We arrived in Uganda with two medium sized backpacks and a phone number of a contact person in a Jewish village located five hours north of the airport. ''Just tell the bodaboda (motorcycle taxi) driver to drop you at the high school and we will find you from there.''...these were our only instructions. No directions, no name of the village, no familiar reliability to grab hold of. We wanted an adventure and we certainly found one!
Somehow, we eventually found our way to the village. As the motorbike flew up the hill, children ran out into the street with wide smiles and happy cheers to welcome us. The lush green banana leaf forests and red dirt roads were a picture perfect intro to our new home. During our one year adventure around the world, we have made it a point to visit Jewish communities along the way. Who knew we would stumble upon a Jewish village deep in the heart of East Africa? The Abayudaya (meaning Jewish in the Ugandan language) are a newly embraced Jewish community that found their Jewish roots nearly three generations ago. Shabbat was only two hours away and our anxiety was building with a nervous excitement. Will there be challah? Do they pray in Hebrew? How dressed up should we get?
We arrived with the notion of staying for a couple weeks and ended up living in the heart of the village for two months. We loved it there. There was plenty of volunteer work to be done...teaching in the primary school, training employees for a newly opened guest house, painting the dirty walls of their temple and even teaching a cooking class. All of our physical efforts were important, but did not match the moving cultural experiences of the people. We were embraced into the community and enjoyed every minute of it. The weeks went by so fast and shabbat was unlike anything you have ever imagined.
Believe it of not, there are six synagogues/tiny Jewish communities in the area, all with their own special characteristics. One of the synagogues is even located in the middle of a coffee farm inside a cave! Others have dirt floors, no electricity nor windows. However all somehow managed to have a strong spiritual presence. As soon as the service began, all physical building characteristics flew right out the window into the sunset. The entire congregation sang in the most beautiful harmony you've ever heard. Some tunes were familiar, but the best were the local tunes. They were beautiful and echoed throughout the room in a sort of African style harmonization. The room was full of sound and lit only by candlelight. Everyone participated. It was beautifully addicting.
The strangest part of the experience was praying in a room full of black skinned Jews. This was a new experience that sparked a bulb in our heads. It was an awakening realization that Jewish culture comes in all colors, sizes, smells, and languages. Of course we have always known this, but it is a completely different thing when you actually experience it for yourself. This will only be the beginning of many awakening experiences, as Jewish India is our next destination on the list. Who knows what we will find there!
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