Kes Tsehaye Tegegne

Father's name: Tegegne Goangol

Mother's name: Everesh Ababa

Year of birth: 1971

Place of birth: Wakeit-Thajedia, Wegera

Region in Ethiopia: Welkait

Main occupation in Ethiopia: Spiritual leader

The language of the interview: Amharic

Kes Tsehaye Tegegne, nature, agriculture, shepherding, Ardit, Kes, religion, Aba Baruch, studies, school, Ge’ez, Amharic, holy books, examination, Psalms, Dawit, blacksmithing, immigration to Israel, forced conscription, dikon, spiritual leader, synagogue, Christians, Derg, Wakeit-Thajedia, Wegera, Welkait, Sudan, Gondar, Dabat, Bankar, Chila.

Summary of the testimony:

Kes Tsehaye talks about his family tree and family pedigree. He talks at length about the book of Ardit that belonged to his great grandfather, Kes Aba Baruch. He describes his village and its local history.

As a child, he herded sheep and cattle, but was drawn to religious books. He thought he could learn from them and become a Kes, like his grandfather. One day when he was nine, while he was herding cattle, one of the cows slipped and fell next to a place where a teacher had set up a classroom and was teaching his students. Kes Tsehaye joined them. There he learned to read and write in Ge’ez and Amharic. After studying for two years, he passed the examination of reciting Dawit (Pslams) in Ge’ez and explaining them in Amharic.

When he completed his studies, he returned to his family and learned to be a blacksmith. He heard that he could learn from a great Kes who lived in the province of Welkait. He also heard that it might be possible to travel from there to Israel via Sudan. He decided to leave his parents and live with his brother in Welkait. He worked with his brother as a blacksmith and studied with the Kes in the mornings and evenings. After studying for a year, Kes Tsehaye returned to his parents’ village, accompanied by the Kes who taught him.

When he heard that his friends were planning to continue their religious studies in Gondar, he ran away from home and joined a convoy of merchants who took him to Dabat. In Dabat, they managed to avoid the Derg soldiers, who were forcing people to enlist in the army. Kes Tsehaye met a commander in the Derg army named Ezra Mamu, who helped him and introduced him to the head Kes of the area, Kes Menashe.

Kes Tsehaye was accepted as Kes Menashe’s pupil and as a member of his household. Kes Tsehaye worked Kes Menashe’s land for three years, during which he completed his religious studies. He describes the time he stayed there, his various jobs, and his studies. He talks about polemics with the Christian religious leaders regarding which religion is correct and true. Kes Tsehaye says that Kes Menashe always managed to persuade his opponents that the Beta Israel were correct. At the end of his studies, he was ordained as a dikona, pending marriage, after which he could serve as a Kes. Kes Tsehaye explains the role of a diokana and his ordination ceremony.

After his ordination as a dikona, he began to serve as a spiritual leader in the synagogue of the ORT organization in the village of Bankar Chila, close to Dabat. He stayed there and helped the local Kes. Under pressure from his parents, he asked to return to their village, Thajedia. In Thajedia, he resumed his studies with his first teacher, Kes Senbata, and continued as his student for another ten years.

When he returned to his parents’ village, Kes Tsehaye got married. This allowed him to be ordained as a Kes. He details the traditions and customs connected to the wedding ceremony and the ordination ceremony as a Kes. After he was ordained, Kes Tsehaye served the public as a spiritual leader on special events and dates such as weddings, mourning, days of prayer, and so forth.