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 Israel joined the community’s spiritual leader, Gershom Sizomu, in supervising the conversion or “affirmation” of most of Uganda’s Jews in the community’s mikvah, a process that continues today. In 2002, Gershom Sizomu attended the Be’chol Lashon International Think Tank for Jewish community leaders around the world. Sizomu and the democratically elected Abayudaya Executive Council requested that Be’chol Lashon help with long-range planning and financial resource development.