people with the rest of other Ethiopians in this vast period of time, had already bonded them with the nation by blood and bone.
Queen Mintwab, Dejach Wube, Atse Tewodros and Qween Taitu etc; Ethiopia's great leaders and personalities somehow are the products of this ancient and indigenous family and people.
References:
1. Dr Lapso Ge.Delebo, "Historical foundations and evidences on Ethiopia.
2. Hess, "Falasha History"
3. Tekle Sellasie; " The story of Susnious"

End of Part One