Nagast is not merely a literary work, but it is the repository of Ethiopian national and religious feelings.”

The case of the Falash Mura demonstrates the importance of a contested Jewish identity that tran-scends race and emphasizes preference for certain traits over others within the ethnic group.  Ethiopian nationals constitute groups left behind following the 1991 airlift of over 14,000 Falash (Ethiopian) Jews to Israel because they were designated by the Israeli government as descendants of converts and therefore not authentic Jews. The Falash Mura have long claimed to be part of the Beta Israel community of Ethiopian Jews. Their ancestors converted to Christ-ianity, but today many of them claim their right to “return to Judaism” in the context of a mass migration to Israel.

Despite...

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