Our Mission

The BINA Cultural Foundation, Inc. is committed to

…Fostering the continuity of the Ethiopian Jewish (Beta Israel) cultural heritage and promoting understanding of its traditions and history among Jews and non-Jews.

…Empowering Ethiopian Jews in the United States, Israel, and Ethiopia.

…Providing assistance to Ethiopian Jews who come to the U.S.

…Serving as a bridge between the Jewish, Ethiopian, and African-American communities.

…Working for greater understanding and inclusiveness among ethnic groups within the Jewish community.

BINA's Vision

BINA is an initiative by us to empower us…

BINA envisions Ethiopian Jews as an integral component of the Jewish people and works to ensure that their voices will be included in the Jewish community and add to the diversity of the Jewish people. BINA works for greater understanding and integration among ethnic groups within the Jewish community and beyond.

Since our establishment in 2003, we have worked to educate both the Jewish community and members of other communities about Ethiopian Jewish culture and history through our public programs, have provided resources for Ethiopian Jewish immigrants to the U.S., and have served as an advocate for Ethiopian Jews within the American Jewish community.

In addition, our aim is to provide an inclusive understanding of the Beta Israel community, and we welcome working with organizations both within and without the Jewish community to foster understanding and awareness of our culture and history.

Highlights of our activities:

BINA’s Annual Sheba Film Festival is now in its 8th year and is the only film festival of its kind in the U.S. This cultural extravaganza introduces the general public to films, artistic exhibitions and panel discussions about the history, culture, and life experiences of Ethiopian Jews.
BINA organizes Ethiopian Shabbat dinners, Sigd celebrations, Hannukah parties, and Passover seders at synagogues and community centers in the New York area and beyond.
BINA conducts cultural showcases. In the past, these have included an Ethiopian coffee ceremony at the UJA of Northern New Jersey’s Great Jewish Wedding Event, at the Bergen County Y, in June 2007. The event celebrated the culture and traditions of Jews from India, Morocco, Yemen and Ethiopia.
In December 2007, BINA participated in the Seventh Annual Interfaith Holiday Celebration at Marcus Garvey Park, lighting the menorah and teaching audience members Hannukah songs.

In the News

7th Annual Sheba Film Festival in Full Swing at Tadias Magazine - May 11, 2010

New York (Tadias) – The 7th Annual Sheba Film Festival opened this past week in New York City. The annual event, organized by The BINA Cultural Foundation, showcases a diverse array of Ethiopia-related films from around the globe.

http://www.tadias.com/05/11/2010/7th-annual-sheba-film-festival-in-full-swing/

7th Annual Sheba Film Festival | TsehaiNY.com - April 22, 2010

http://tsehainy.com/?p=904

The Jewish Week Newspaper Features Beejhy Barhany - May 4, 2009

by Carolyn Slutsky By the time she was 7, Beejhy Barhany had fled her native Ethiopia, walking with her family and 300 villagers to Sudan, where they started a new life. After a few years they left again, this time taking a Jeep through the jungles of Kenya, on to Uganda, France and finally to Israel, which even at that young age she remembers was “like fulfilling a dream after exile.”

http://www.tadias.com/2009/05/01/the-jewish-week-newspaper-features-beejhy-barhany/

6th Annual Sheba Film Festival Highlights Legacy of ethiopian Jews and More - April 17, 2009

Tadias Magazine By Tadias Staff Published: Friday, April 17, 2009 New York (Tadias) - Now in its sixth year, the Sheba Film Festival is set to begin on May 6th in New York. The annual event organized by BINA Cultural Foundation Inc, primarily focuses on movies that pay homage to the rich legacy of Ethiopian Jews as well as the global Jewish and Ethiopian communities

http://www.tadias.com/2009/04/17/6th-sheba-film-festival-highlights-legacy-of-ethiopian-jews-and-more/

Tadias’ 20 Favorite People of the Year - December 29, 2008

By Tadias Staff Published: Monday, December 29, 2008 New York (Tadias) - Here are our 20 favorite people of the year we interviewed and/or featured their work in 2008. We look forward to 2009. Happy New Year!

http://www.tadias.com/2008/12/29/tadias-20-favorite-people-of-the-year/

Top 10 Events of 2008 Covered by Tadias - December 25, 2008

Year in Review by The Tadias Team Published: Thursday, December 25, 2008 New York: (Tadias) - The following are our top ten favorite Ethiopian-American related events that we attended and/or featured in 2008. We wish all our readers "Happy Holidays!" We look forward to the New Year, and to continue highlighting events and personalities that make ours one of the most vibrant immigrant communities in the country. Happy New Year from all of us at Tadias.com! Counting down the Top 10 Events of 2008 at Tadias.com

http://www.tadias.com/2008/12/25/top-10-events-of-2008-covered-by-tadias/

Ethiopia @2000 Photography Exhibition. Tadias - June 26, 2008

By Tadias Staff Published: Thursday, June 26, 2008 New York (Tadias) - The final event of the Ethiopian Millennium Celebration Series hosted by the Beta Israel of North America foundation will include a presentation of photography by Ethiopian and American photographers at the State Building in Harlem, NY, Friday night. The photographs presented in this exhibition were taken by five professional photographers, each devoted to documenting and representing Ethiopian culture in Ethiopia, Israel, and the United States. The photographs represent a wide spectrum of artistic styles and subjects.

http://www.tadias.com/?p=1993

Ethiopia - The King Who Granted Asylum to the Family of the Prophet Mohammad - June 24, 2008

By Tadias Staff Published: Tuesday June 24, 2008 New York (Tadias) - This past Sunday, at Harlem's Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, a panel discussion entitled "Ethiopia: The Three Faiths" attracted a diverse and large audience. The event hosted by Beta Israel of North America foundation began with cultural dances from the Indian subcontinent and an Ethiopian dance troupe called Keremela.

http://nazret.com/blog/index.php?title=ethiopia_the_king_who_granted_asylum_to_&more=1&c=1&tb=1&pb=1

Sheba Ethiopian Jewish Film Festival. Kulanu - June 15, 2008

The 5th Annual Sheba Film Festival took place on June 15 at the Manhattan JCC by celebrating the lives of Ethiopian Jews in Ethiopia and Israel through film. The films represented a diverse crossspectrum of Jewish and Ethiopian life.

http://kulanu.org/newsletters/2008-summer.pdf

The Ethiopian Millennium Celebration Continues… Tsehainy - June 6, 2008

While the official Ethiopian Millennium fell on September 11, 2007, nine months later, the celebration is far from being over. Ethiopians filled the intimate Joe’s Pub located on 425 Lafayette Street in New York on Saturday May 31st for the Ethiopian Millennium Celebration Concert.

http://tsehainy.com/Millinniumcelebration.html

New York to Celebrate Ethiopian Millennium. Tadias - May 12, 2008

New York (Tadias) - New Yorkers will mark the Ethiopian Millennium in the city this summer with a series of high profile events that include a concert, a photography exhibition, a film festival and a panel discussion.

http://www.tadias.com/?p=1759

Ethiopian-Israeli Play Makes U.S. Splash. Tadias - May 5, 2008

New York (Tadias) - An Ethiopian-Israeli play, based on a true story told from a perspective of a ten-year-old boy named Andargay, is making the rounds in the United States in conjunction with Israel’s 60th anniversary. I managed to catch One of a Kind at the New Victory Theater in New York.

http://www.tadias.com/?p=1736

“Starbucks, eat your heart out,” - October 17, 2007

BINA holds a Shabbat service at the Village Temple, including an Ethiopian coffee ceremony.

http://thevillager.com/villager_233/starbuckseatyour.html

“Report from the Sheba Film Festival,” Tadias - June 13, 2007

A description of BINA, its mission, and activities.

http://www.tadias.com/?p=616

“Introducing BINA: Ethiopian Jewish U.S. Organization,” Kulanu, - January 1, 2005

A description of BINA, its mission, and activities.

www.kulanu.org/newsletters/2006-winter.pdf

“Harlem’s Ethiopian Renaissance,” The Jewish Week - August 27, 2004

A report from the 1st annual Sheba Film Festival.