FOR ME, THE search for Betä Ǝsraʾel monastic centres andfor a better understanding of Betä Ǝsraʾel monasticismhas been an awe-inspiring journey, in both the figurative and the literalsense of the term. It entailed moving encounters, adventurous treks throughthe mountains and a true spirit of discovery shared by all those involved.And throughout the endeavour an awareness of the speed in which BetäƎsraʾel heritage is being forgotten, and the true satisfactionof being able to hold on to vanishing aspects, so to speak, and preservetheir memory for future generations.

A famous Hebrew proverb, coined by Tchernichovsky (1937, 52–54),states that “man is but an image of his native landscape.” Thelandscape in which the Betä Ǝsraʾel lived, and thematerial environment they created within it, are sources of paramountimportance for understanding Betä Ǝsraʾel society priorto the emigration to Israel. Inte-grating these sources into the field ofBetä Ǝsraʾel studies will enable us to view BetäƎsraʾel life in Ethiopia in a richer and more complex way thanever before. In the attempt to identify and understand BetäƎsraʾel sites, the material remains cannot stand alone. It isonly by examining all available sources relating to a site—textual,oral, and material—and by examining the sites in their geographicaland cultural contexts, that these sites and the way of life of thoseinhabiting them can truly be understood.

To truly understand Betä Ǝsraʾel monasticism (andindeed, many other aspects of Betä Ǝsraʾel religiouslife), one must recognize that preconceptions regarding Jew-ish practicesand Jewish–Christian relations prevalent in the West do notnecessarily apply in Ethiopia. Past studies have pointed to the sharedheritage of the Betä Ǝsraʾel and the Ethiopian OrthodoxChristians and have focused on the ways this heritage and other religiouselements came into being. This study focuses rather on how the religiousinstitutions of the Betä Ǝsraʾel were shaped to servethis community's unique needs and identity. Monasticism was a commonelement in the Ethiopian Highlands, a means of freeing individuals fromworldly concerns, enabling them to act in the public and reli-gious spheres.It provided the Betä Ǝsraʾel with the means to developand sustain their religious tradition and enabled them to withstand, as acommunity, the many challenges they faced.