Final (Packed) Day, Final In-Country Post!

Reporting from the airport in Entebbe, about 1.5 hours before departure.
My last day (yesterday--the internet wasn't being friendly last night) was pretty jam-packed and phenomenal.  I made my way around the Mbale-Nabugoye area saying last goodbyes, gathering stories I'd heard but hadn't gotten a chance to record, and even some new ones! It was certainly a great way to end my trip, though it was (and is) still hard to leave an entire community, with no way of knowing if and when I will return.
My first stop was a meeting with Mr. Satte, the SK deputy headmaster, in Mbale, where we discussed final thoughts on my teaching and useful improvements that can be made in English at school as well as other struggles of SK.  I have always been impressed by his dedication to the school, and I'm hoping to keep in touch with him as to see what great things he continues to do there.  After meeting for a while in town, he showed me his home, where I met his family and heard a little about the area (the slum of Namattara) before heading back to the Hill.  Back at Nabugoye, I followed a quick lunch with a final visit to Hadassah, where Aaron and the students of P6 and 7 had prepared a really sweet (musical) goodbye/thank you ceremony.  While last year our AJWS group was privy to many such ceremonies, which I am guessing are somewhat of a cultural staple at this point, it was especially meaningful for me having been here on my own.  They sang in Hebrew and in English, and afterwards I addressed them briefly, thanking them for having me and reminding them to keep reading!
From Hadassah I made my way to Nangalo, where I did not find J.J. but got to spend a few hours with Zilpah, one of his adopted children and one of the students I'd become close with at SK.  She taught me some of the Lugandan psalms sung at services--which I can sort of-ish sing now--and told me the story of how she came to live with J.J. following the deaths of her parents.  She also introduced me to J.J's neighbor and step-mom, Mama Deborah, who is mother to Aaron, Rabbi Gershom, Seth and Athalia.  Quite a firecracker (within moments of our meeting, she told me she could find me a husband, cracking up all the while), she's lived in Nangolo her whole life, and still digs in her gardens harvesting coffee and beans.
From Nangalo I made my final sojourn back to Nabugoye, where I wasted little time--I happened upon Jacobo from the northern area of Apace, and I was able to record the story of his village.  While I'd gotten a shorter version a few Shabbats ago (as recounted in the blog) it was pretty cool to hear the story in its entirety--the religious progression of reading the bible, the search for Jews in Kenya and Uganda with some Messianics thrown in on the way, and the hoops that were jumped through when they finally found the Abayudaya. (I'll try to put up the more detailed story when I'm home and I've played it back!)
I then took my last opportunity to sit down with Alex (from Ghana) and record the history he has gathered so far of the Ghana Jews. (See previous post for the story.)  Their community is especially fascinating as it is likely there are Jews, or at least those affected by Jews a long while ago, among its members.
After a full day of running around, talking and listening, it was finally time to pull out of denial--and pack. I managed a couple of hours of sleep before loading up the car and beginning the 4 hour drive to Entebbe with Isaac.
It's certainly been an amazing ride here. While I'm not sure what the future holds for all that I've learned (I am, for several reasons, rethinking my original plan), I can already appreciate the amazing impact it has had, and will have, on me.

Thank you for cyber-joining me here, and don't be a stranger--I'm not sure I'll post daily when I get back, but I'll definitely update often on tidbits I learn from re-listening to my records, project ideas, etc.

But for now--shalom Uganda!

Farewell Shabbat/WE ARE THE ABAYUDAYA

My last Shabbat did the impossible--it lived up to my lofty expectations.
I arrived back from my visit with Ramogi friends with barely enough time to prepare for Shabbat and get my ideas finalized for my words of wisdom, but managed to make it to services only a few minutes late.  The service, which took place only by the light of the ner tamid ("constant light", a common presence in synagogues) as the power was out, had a particularly affecting and genuine aura.  As we sang togehter and prayed silently in or own words or by the faint light of the setting sun, I reached a truly full appreciation of the opportunities of been given here.
After kabbalat shabbat, I addressed the community, discussing the journeys of Israel in the desert and their future in Israel and connecting it to my journey here.  The importance of recounting, remembering and utilizing what is learned from this as one goes forward was a lesson I stressed for myself and others.  I also had the opportunity to express what a unique community this was, and how much I have appreciate that, stressing how having a homegrown Jewish community in the 20-21 centuries is something that helps create the singular practice and environment present here.
This was not my only time to the front of the congregation--for the first time since my bat mitzvah, I pulled out my latent (and admittedly limited) trop knowledge and read the second aliyah (~"section") of the Torah portion this morning.  Most of my post-dinner time was taken up with practicing, though it was pretty rewarding to read publicly for the second time in my life!
After synagogue I decided to join the Rabbi's after-service "reformation" group (where he discusses issues of alcohol and drug use with the community) though today's discussion actually turned out to be about...marriage.  The problem of intermarriage was the main issue to be tackled--much more of a threat where the girls are quite few and many are or are seen as relatives.  The rabbi encouraged the throng to look for Jewish wives, and if they found themselves interested in a non-Jewish woman, she would have to prove herself dedicated to Judaism before they became seriously involved (and considered conversion).  Some clearly struggled with this, and it is understandable given not only the demographic problems but the hidden dating culture here--one rarely speaks of "boyfriend" of "girlfriend" and meetings must often take place in secret before an official ceremony occurs.
Following the lunch discussion and lunch, I took a pleasant walk with a few Shabbat guest to Namanyoni, the next community over--taking a last peak inside their synagogue and re-visiting Athalia, who I met with some weeks back.  She explained to us the practice she and some of her peers keep of refraining from entering the synagogue during menstruation and for the biblically prescribed number of days after the birth of children, a practice that the younger generation has dropped as they have adopted a form of Conservative Judaism.
The walk was followed by a Talmud session with the Rabbi, a guest and the other volunteer, and it gave me my first insight into the Rabbi's learning style and ability.  It was quite interesting to see him deal with the text (which he did well) in a style that was very different from his usual theological teachings in services or conversation.
Perhaps the highlight of the day, though, actually came after havdalah (the ceremony ending Shabbat).  I got in one last conversation with the rabbi, and among other revelations, got the crux of what I have learned here confirmed: this community is not Orthodox, Conservative or Reform, whichever American influences and rabbis have come here--they are Abayudaya.  The affiliations people claim come only from the fact that women can participate fully in the service--even the Rabbi's rabbinical school teacher, who visited here sometime back, acknowledged there were many issues here that would be unique to the Abayudaya.  Flat out, I was told that Abayudaya is a denomination unto itself, one which is already inspiring other African countries and which the Rabbi hopes to see one day in the U.S. and Israel as well.  It is new and thus evolving, figuring out how to contend with halacha which can be bent but not broken, according to the rabbi's estimation.  (He did, however, say that if he was to  be interested in changing halacha for the purposes of helping the community he would write a teshuvah for approval by the Conservative Committee on Jewish Laws and Standards.)
Falling asleep now, but more from this great conversation (and hopefully a few others to come) tomorrow!!
Shavua tov!

Tying things up...

My last Friday in Nabugoye --a lot of running around, reminiscing and preparing for my final Shabbat, complimented by a surprise visit from two of my friends from Ramogi!
I was able to come up with a few parting words, based on this week's Torah portion (which are not very profound, but I'll share tomorrow when I'm not quite as rushed for time).  I'll be delivering them tonight at services, and I hope not to make too big a fool of myself! It is quite hard to know what to say to a community that has become so comfortable for me in these past seven weeks, and I hope it will suffice.
I'm hoping this Shabbat will equal others in enjoyment and relaxation, and that I will get ample time to spend with my friends here before I leave.
Shabbat Shalom!

Back with a bang, but only a few days left!

We're back! It's certainly been strange being away from the blog and Nabugoye, though the trip out west was a lot of fun, filled with breathtaking scenery, amazing animals and many tuna packets and protein bars.  All in all, a great success--but I'm looking forward to enjoying my last few days here.
While much of today was taken up with the protracted journey from Kampala to Nabugoye via Mbale (the bus to Mbale only leaves when it fills and stops often along the way, so a 4 hour trip easily expands to 6), the night brought a long awaited occurrence--a great conversation with the rabbi.
The topics jumped from communal obligations and roles to theology, and was a fascinating experience from start to finish--four hours long, and could have easily been longer!  Some highlights:
1) Hearing the rabbi's passion for pushing for a sustainable community--that the current situation of the schools is just too precarious, and that empowerment must be given to the people to pay for their child's education so that dependency does not continue forever.  To that end, they will soon implement a plan by which the university fund will be tied to going into certain professions required in the community, but once the community is sustaining itself, then people will be free to study what they choose and work where they choose, but (hopefully) on their own dime.
2) What makes one Jewish here, he said, is practicing as a Jew.  This was not, as I understood it, to negate conversion, but rather to stress the act of participation.
3) Hearing about his role as the only officially ordained African rabbi residing in an African community, and where that places him in a Pan-African context.  Most fascinating was his wish to galvanize the Lemba, a prosperous South African tribe which identifies as Jewish and which was discovered to possess the "Cohen" (priestly) gene, to engage in more practical aspects of Judaism.
4) His belief in agriculture as Uganda's future was fresh and honest, and probably very accurate.  J.J. was  his shining example.
5) Hearing about the old customs of the community which arose when the Bible was the main source of guidance, such as taking off one's shoes upon entering the synagogue (as Moses did) or announcing when one is in niddah (menstruating) and removing oneself from the community for the duration of the period.
6) Hearing his take on Torah--in terms of the book, it is a human document that he personally connects to, with different reports by different people on the same events. Interestingly--he doesn't doubt the verity of the events, as many scholars do.  There were merely many present and different viewpoints, and this, he says, is what the contradictions express.  He identifies with many of the events in the bible, and reinterprets some when necessary, and is very comfortable disagreeing with parts, as one "does with a best friend!"
7) The importance to him is the now--not how a people came to be, what genes they have, why they became Jewish--what matter is where they are now, if they are sincerely practicing now or not and for the right reasons.
8) He stressed that he did not believe in chosen-ness, and did not like asserting one religion's prominence over another--thus his issue with certain prayers, including Aleinu. "What's good for me can't be bad for someone else."--it has to be good for everyone.

The main question we left off with, which he said he needed time to think about before giving the answer: If there is no belief at all the Judaism holds a special and important place on its own, beyond a personal connection to it--why preserve the Torah and Judaism?

Penultimate Shabbat/WEDDDDDDING

This week's ritually restful ending packed quite a punch--much was learned and experienced, and I'm beginning to feel the countdown to America...

First off, the rabbi's sermons creaked open a little wider the window into the Rabbi's interesting and complex theology.  At services he discussed oaths--which are the subject of this past week's Torah portion.  He used examples from other places in the Torah to explain that, though the portion describes how many can disqualify a woman's oath if they hear it but this is not so for a man, that really, anyone can disqualify anyone's oath.  He used an example of God, in Exodus, proclaiming that he will destroy the people of Israel and give Moses a new nation, and Moses fighting back (and winning) to prove his point.  Another muzungu guest asked simply: but with all this, it is still written that for women it's one way, and men another!  Rabbi Gershom's ballsy but honest answer (somewhat, but accurately, paraphrased) : "Well, halacha doesn't say this but I do--anyone can nullify anyone else's vow.  That is what Rabbi Gershom says." The main lesson I gleaned from here--though I am curious to hear other views--is how truly dedicated he is to his egalitarian view of Judaism (which is consistent with his views on the prayer of aleinu--see earlier post), whether or not it jives with even biblical halacha.

The next interesting moment came when discussing God's ordering the Israelites to kill the Midianites as retribution--the Rabbi explained this, as well as the destruction of the 7 nations of Canaan, as being more of "metaphorical" destruction--a view he got from his rabbinical school teacher--perhaps akin to teaching them the values of Judaism, even proselytizing, which he explained was only discouraged at times when it would be dangerous to do so (not sure about this one...)  He said that just like "a land flowing with milk and honey" is merely a metaphor--so too, would this be.  An equally ballsy move, I thought--does this mean everything in the Bible is a metaphor? What about those things we keep literally? (And is this a standard explanation for Conservative Judaism--maybe it's just my ignorance that's brining the questions...?) Many things I'm itching to know--I'm hoping to set up a meeting with the rabbi for later this week to get them out!  Overall, I continue to find him and his intellectual honestly and curiosity pretty amazing!

In addition to the rabbi's revelations, I talked to Jacobo, one of the Yeshiva students who is from the village of Apace, in the north.  Judaism came very recently to his community, in a very similar manner to the way it sprouted in the Mbale area.  They began examining the bible, in 1983, and in stages, took on Jewish customs and finally beliefs--first with a move of the Sabbath from Sunday to Saturday, then a decision that Jesus was not the savior, and finally a decision to be circumcised, which was only fulfilled in 2008--when community members came to Nabugoye to be circumcised and converted.  They had been well on their way toward adopting Judaism when they heard of the Abayudaya--they tried Kenya Jews first--but it was they who finally gave them the opportunity to become Jews and send their kids to Jewish schools, participate in communal Jewish holidays, etc.  There are about 60 of them now in Jacobo's village, and he is training to be their spiritual leader.

Topping off the day was a very different sort of experience--a Muslim wedding occurring a few minutes walk from Nabugoye!  It began around 12PM and lasted until who-knows-when--we were there from about 8-10:30.  In that time, there was much waiting and music playing (when the generator was working) as we waited for the bride and groom to arrive, which they finally did.  The muezzin sang for much of the time and the imam as well as various family members spoke to the throngs, who were gathered in a couple of adjacent tents (shoutout to all my Arabic-loving friends--there were many "hamdud allah"s and "insha allah"s).  We even got a shoutout thanks to our foreign-ness (though we were deemed European, not American).  It was quite a wild time, and makes me 2 for 2 on trips to Uganda which include wedding ceremonies!

That's all for now--as school's off for the next few days I'll be way from the blog for a little while doing some (very safe and organized, don't fear worriers) exploring in Uganda with another volunteer.  But I'm hoping to pack my last few days here, when I get back, with as much learning and experiencing as I can, so look back Wednesday/Thursday!

A variety of successful endings

Quick pre-shabbat, as usual!
Spelling bee and essay competition were low key but successful, and pretty much wrapped up my time in SK (though I will probably go back to see the students/talk to Satte, the deputy headmaster).
Shabbat songs at Hadassah were made more adorable by the accompanying guitar (the headmaster played).
And I finally saw a chicken shechted, and may have helped yank out the feathers--the oldest person in that position (though not to fear, the killing was done by Seth, the village Shochet).
Exams are starting at both schools, so next week is sort of up in the air--we shall see!
Shabbat shalom!

Packed to the Brim!

Minyan, interviews, classes and essays galore--today was one of my busier days in Nabugoye.

I woke up at 7 to make the morning minyan which starts between 7 and 7:30...usually. Of course, this being Uganda time, I and one other muzungu arrived at 7:15--to an empty shul.  To be fair, it was raining, which may have discouraged some from making the trek.  In the end, there were 7 of us, so alas the morning minyan became merely the "morning 7 randos praying together."  After minyan and breakfast, I sat down with Eria, the chairman of the Abayudaya board, which as I ironed out today, is different from the executive committee.  The board sits above the executive committee, and it was established upon the rabbi's return from rabbinical school in the U.S. to oversee the committee, which includes all of the project coordinators (such as the heads of the schools, clinic and other community run projects).  The board is a smaller group of community members, and it is they who approve the projects the committee is interested.  Eria is quite young (b. 1983) but was personally tapped by the rabbi as a candidate for the position, and is the first board head there's ever been.  He described to me the challenges of being young person in that position of power (getting people to listen to you can be more difficult) which is sometimes exacerbated by the fact that he lacks the American contacts others have.  We discussed many aspects of community issues and struggles, but his most-stressed point was far and away the strongest: this community needs sustainable institutions.  He says these have been hard to garner funding for, but that somewhat odd-sounding projects could be the key--such as a milling machine for the primary school, which would help cut down food costs for the schools as well as provide a business opportunity for community members to run and the community to benefit from.  Having institutions that give community members jobs, and having students pursue degrees that are applicable to such positions, is also a key area that he and his board are trying to work on.  (There was much more--one of the best interviews I've had! Any specific questions I'll try answer them!)

After the interview I went to SK to grade essays arguing why or why not caning should be allowed.  The answers were varied (though the acutely poor grammar was not) and included some interestingly creative arguments, such as the notion that caning could hurt the environment (you cane with a branch, after all) and that it might occur due to tribal rivalry of the student and teacher.  Others argued that caning could promote unity and a strong work ethic among the students. 

After essays were read I had a short interview with Satte, the deputy headmaster I work with.  He stressed his appreciation for the school's unique environment but also its struggles, such as those for money, food (which it uniquely provides free to students, via Kulanu) and book.

From SK I walked to Hadassah, where I cracked open the first religious books with the students.  In P7, we looked at a Humash, reading the first verses of Genesis (in Hebrew, of course).  While the reading wasn't amazingly clean, it was a bit better than I had expected, and the students were very into it, poring over the letters and vowels with a high level of intensity.  P4 had a little bit of a hard time with the siddur--we made it through one line of adon olam--but they showed an equal amount of dedication to sounding out the words, letter by letter, vowel by vowel.  I encouraged them to look at these books, available in the school library, on their own to continue honing their skills.  Today's lessons actually proved the most rewarding of any of mine for both classes.