Ponderings and Circumcisions

In the last two days I’ve officially begun my research.  I’ve gotten two of the rabbi's Yeshiva classes and three interviews under my belt, and I hope to get another class and at least one more interview done tomorrow.  So far, I’ve been coming up with more questions than answers.

That’s not to say I haven’t had some marvelous conversations. Each one has been fascinating, and has taken me in a very different direction.  I talked with Seth about the involvement of Semei Kakungulu (the Jewish high school) in the community, Samson about the birth of his Kenyan community (though I look forward to hearing what he calls the “real story” from his parents in a few weeks!) and Rachman, a musically-inclined Abayudaya university student, about the emerging role of Abayudaya youth in shaping the community.   We touched on the issues I’m hoping to tackle in my thesis in each interview, though I’ve come to wonder whether I will have enough to fill a thesis with the questions I noted in my previous post.  At the same time, I'm coming up with many other interesting avenues of exploration that could prove to be an equally fun thesis. I'm hoping I will somehow figure out how to integrate all of this into one grand idea...though I worry I may not figure it out, earliest, until I reach Kenya…but we’ll see! I’m excited to continue talking to people and will hopefully figure it out as I go along!

The rabbi's Yeshiva classes, several of which I attended last year, continue to be fascinating.  For those who are new--the rabbi teaches somewhat consistent classes on weekday mornings to several young men poised to lead their own communities.  Some are from far-flung communities like the one in Ghana and Apache in the north of Uganda, and others will simply head to other of the more local communities to lead them once the finish their studies.  

Yesterday we mainly went through the High Holiday service (that’s Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur)— which has been the focus of the classes for some time as these holidays are in September—though it ended with some interesting discussion emerging from a portion of the service dealing with sexual immorality.  Today, we began with the same passage, examining a line which instructs Israel to “live” by the laws of the Torah and looking at the Biblical story of Jonah—and what it teaches about teshuvah and compassion. The rabbi reiterated his somewhat unusual notion that God cannot create anything "bad"; rather, it is humans who can instill things with "bad-ness."  In a move I had not seen before (though in the five total classes I’ve attended over the last year that means little) the rabbi assigned his students a paper, for which they were meant to prove the character of God from different Biblical stories—with the main question being “compassionate or wrathful?” No small question…

Outside of my research fun, I took a beginner’s break yesterday to attend a bit of the Bugisu coming-of-age ceremony, which is apparently is one of the biggest shindigs on the Ugandan calendar.  The partying began toward the beginning of July, though it’s coming to its grand finale tomorrow. When we arrived at the main festival site, we saw several of the boys who will be circumcised (OK, you probably knew that’s what it was) being covered with a millet-cassava alcohol and flour while dressed in traditional beads and accessories, beginning a three-day leadup to tomorrow’s circumcision.  To display their new manhood, they jumped continuously and did various manly dances.  [For reference, these boys are mostly between 12 and 20, though there seems to be a wide variance in what age one can take part in the ceremony—it happens, I was told, when one “feels” ready to be a man.]  Later that evening, there was a similar ceremony for a local boy right near SK high school.  (The ones who had it at the central site are apparently the descendants of the family that owns the land.) I’ve heard the presidents of Uganda and Kenya will both be speaking at the circumcision ceremony tomorrow and I’m tempted to stop by with some Abayudaya…we’ll see if I make it!

Night night, and if I don't post tomorrow, shabbat shalom!

AbayudayAdventures, P. II

And we're back!
After about 32 hours of travel, I arrived at Nabugoye Hill early this morning, after which a shower and a few hours sleep were all I could muster before heading out to reconnect with old friends.  This was really wonderful, and the opportunity to come back--one I was certainly not counting on--was as welcome to some of my friends here as it was to me.  It was nice how comfortable it felt coming here.  I know my way around, I know where to go for what, I know the electricity might go out at any minute (but that's no reason to charge things just in case).

Some new things:
I'm re-trying metoke (~steamed plantain mush), and it's better than I remember, at least when it's slathered in something--today it was freshly harvested beans!
I've officially transitioned from bottled water to Steripen-ed (UV ray purification stick) water.  Really hoping I'm doing it right. I suppose I'll know shortly...
Baby Ziva, the rabbi's now 6 month old daughter.  Astoundingly well-behaved and adorable.

From today, I've already got a few interviews loosely set up and some others that should be easy to work out quickly.  I napped this afternoon (2 sleepless nights finally caught up with me) and afterwards spent the evening contemplating how I might frame my interviews.  My guess is this will change a lot over the next few weeks, but it's definitely a useful, if not essential, exercise to start off with something of a framework.  Right now, my questions encompass what people find to be the defining characteristics of their Jewish practice and identity and how/if they view these characteristics as connecting them to people (and specifically) Jews in other countries.  How much of a difference does it make that there are Jews in Kenya, and that they study here?  Does interacting with another Jewish community strongly affect Jewish identity or practice in any way?  The way I pose them to people will obviously shift depending on who I'm talking to, but that's where I'm at right now (thoughts and suggestions welcome!)  I've just read an interesting article called "Transnational Religious Communities" (yay Princeton VPN!) which has given me some good background and food for thought, so we'll see how much that and some continued academic reading helps with the whole researching process.

Who knows if I'll stick with these, but I'm hoping to start tomorrow (after a Yeshiva class and possibly a fascinating Bugisu coming-of-age ceremony I just learned about...) with a few interviews, and we'll go from there!

Note: this probably won't be as consistent as my last blog, but I'll do my best! Also it just started POURING.

Going back, going back...

Hello World!  I know it's been awhile...
Here's the deal in a pinch--(leaving to the airport super soon. No, I haven't eaten anything since last night. No, I didn't realize it was Tisha B'av when I booked my flight. Yes, I'll check a calendar next time.)
I'm heading back to Uganda for my third summer in a row, but this one's a little different: I'll be doing hardcore, official research for my senior thesis!  My first stop is back in Nabugoye, where I will be talking to people about religious identity and expression, but that's not all....I'll also be heading to Gathundia, Kenya, with my friend Samson (check out my last post for more about him...), to visit his community and do some comparative ethnographic research on religious identity in the two communities.
This trip will be fast--I fly back August 29.  This will probably mean less blog time, and perhaps less info-packed posting, as now that I'm fully IRB approved I'm also trying to be extra-special careful about what I write in a public forum.  But for those of you who may be interested in learning a bit more, or just hearing what my brain sounds like after trying to process conversations and thoughts into thesis-able data, feel free to check back!
Thanks for those who followed last time, and hope I can send a little more your way in the next month :).
(P.S. For those of you who were confused by the title, it's a reference to a silly Princeton song.)

In Their Own Words 2: The Youth are the Future/Coming to Uganda

Hi!
I apologize for the hiatus--I took a bit of a break to spend some vacation time with my family, but I hope to post somewhat more regularly here on in.
Here is a few short selections, again from Samson, in which he discusses coming to Uganda, challenges that arose, and what he hopes to gain for himself and his community through his experience there.  He and several others came to live with the Abayudaya community in 2004.

Samson, clad in a a talit [prayer shawl] and tefilin [phylacteries--boxes containing the shema prayer strung together by leather straps worn on the head and arms during morning prayers] looks on and prays as the Torah is returned to the ark during the Bar Mitzvah celebration.

We were in a group of 8 young people who came...to school.  There was a group in Hadassah and a group studying in this school [the public primary school, situated near SK secondary school]  and three in SK.
They [the Kenyan community] believed that us, young ones, we are the new generation.  And they have claims that to make, to strengthen Judaism--as youths we could, because we are still young.  For them, they are old, and they would go and leave for us Judaism.  So it would be better for us to learn more about Judaism than them, because we are the future generation...
Though when we came this way, there was change of climate which disturbed many of us...it's not the same climate, Kenya and here! So disease--it stopped the majority of us. Many of us had to go back.
We stayed a group of seven, after others going back, also there were others...who joined us after that group who couldn't stay in Uganda came back--they were replaced [which made seven remaining].
...
When I was in messianic faith I knew just that there was a "land flowing with milk and honey."  That's what they know.  They believe in Israel that right now they can go and find rivers of milk. So the teaching of Rabbi,  I really enjoy it because it describes more.
Since we don't have a rabbi, we don't have books so it becomes so hard to know such [things].
...
On Shabbat and some weekdays when we [those who usually live in the Abayudaya community] are not busy we learn [with our community]. [I want it to be like this one but] if possible, more religious.
[I.E.] To have more learning...to learn more, whatever they can. 
[For example,] Pronunciation of words--I have learnt many words from Rabbi.  You know some words, they already appear in school, [but] it's not the same way they are pronounced. So I have learned more to pronounce words.  

In Their Own Words 1: A Jewish Sect is Formed

So I've begun listening to an interview I did back at the beginning of my trip, with my SK friend Samson.  Samson, as you may recall, is from a small village in Kenya, which only very recently began practicing Jewish-ly.  (Click here for the original post on his interview.)
The following is an excerpt I found particularly interesting in which he describes the split which occurred in his community.

Samson at his prefect swearing-in ceremony at Semei Kakungulu Secondary School, 7/7/11.

It started that we were Messianic people in Left Valley and we met another Messianic group in Central [province].  After we met them we stayed together until we had to separate after a visit of the Nairobi Hebrew Congregation...
We claimed to be Jewish--we are following Judaism, though we were Messianic Jews.  Messianics believes that we have two types of Jews--physical Jews and spiritual Jews...they say for them they are Jews inside, but not Jews physically...
After they [the Jewish visitors] came they gave us a short lesson about Judaism and according to some people they were willing to learn from them but others they said no.  They explained more about Jesus--who was Jesus.  That's what brought the split between the two groups.
Because some of the Messianic Jews know Jesus as God or son of God.  So it was very hard to tell them that Jesus was a human being, not God.  But they [the visitors] said he was a son of God, like I'm a son of God.  Same as me.  We are all God's children--but he had no way of saying that for him he's over us--he was an ordinary person.  Some couldn't believe that.
[To] the group which split, they say--if I want to learn about America, and you are an American.  And I say, I need to know more about America--I can't know more than you know, because you belong there.  And you can't know more about my father than I do.
[This last part was the explanation for why they trusted the visitors and decided to split from the Messianic group.]


Stay tuned for more!

A Tour of Experience and Ritual with the Abayudaya blog, Part 2!

Hi folks! (Or those of you who still look now that I'm out of Africa...)
Now that I'm back in the States, I'm hoping to start a new segment on this blog that will offer further insight into my trip and the interviews I did.  While I can't promise I will post every day, I do hope that I will post at lease several times a week.
So what is this new project? Well, I'm starting to revisit my interviews, via the recordings and notes I took, and doing so is a whole new--and exciting--learning experience.  Undoubtedly, there will be things that I forgot to mention in my blog notes when I first interviewed my subjects, and now I'll be able to share them.  I also hope to include actual quotes now, not just my own summaries, which should prove to be a whole new window into this project.
Some of the interviews are quite long, so it's possible that people will be spread over a few days.  The goal is not to throw people's personal lives up on the blog (I've been thinking a lot about what is appropriate to share and what isn't, and I will make sure to refrain from posting anything I was asked not to or is clearly sensitive information) but rather to share people's stories in relation to their Jewish life and life within the Abayudaya community.  The focus will be on those aspects that are unique to the Abayudaya experience, and that relate to the various challenges and unique experiences that come with being a Jew in Uganda.
I hope to make my first of these posts tomorrow or Sunday, so stay tuned!
Shabbat shalom,
Nava

Photographic Highlights!

Hi everyone! It's crazy and wonderful to be back in the U.S., though I'm definitely missing Nabugoye!  Here are some pictorial highlights--I know I wasn't able to post any pictures from Uganda, so I though I should make up for it. Enjoy!

Gates to Nabugoye Hill.

Some of my high school students/friends.

Nasinye synagogue.

Drawing on the "cave synagogue."

Inside the Namanyoni synagogue.

Singing Shabbat songs at Hadassah.

Preparing paper beads.

Naavah and Nava!

Rabbi Gershom and I at his home.

Inside the Nabogoye synagogue.

One of the Lugandan psalms used in the Friday night service.