Abayudaya

Abayudaya ( Luganda language, " children of Judah " ) are a black African community in Uganda, which is committed to Judaism. The approximately 1,500 Abayudaya live at the foot of Mount Elgon mainly in Nabugoya in Mbale and Pallisa. They profess the Jewish religion, though they are not genetically or historically to a Jewish group.

Origin

The Jewish community formed around the Semipalatinsk Kakungulu warrior who had first adopted the Protestant faith under British rule. After the break with the British, he turned to the Christian sect of Abamalaki who had received Jewish elements in their faith. The Jewish faith was fascinated Kakungulu so much that he turned away from the Abamalaki 1919 and declared that now to be a Jew and to live according to the Jewish commandments. So he let his sons and prune themselves. He gathered followers around him, with which he moved in Mbale.

In the year 1920, for about six months probably a European Jew named Joseph to them, and taught them the Jewish holidays, the Jewish Calendar and Jewish dietary laws at.

In 1922 he published the book Ebigambo ebiva mukitabo ekitukuvu ( " quotations from the Holy Book "). In 90 pages, he recounts how he came to Judaism from Christianity. This book is still regarded as the textbook of Abuyadaya.

But only in 1926, when the community first had contact with a white Jew who spent some time in the community and taught them the Jewish rituals, faith in Jesus Christ was finally filed. Semipalatinsk Kakungulu died on 24 November 1928.

History

In 1961 there were about 3000 Abuyadayas with more than 30 synagogues in Uganda. During the dictatorship of Idi Amin from 1971 to 1979, began a persecution of the Abayudaya, which led to the destruction of all the synagogues, and the burning of the sacred books to the death of many parishioners. After his fall the Abuyudaya could practice their faith. Their number had dropped to about 300.

2002 was a partial recognition by the world Jewish community, as a rabbinical court, a Beth Din of three Conservative and a Reform rabbi, over 400 community members officially converted to Judaism.

The Abayudaya had at no time contact to the Beta Israel in Ethiopia, of whose existence they have learned only in the nineties, or the Lemba in southern Africa. Their spiritual leader, Rabbi Gershom Sizomu, acquired a formal rabbinical training at the belonging to the conservative Judaism University of Judaism in Los Angeles. He was officially ordained as a rabbi in May 2008. To date, the Abuyadayas are not recognized by the State of Israel as Jews.

Religious Life

In 2009, the municipality of spoke five synagogues in Uganda, in Nabugoya, in the village Namanyoyi in Nasenyi and Putti, both in the district Pallisa, and in the village Magada.

The religious music of the Abayudaya is based on the traditional Jewish liturgy used for the sung prayers but often tunes of local Ugandan tradition. In addition, there are numerous indigenous religious songs.