Secret Chord Concerts: Gili Yalo Ethiofunk Concert and Sigd Celebration

Join The Weitzman for an unforgettable evening of live music with Gili Yalo, one of Isreal’s most distinctive, contemporary musicians. With his full band behind him, guitar, bass, and drums, Gili brings an electrifying sound that blends psychedelic, soul, funk, jazz, and roots music together and crawls into the musical traditions of Israel and Ethiopia. Gili sings in Amharic, Hebrew, and English, embodying the journey he, his family, and thousands of other Ethiopian Jews made from East Africa to Israel during Operation Moses in 1984.

Experience Gili Yalo live with his full band for one night, only at The Weitzman. On the eve of Sigd, there is no better way to celebrate Ethiopian Jewish identity, music, culture, and history than together at The Weitzman. Join us for another unforgettable event as our Year of Jewish Joy continues.

Wear white to this event, as many Ethiopian Jews in Israel do when celebrating the holiday of Sigd!

More about Gili

Gili Yalo is one of the most intriguing musicians in the music scene in Israel. Gili combines Ethiopian roots with Soul, Funk, Psychedelic and Jazz music. Gili Yalo incorporates sounds from traditional Ethiopian music into a contemporary music production. The result is an exceptional, rich, vivid melody accompanied by Gili’s unique voice with lyrics in both English and Amharic. 

 The music made by Gili Yalo embodies his own personal story, which inspired the rhythm and flow of the whole project. And what a story he has to tell: Operation Moses was the covert evacuation of Ethiopian Jews from Sudan during a famine in 1984. These Ethiopian Jews fled from their native land on foot to refugee camps in Sudan.

Together with his family, Gili Yalo made this perilous trip, walked through the desert towards the “Promised Land” and sang to his beloved ones. In the course of this exhausting and emotional journey, the music encouraged Gili and his family to keep on moving. 

Gili Yalo’s band is made up of five musicians, including guitar, bass, keyboard, drums, and trumpet. An entrancing rhythmic motion is apparent when listening to Gili’s music, from the groove, beat and flow, and up to the lyrics, concept and style of the project. Today Gili Yalo’s music gives a new meaning to traditional Ethiopian music. The expression of his story through an advanced music production represents his own personal triumph.

Gili’s debut album received worldwide attention and high critical praise internationally. After the release Gili Yalo has been touring and performing on the some of the biggest stages and festivals around the world. 

In 2019 Gili collaborated with Grammy Awards nominees “Niles City Sound” to create his exciting EP “Made in Amharica”. The songs are a collaboration between Gili and Dallas-based musicians in the high-end, vintage-equipped Niles City Sound recording studios in Fort Worth.

What is Sigd? 

Sigd is an Ethiopian-Jewish holiday celebrating faith, community, renewal, and the historical connection between Ethiopian Jews and Jerusalem. Sigd means “prostration” in Ge’ez, an ancient Ethiopian liturgical language and is related to the Aramaic word “sigd” translating “to prostrate oneself.” Historically, Ethiopian Jews marked the holiday by renewing a covenant between God and the Jewish people and praying for a return to Jerusalem. Sigd is a day to “stop and [celebrate] a dream that has come true”, according to Ethiopian Israeli musician, Avi Wogderas Wassa. “[Our] ancestors prayed for generations for our return to Jerusalem and we have fulfilled this dream.”

How is Sigd Celebrated in Israel? 

The Ethiopian Jewish community, primarily located in Israel, marks this holiday by gathering at the Western Wall, celebrating the return to their ancestral homeland, and educating all Israelis about Ethiopian Jewish history and culture. It is celebrated for the entire month prior to the 19th of Cheshvan, as a time to explore the rich Jewish heritage of Ethiopia. The State of Israel recognized Sigd as a national holiday in 2008. This brought more recognition to the traditions, history, and communal celebrations while honoring generations of Ethiopian Jews in Israel.

When is Sigd Celebrated? 

The Ethiopian Jewish community celebrates Sigd 50 days after Yom Kippur. Sigd in 2026 begins at sunset on Sunday, November 8th, and ends on the evening of Monday November 9th.

What are the Traditions of Sigd? 

Traditionally, Sigd was observed through fasting, ritual bathing, prayer, and wearing white clothing as a symbol of purity and renewal. Ethiopian Jewish community leaders would ascend a mountain, symbolizing Mount Sinai, and read from the Orit, a sacred text containing translations of biblical books into Ge’ez. These traditions reflect the holiday’s renewal, community, remembrance, and the long connection between Ethiopian Jews and Jerusalem.

What is Operation Moses and How is it Connected to Gili Yalo? 

Operation Moses was a historic 1984 effort that brought thousands of Ethiopian Jews from Sudan to Israel. Many Ethiopian Jewish families had made a dangerous journey on foot from Ethiopia to refugee camps in Sudan, driven by generations-long dream of reaching Jerusalem and building a new life in Israel.

Gili Yalo and his family were part of this historic journey, reflected in his craft. As a young child, Gili traveled with his family from Ethiopia toward Israel, an experience that would later become an important influence on his identity and music. During his journey, his family sang traditional Ethiopian songs to maintain a sense of connection to home.

Today, Gili Yalo brings that history into his work as an Ethiopian Israeli musician. Experience that story through music when Gili Yalo performs live in Philadelphia at The Weitzman on the eve of Sigd, an Ethiopian Jewish holiday celebrating community, heritage, and the historic connection to Jerusalem.

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