{"id":1233,"date":"2017-11-15T13:35:11","date_gmt":"2017-11-15T18:35:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/kulanuarchive.kulanu.org\/?page_id=1233"},"modified":"2022-10-15T20:50:11","modified_gmt":"2022-10-16T00:50:11","slug":"uganda","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/kulanu.org\/archive\/communities\/uganda\/","title":{"rendered":"Uganda &#8211; Abayudaya"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class='content-column two_third'><figure id=\"attachment_1447\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-1447\" style=\"width: 640px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"wp-image-1447 size-large\" src=\"https:\/\/kulanu.org\/archive\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/ABA-40-Chaya-Weinstein-3-Abayudaya-children-1024x678.jpg\" alt=\"Uganda kulanu\" width=\"640\" height=\"424\" srcset=\"https:\/\/kulanu.org\/archive\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/ABA-40-Chaya-Weinstein-3-Abayudaya-children-1024x678.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/kulanu.org\/archive\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/ABA-40-Chaya-Weinstein-3-Abayudaya-children-300x199.jpg 300w, https:\/\/kulanu.org\/archive\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/ABA-40-Chaya-Weinstein-3-Abayudaya-children-768x509.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-1447\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Photo by Chaya Weinstein<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h2>Useful Resources:<\/h2>\n<h3>Newsletters<\/h3>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/kulanu.org\/archive\/hadassah-primary-school-newsletter\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Fall 2019<\/a><\/p>\n<h3 id=\"multimedia\">Photos, Videos, and Music<\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=22WBTqTBe10\">ONLINE SPEAKER SERIES: Woman Entrepreneurs of Uganda<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/kulanu.smugmug.com\/Timeless\/Kulanu-Abayudaya-Slideshow\/i-zVBJtTT\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Kulanu&#8217;s Abayudaya slideshow<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=__z2gaKxLOw&amp;list=PLE6F2E06539F0D861\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Kulanu&#8217;s Abayudaya playlist<\/a>\u00a0on Youtube<\/li>\n<li>Footage from <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=NcX_dVPEUxQ&amp;list=PLAbG6QSx00AtUzA1vSwBfOYkAOT1ejJmM\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Kulanu&#8217;s first mission to Uganda<\/a> in 1995<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/kulanu.org\/archive\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/Abayudaya-Psalms-in-Luganda.pdf\">Abayudaya Psalms in Luganda<\/a>\u00a0in .pdf file<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/youtube.com\/watch?v=Madn_M_oOrI\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><em>The Schools of the Abayudaya Jews<\/em><\/a>\u00a0a five-minute video by Gabriel Molton in connection with Jemglo.org (2007)<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.kulanuboutique.com\/abayudaya-uganda\/\">Purchase CD&#8217;s of Abayudaya music<\/a> in the Kulanu Boutique!<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<figure style=\"width: 132px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.kulanuboutique.com\/servlet\/Categories?category=Abayudaya+%2F+Uganda\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><img loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/kulanu.org\/archive\/wp-content\/uploads\/uganda\/lechadodi.jpg\" alt=\"image: Abayudaya Lecha Dodi CD\" width=\"132\" height=\"117\" \/><\/a><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Lech Dodi CD<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h3>Articles and Links<\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li>\n<p class=\"p1\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.jta.org\/2022\/10\/07\/ny\/a-ugandan-rabbinical-student-in-nyc-writes-a-kids-book-about-her-favorite-jewish-holiday\">A Ugandan rabbinical student in NYC writes a kids\u2019 book about her favorite Jewish holiday<\/a>, Julia Gergely (2022)<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.brandeis.edu\/jewish-experience\/alumni-friends\/2022\/june\/abayudaya-uganda-jews.html\">A Ugandan Jewish Wedding<\/a>, Rebecca Ottinger (2022)<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/jewishjournal.org\/2021\/08\/12\/how-to-hatch-a-jewish-chicken-farm-in-uganda\/\">How to hatch a Jewish chicken farm in Uganda<\/a>, Mark Gelfand (2021)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3 id=\"work\">Kulanu&#8217;s Work with the Abayudaya<\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2017\/09\/22\/fashion\/jewish-weddings-in-uganda.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">A Chorus of Mazel Tovs in Uganda<\/a>, Merissa Nathan Gerson (2017)<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/kulanu.org\/archive\/communities\/uganda\/computer-lab\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">The Hadassah Primary School Computer Lab Needs Your Help<\/a>\u00a0(2017)<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/kulanu.org\/archive\/communities\/brazil\/tzidkaniot-righteous-women-kulanu-communities\/\">The Tzidkaniot: Righteous Women of Kulanu Communities<\/a>, Bonita Sussman (2016)<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/kulanu.org\/archive\/communities\/lemba\/bci-kulanu-partnership-source-learning-joy-power-may-2016\/\">The BCI &#8211; Kulanu Partnership: A Source of Learning, Joy, and Power<\/a>, Rabbi Barbara Aiello (2016)<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.timesofisrael.com\/in-uganda-coffee-co-op-blends-jewish-muslim-and-christian-farmers\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">In Uganda, coffee coop blends Jewish, Muslim and Christian Farmers<\/a>\u00a0by Melanie Lidman, November 17, 2014 (links to the Times of Israel website)<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/kulanu.org\/archive\/communities\/uganda\/whats-happening-africa-cameroon-kenya-ghana-uganda-zimbabwe-august-2013\/\">What&#8217;s Happening in Africa: Cameroon, Kenya, Ghana, Uganda, Zimbabwe\u00a0<\/a>by Judy Manelis (2013)<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/kulanu.org\/archive\/communities\/uganda\/changing-lives-deaf-children\/\">Changing the Lives of Deaf Children<\/a>\u00a0Judy Manelis (2012)<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/kulanu.org\/archive\/communities\/uganda\/kulanu-and-the-abayudaya\/\">Kulanu and the Abayudaya: An Overview<\/a>\u00a0Katie Rosenthal (2012)<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/kulanu.org\/archive\/communities\/uganda\/two-worlds-meet-uganda\/\">Two Worlds Meet in Uganda<\/a>\u00a0Judy Manelis (2011)<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/kulanu.org\/archive\/communities\/uganda\/promising-anti-poverty-project-initiated-abayudaya-village-namutumba\/\">Promising Anti-Poverty Project Initiated in Abayudaya Village of Namutumba<\/a>\u00a0Barbara Vinick (2011)<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/kulanu.org\/archive\/communities\/uganda\/problem-solved\/\">Problem Solved!<\/a>\u00a0(2011)<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/kulanu.org\/archive\/communities\/uganda\/ground-kulanu-abayudaya-education-economic-development\/\">From the Ground Up: Kulanu-Abayudaya Education and Economic Development<\/a>\u00a0Laura Wetzler (2010)<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/kulanu.org\/archive\/communities\/uganda\/delicious-peace-spreads-poorest-villages\/\">Delicious Peace Spreads to Poorest Villages<\/a>\u00a0Laura Wetzler (2009)<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/kulanu.org\/archive\/communities\/uganda\/abayudaya-update-trip-report\/\">Abayudaya Update: Trip Report<\/a>\u00a0Laura Wetzler (2008)<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/kulanu.org\/archive\/communities\/uganda\/lots-exciting-news-uganda\/\">Lots of Exciting News from Uganda<\/a>\u00a0Laura Wetzler (2007)<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/kulanu.org\/archive\/communities\/uganda\/2006-mitzvah-tour-uganda-joy-work\/\">It Is a Joy to Do This Work<\/a>\u00a0Laura Wetzler (2006)<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/kulanu.org\/archive\/communities\/uganda\/teaching-childbirth-uganda\/\">Teaching About Childbirth in Uganda (Again)<\/a>\u00a0Anne Katz-Jacobson (2007)<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/kulanu.org\/archive\/communities\/uganda\/mayim-chaim-water-life\/\">Mayim Chayim: Water is Life!<\/a>\u00a0Laura Wetzler (2006)<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/kulanu.org\/archive\/communities\/uganda\/mirembe-kawomera-multi-faith-coffee-project\/\">The\u00a0<em>&#8220;Mirembe Kawomera&#8221;<\/em>\u00a0Multi-faith Coffee Project<\/a>\u00a0(2005)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3 id=\"history\">Abayudaya History<\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.tabletmag.com\/news-and-politics\/62881\/election\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Election Part 1<\/a>\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/www.tabletmag.com\/news-and-politics\/63029\/election-2\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Part 2<\/a>\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/www.tabletmag.com\/news-and-politics\/62761\/rabbi-run\/\">Rabbi, Run<\/a>\u00a0Matthew Fishbane,\u00a0<em>Tablet Magazine<\/em>\u00a0(2011)<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/kulanu.org\/archive\/communities\/uganda\/kulanu-mbales-jews\/\">Mbale&#8217;s Jews<\/a>\u00a0H. Lunega (2001)<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/kulanu.org\/archive\/communities\/uganda\/genesis-abayudaya-community\/\">The Genesis of the Abayudaya Community<\/a>\u00a0J. J. Keki (2001)<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/kulanu.org\/archive\/communities\/uganda\/profile-leader-jj-keki\/\">Portrait of a Leader: J.J. Keki<\/a>\u00a0K. Primack (1999)<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/kulanu.org\/archive\/communities\/uganda\/semei-kakungulu-jewish-warrior\/\">Semei Kakungulu, Jewish Warrior?<\/a>\u00a0I. Berg (1995)<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org\/jsource\/Judaism\/uganda1.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">A History of the Abayudaya Jews of Uganda<\/a>\u00a0A. Oded\u00a0<em>(website link)<\/em><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3 id=\"volunteers\">Kulanu Volunteers and Others Visit the Abayudaya<\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/kulanu.org\/archive\/communities\/uganda\/jewish-journey-uganda-urj-camp-coleman-2015\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">A Jewish Journey from Uganda to URJ Camp Coleman<\/a>\u00a0by Rabbi Noam Katz, MAJE, the Dean of Jewish Living at The Leo Baeck Day School in Toronto, Ontario (2015)<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.npr.org\/templates\/story\/story.php?storyId=89785604?storyId=89785604\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Celebrating Passover with Uganda&#8217;s Jews<\/a>\u00a0Jocelyn Frank (2008)<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/kulanu.org\/archive\/communities\/uganda\/dvar-torah-bar-mitzvah-speech\/\">My D&#8217;Var Torah (Bar Mitzvah Speech) in Uganda<\/a>\u00a0Zak Cohen (2007)<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/kulanu.org\/archive\/communities\/uganda\/kulanu-reprise-visit-uganda\/\">My Reprise Visit to Uganda<\/a>\u00a0Lynne Elson (2007)<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/kulanu.org\/archive\/communities\/uganda\/passion-young-volunteer\/\">The Passion of a Young Volunteer<\/a>\u00a0Max Yadin (2006)<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/kulanu.org\/archive\/communities\/uganda\/wetzler-receives-rare-award\/\">Wetzler Receives Rare Award<\/a>\u00a0(2006)<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/kulanu.org\/archive\/communities\/uganda\/rabbi-worch-visits-abayudaya-part\/\">Rabbi Worch Visits the Abayudaya, Part 1: Another Traveler to Uganda<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/kulanu.org\/archive\/communities\/uganda\/rabbi-worch-visits-abayudaya-part-ii\/\">Rabbi Worch Visits the Abayudaya, Part 2: Shabbes Cholent in Uganda?<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/kulanu.org\/archive\/communities\/uganda\/visiting-ugandan-miracle\/\">Visiting the Ugandan Miracle<\/a>\u00a0K. Primack (1995)<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/kulanu.org\/archive\/communities\/uganda\/women-women-uganda\/\">Women to Women in Uganda<\/a>\u00a0R. Posner (1995)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3 id=\"world\">The Abayudaya and the Larger Jewish World<\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/kulanu.org\/archive\/wp-content\/uploads\/KULANU-Serving-emerging-Jewish-communities.pdf\">KULANU- Serving emerging Jewish communities<\/a> by Molly Levine, Deputy Director of Kulanu &#8211; OHR L&#8217;naorrr (Spring 2021)<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/kulanu.org\/archive\/communities\/uganda\/jewish-journey-uganda-urj-camp-coleman-2015\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">A Jewish Journey from Uganda to URJ Camp Coleman<\/a>\u00a0by Rabbi Noam Katz, MAJE, the Dean of Jewish Living at The Leo Baeck Day School in Toronto, Ontario (2015)<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.timesofisrael.com\/in-rural-uganda-conservative-prayer-services-with-an-african-lilt\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">In rural Uganda, Conservative prayer services with an African lilt<\/a>\u00a0by Melanie Lidman, November 13, 2014 (links to the Times of Israel website)<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/kulanu.org\/archive\/communities\/uganda\/gershom-sizomus-year-israel-ugandan-jews-view-israel-promised-land\/\">Gershom Sizomu&#8217;s Year in Israel: A Ugandan Jew&#8217;s View of Israel as the Promised Land<\/a>\u00a0Hilary Leila Krieger (2005)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3 id=\"beitdin\">The Abayudaya Beit Din<\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/kulanu.org\/archive\/communities\/uganda\/contemplating-miracles-uganda\/\">Contemplating Miracles in Uganda<\/a>\u00a0Karen Primack (2002)<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/kulanu.org\/archive\/communities\/uganda\/rabbis-sermon-beit-din\/\">A Rabbi&#8217;s Sermon About the Beit Din<\/a>\u00a0Rabbi Scott Glass (2002)<\/li>\n<\/ul><\/div>\n<div class='content-column one_third last_column'><div style=\"padding-right:20px;padding-left:20px;\"><div class=\"textbox\">\n<p style=\"text-align: right;\">Abayudaya Congregation<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: right;\">Synagogues in villages: Nabugoye, Nasenyi, Namonyonyi, Namatumba, Nalubembe, Nangolo, Putti, and Apac<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: right;\">Near Mbale, except Apac<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: right;\">1500 adults and children<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: right;\">Official language: English<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: right;\">Local languages: Lugandu, Lugisu, and others<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: right;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/kulanu.org\/archive\/contact\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Contact Regional Coordinator<\/a><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: right;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/travel.state.gov\/content\/passports\/en\/country\/uganda.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">US State Dept Info<\/a><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: right;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/wwwnc.cdc.gov\/travel\/destinations\/traveler\/none\/uganda\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">CDC Traveler&#8217;s Health Info<\/a><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: right;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.cia.gov\/library\/publications\/the-world-factbook\/geos\/ug.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">CIA World Factbook<\/a><\/p><\/div><\/div><div class='clear_column'><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":114,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"page-template\/full-width.php","meta":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v18.3 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Uganda - Abayudaya - Kulanu<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"&nbsp;\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/kulanu.org\/archive\/communities\/uganda\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Uganda - Abayudaya - Kulanu\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"&nbsp;\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/kulanu.org\/archive\/communities\/uganda\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Kulanu\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/facebook.com\/kulanu\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2022-10-16T00:50:11+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/kulanu.org\/archive\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/ABA-40-Chaya-Weinstein-3-Abayudaya-children-1024x678.jpg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@kulanu_inc\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/kulanu.org\/archive\/#organization\",\"name\":\"Kulanu\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/kulanu.org\/archive\/\",\"sameAs\":[\"https:\/\/facebook.com\/kulanu\",\"https:\/\/instagram.com\/kulanu_inc\",\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/company\/529768\",\"https:\/\/youtube.com\/kulanuvideo\",\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/kulanu_inc\"],\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/kulanu.org\/archive\/#logo\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/kulanu.org\/archive\/wp-content\/uploads\/Kulanu-Site-Logo.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/kulanu.org\/archive\/wp-content\/uploads\/Kulanu-Site-Logo.png\",\"width\":188,\"height\":188,\"caption\":\"Kulanu\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/kulanu.org\/archive\/#logo\"}},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/kulanu.org\/archive\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/kulanu.org\/archive\/\",\"name\":\"Kulanu\",\"description\":\"Supporting isolated, returning, and emerging Jewish communities around the world\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/kulanu.org\/archive\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/kulanu.org\/archive\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":\"required name=search_term_string\"}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/kulanu.org\/archive\/communities\/uganda\/#primaryimage\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/kulanu.org\/archive\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/ABA-40-Chaya-Weinstein-3-Abayudaya-children.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/kulanu.org\/archive\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/ABA-40-Chaya-Weinstein-3-Abayudaya-children.jpg\",\"width\":4076,\"height\":2700,\"caption\":\"Igaal, 9 (left), Dafuna, 6 (center), and Simcha, 8 (right) pose with kippot and crocheted craft made by members of the community, 2003. Igaal and Dafuna are the children of Rabbi Gershom Sizomu and Tziporah Naisi. Simcha is the daughter of Hadassah Infant School Headmaster Aaron Kintu Moses, and Naume Sabano, President of the Abayudaya Women's Association. The Abayudaya are an African Jewish community in Uganda. \u00d2Abayudaya\u00d3 means \u00d2sons of Judah\u00d3 in Luganda, their native language. Their founder was Semei Kakungulu, a Ugandan governor who founded the town of Mbale, now the third largest city in Uganda. In 1917, he began to study the Bible with Christian missionaries, but was inspired by the study of Torah. By 1919, he and his followers, numbering 3,000, circumcised themselves and declared themselves to be Jews. They began to observe Shabbat and the festivals. In the 1920s, contact with two foreign traders expanded their knowledge of Hebrew law and language. Over the years, the Abayudaya faced many challenges, including the outlawing of Judaism and destruction of synagogues under the reign of terror of Idi Amin in the 1970s. Today, the Abayudaya are 600 strong, and continue to observe Shabbat, the festivals and fast days. They hold regular services in each of their six synagogues in Hebrew, English, and\/or Luganda, and read from the Torah. They follow the mitzvot, including the laws of kashrut. The community runs a Jewish primary and high school, and a Sunday yeshiva. In February, 2002, nearly 300 community members--whose Jewish ancestry often stemmed back four or five generations--had their status as Jews affirmed by a Beit Din from the United States.\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/kulanu.org\/archive\/communities\/uganda\/#webpage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/kulanu.org\/archive\/communities\/uganda\/\",\"name\":\"Uganda - Abayudaya - Kulanu\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/kulanu.org\/archive\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/kulanu.org\/archive\/communities\/uganda\/#primaryimage\"},\"datePublished\":\"2017-11-15T18:35:11+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2022-10-16T00:50:11+00:00\",\"description\":\"&nbsp;\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/kulanu.org\/archive\/communities\/uganda\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/kulanu.org\/archive\/communities\/uganda\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/kulanu.org\/archive\/communities\/uganda\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/kulanu.org\/archive\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Communities\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/kulanu.org\/archive\/communities\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":3,\"name\":\"Uganda &#8211; Abayudaya\"}]}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Uganda - Abayudaya - Kulanu","description":"&nbsp;","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/kulanu.org\/archive\/communities\/uganda\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Uganda - Abayudaya - Kulanu","og_description":"&nbsp;","og_url":"https:\/\/kulanu.org\/archive\/communities\/uganda\/","og_site_name":"Kulanu","article_publisher":"https:\/\/facebook.com\/kulanu","article_modified_time":"2022-10-16T00:50:11+00:00","og_image":[{"url":"https:\/\/kulanu.org\/archive\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/ABA-40-Chaya-Weinstein-3-Abayudaya-children-1024x678.jpg"}],"twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_site":"@kulanu_inc","twitter_misc":{"Est. reading time":"4 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/kulanu.org\/archive\/#organization","name":"Kulanu","url":"https:\/\/kulanu.org\/archive\/","sameAs":["https:\/\/facebook.com\/kulanu","https:\/\/instagram.com\/kulanu_inc","https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/company\/529768","https:\/\/youtube.com\/kulanuvideo","https:\/\/twitter.com\/kulanu_inc"],"logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/kulanu.org\/archive\/#logo","inLanguage":"en-US","url":"https:\/\/kulanu.org\/archive\/wp-content\/uploads\/Kulanu-Site-Logo.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/kulanu.org\/archive\/wp-content\/uploads\/Kulanu-Site-Logo.png","width":188,"height":188,"caption":"Kulanu"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/kulanu.org\/archive\/#logo"}},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/kulanu.org\/archive\/#website","url":"https:\/\/kulanu.org\/archive\/","name":"Kulanu","description":"Supporting isolated, returning, and emerging Jewish communities around the world","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/kulanu.org\/archive\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/kulanu.org\/archive\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":"required name=search_term_string"}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/kulanu.org\/archive\/communities\/uganda\/#primaryimage","inLanguage":"en-US","url":"https:\/\/kulanu.org\/archive\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/ABA-40-Chaya-Weinstein-3-Abayudaya-children.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/kulanu.org\/archive\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/ABA-40-Chaya-Weinstein-3-Abayudaya-children.jpg","width":4076,"height":2700,"caption":"Igaal, 9 (left), Dafuna, 6 (center), and Simcha, 8 (right) pose with kippot and crocheted craft made by members of the community, 2003. Igaal and Dafuna are the children of Rabbi Gershom Sizomu and Tziporah Naisi. Simcha is the daughter of Hadassah Infant School Headmaster Aaron Kintu Moses, and Naume Sabano, President of the Abayudaya Women's Association. The Abayudaya are an African Jewish community in Uganda. \u00d2Abayudaya\u00d3 means \u00d2sons of Judah\u00d3 in Luganda, their native language. Their founder was Semei Kakungulu, a Ugandan governor who founded the town of Mbale, now the third largest city in Uganda. In 1917, he began to study the Bible with Christian missionaries, but was inspired by the study of Torah. By 1919, he and his followers, numbering 3,000, circumcised themselves and declared themselves to be Jews. They began to observe Shabbat and the festivals. In the 1920s, contact with two foreign traders expanded their knowledge of Hebrew law and language. Over the years, the Abayudaya faced many challenges, including the outlawing of Judaism and destruction of synagogues under the reign of terror of Idi Amin in the 1970s. Today, the Abayudaya are 600 strong, and continue to observe Shabbat, the festivals and fast days. They hold regular services in each of their six synagogues in Hebrew, English, and\/or Luganda, and read from the Torah. They follow the mitzvot, including the laws of kashrut. The community runs a Jewish primary and high school, and a Sunday yeshiva. In February, 2002, nearly 300 community members--whose Jewish ancestry often stemmed back four or five generations--had their status as Jews affirmed by a Beit Din from the United States."},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/kulanu.org\/archive\/communities\/uganda\/#webpage","url":"https:\/\/kulanu.org\/archive\/communities\/uganda\/","name":"Uganda - Abayudaya - Kulanu","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/kulanu.org\/archive\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/kulanu.org\/archive\/communities\/uganda\/#primaryimage"},"datePublished":"2017-11-15T18:35:11+00:00","dateModified":"2022-10-16T00:50:11+00:00","description":"&nbsp;","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/kulanu.org\/archive\/communities\/uganda\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/kulanu.org\/archive\/communities\/uganda\/"]}]},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/kulanu.org\/archive\/communities\/uganda\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/kulanu.org\/archive\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Communities","item":"https:\/\/kulanu.org\/archive\/communities\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"Uganda &#8211; Abayudaya"}]}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/kulanu.org\/archive\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1233"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/kulanu.org\/archive\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/kulanu.org\/archive\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kulanu.org\/archive\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kulanu.org\/archive\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1233"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/kulanu.org\/archive\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1233\/revisions"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kulanu.org\/archive\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/114"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kulanu.org\/archive\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1233"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}