Behrman House Blog

Rabbi Brad Artson, Dean of the Ziegler School of Rabbinic Studies at the American Jewish University in Los Angeles, wrote to tell us this news:

This summer, I and a delegation of rabbis flew to Entebbe, Uganda, to install the first African rabbi in Subsaharan Africa. Gershom Sizomu is a member of the Abayudaya tribe in Nabagoye Hills. His tribe has considered themselves Jewish for almost a century - crafting beautiful melodies to the Psalms in Hebrew and Lugandan, and fashioning a rich Jewish communal life. Several years ago, his tribe decided to officially join the Jewish people, which they did through the help of a group of Conservative rabbis from the United States and Israel. Now, five years later, Gershom was ordained by the Ziegler School of Rabbinic Studies and was returning to his home to continue to work with his community and his people.

To be a rabbi in Uganda is far more than a ritual role. In addition to leading one of the several synagogues that make up the social and religious centers of his village, Gershom has been responsible for mobilizing support for a health clinic (one of the first in the region), for installing hydro-electric power, for providing hundreds of nets to protect people from malaria, and countless other improvements for the lives of Christians, Muslims, and Jews throughout eastern Uganda. As a result of his social significance, his installation was attended by about 1500 notable guests - imams, priests and pastors, as well as Ugandan politicians. I flew with a delegation of rabbis to represent the school and the congregations which had provided Gershom and his family with an education and a community during their time in the United States.

While we were there, we also assisted 250 Africans from Kenya, Uganda, Nigeria, Ghana, and South Africa in converting to Judaism. Imagine their thrill (and ours) as we all spent a Shabbat on the hills of Nabugoye, under the shade of the acacia trees, teaching Torah (translated into Lugandan) and sharing stories of Jewish wisdom. His community demonstrated a generosity of spirit, an ability to welcome guests and visitors, and to find their center in the service of God and a life of Torah. We flew home enriched by their dignity, depth, and vision.

-- Brad Artson