Uganda
Information
CJC Vice President: Rabbi Gershom Sizomu
History
The Abuyudaya Community: At the very beginning of the twentieth century, missionaries arrived to convert the animist tribes of Ugandato to Christianity.
The newly fledged BritishAdministration was working with the renowned warrior, Kakungulu and had promised him that they would make him a chief but later reneged on their promise. Kakungulu retired to an area around the town of Mbale, close to the Kenyan border.
Legend has it that he tore his Bible in two, saying that the Christians did not keep their promises unlike the Jewish people of the Old Testament. He continued to follow only the Old Testament.When fellow Africans teased him by saying that he was behaving now according to Jewish principles he agreed and ordered that all his male followers be circumcised. He studied the Old Testament for the Laws of Judaism. Thus were born The Abuyudaya.
The Abuyudaya continued to follow as many Jewish principles as they could find and a Jewish merchant from Kampala, the capital city of Uganda, visited Mbale and the settlements built by Kakungulu’s followers, helping them with the finer points of Jewish Law.
In the 1970s, they were persecuted during Idi Amin’s reign of terror, but a small number continued to worship secretly, meeting in a cave outside the town of Mbale.
When Idi Amin was removed from power in the 1990s, a couple of Jewish American Peace Corps volunteers travelled over the border from Kenya and found the Abuyudaya worshipping in a wholly recognisable Jewish way. Returning to the USA, they arranged for some members of a support group that helps small Jewish communities, to fly out to Uganda to meet the Abuyudaya. They were so impressed by the practices of 'The Black Jews' that they sponsored the spiritual leader, Gershom, to study in Israel and the USA, to become a recognised rabbi.
The smaller Mukono Community was established in 2018 and converted to Judaism under the auspices of Rabbi Shlomo Riskin in 2020.
Community Life
The Abuyudaya Community is led by Rabbi Gershom. Their practice is more Reform than Orthodox.
There is a regular Shabbat service as well as on the High Holidays.
The Mukono Community rent premises for a synagogue.
They get a regular minyan on Shabbat and the HighHolidays.
There is no resident rabbi.
They do not have a Sefer Torah.
A Community Havdalah: Havdalah Uganda.mp4
Kashrut
Rabbi Gershom performs shechita when necessary.
Children Learning About Kashrut and Shechita from Rabbi Netanel
Education
There is Cheder for the children as well as a Jewish holiday camp, where they learn as well as have fun.
Affiliations
African Jewish Congress
Commonwealth Jewish Council