Be’chol Lashon built the Abayudaya guest house to capture a desperately needed stream of revenue given the expanding tourism. The Abayudaya community members had been hosting individuals in their homes, providing food and lodging without compensation. The guest house and other projects provide business opportunities that help movethe community towards..Read More
At the same time, the report revealed distributing mosquito nets was another critical component of disease prevention. Thousands of mosquito nets have been purchased and distributed through the local synagogues and a constant supply of mosquito nets is needed to replace those that are old and/or have holes. A 2007..Read More
Education about preventing disease significantly reduces a variety of health concerns, particularly malaria, the primary cause of death in Africa. The feasibility report revealed that the only available source of clean water was from wells located long distances from the villages, and the villagers often resorted to getting water from..Read More
Be’chol Lashon conducted feasibility research that resulted in the Abayudaya Health & Development Plan to implement health care delivery and support systems. Research was conducted by a JDC engineer and a tropical disease specialist. Mbale Hospital was severely overcrowded due to lack of disease prevention. Lack of clean water and..Read More
It was the dream of Rabbi Gershom Sizomu, the current Abayudaya leader, to better understand ancient and modern Judaism and connect his community with the global Jewish people. Through the support of a Be’chol Lashon Fellowship, Rabbi Sizomu attended the five-year Ziegler School of Rabbinic Studies at the American Jewish..Read More
Even though the Abayudaya regard themselves as Jews, they realized that their isolation from the Jewish world was both dangerous and an obstacle to gaining a deeper understanding of Judaism. Beginning in the spring of 2002, at the community’s request, four Conservative rabbis from the United States and one from..Read More
After the fall of Amin in 1979, the remnants of the Abayudaya community gathered to rebuild the community. Rabbi Gershom Sizomu, grandson of community elder “Rabbi” Samson, lives near the Moses Synagogue in the village of Nabagogye which he and others from the community’s early 1980s “Kibbutz movement” built with..Read More
The Abayudaya, whose tribal name means “People of Judah,” trace their Jewish origins to the turn of the twentieth century. The Abayudaya began their journey to Judaism under the leadership of Semei Kakungulu, a powerful leader who was selected to be a Christian missionary for the British. However, Kakungulu favored..Read More