Abayudaya: Uganda’s Jews and How to Become One of Them

Growing up we were told the breath-taking famous story of the Flood and Noah’s ark—the big house-like boat that spared the lives of the era’s righteous people, plus all animal species in pairs, for a very long period while it rained heavily, and while all earth’s water cavities broke loose and burst open, flooding the earth! Noah, the protagonist of this story whom we sang about in Sunday School hymns—Who built the ark? Noah. Noah. Who built the ark? Father Noah built the ark—and had 3 sons: Shem, Ham, and Japeth. These 3 are the people from whom all nations of the earth are accounted to have emanated from. The Semites—descendants of Shem, however, seem to be the most outstanding in the narrative, as they form an account of one of the most important aspects of humanity, religion. Almost 55% of the world’s religions account their origins to Abraham, a Semite from Mesopotamia, current day Iraq. One of these religions is Judaism, a BCE-founded religion originally practiced by the nation of Israel. Like the survivors of Noah’s flood, this religion has survived extinction, with such resilience and vibrancy that have seen it send ripples even to the pearl of Africa, Uganda, where its converts are called the Abayudaya—a loose translation of Jews.

Interestingly, there are quite several things about the Abayudaya, many do not understand. Let us unravel some of these mysteries and myths.

The name Abayudaya is from the Luganda language and simply means ‘The people of Judah’. The inception of this community dates back to 1913, when Semei Kakungulu, a Muganda military commander fell out with the British, the day’s colonial masters of the Pearl of Africa, for not making good on their promise to make him king of Bugisu and Bukedi regions, areas he had taken control of, for them.

The story goes that Semei Kakungulu had initially been converted to Christianity by the Missionaries, but after what he felt was betrayal by his principal, he drifted away from what they taught and towards the Bamalaki sect, also known as the Malakite Church, which was formed by Mussajakawa Malaki in 1914. The Bamalaki teachings blended influences of Judaism, and Christianity, and held profound anti-colonial sentiments. The rest is history…

The Bayudaya were initially centered in Eastern Uganda, not far from Mbale town, the home area of Semei, but have since spread to other parts of the country—Pallisa and Namutumba. In the present day, they can be found as far as Mukono and Kibuli, in the capital Kampala. They can also be found in significant numbers spread across many other areas of the country.

These ‘people of Judah’ that call Uganda home are not descendants of any of the 12 tribes of Israel— neither the ancient 10 lost tribes of Northern Israel nor the ancient 2 tribes of the Metropolitan Southern Judah—but rather are converts, with the majority tracing links to aforementioned Semei Kakungulu, the original convert.

In the early 20^th Century, Zionism (an alliance to create a Jewish state) saw unprecedented growth, and come 1903, the British Government offered land in Uganda, which as aforementioned was then a British Protectorate, to the Jews to establish a homeland. The proposal offered autonomy for the Jewish settlement and British protection. Although the Jews considered the offer, mostly as a temporary solution until they could occupy Palestine, it was ultimately rejected.

Fast-forward to 1925, several European Jews were employed as engineers by the British Government to help develop the protectorate, and Mbale, being a commercial center during the colonial period, saw a good number of this expatriate community settle in. Through chance encounters with this Jewish expatriate community, Semei Kakungulu learned about Orthodox Judaism. And this largely explains whence Semei picked Judaism theology.

According to Wikipedia, the population of these faithful in Uganda is estimated at 2,500. Their number was much larger but they underwent a purge under the tyrannous rule of Idi Amin Dada, decimating the number of converts and scaring away new believers. Some accounts put it that during Semei Kakungulu’s time, the community numbers soared to above 8,000 strongholds.

There are three major denominations of Judaism and these are Conservative Judaism, Reform Judaism, and Orthodox Judaism. A Jew is anyone born to a Jewish mother or, in contemporary times, someone who converted to Judaism following the Jewish law, Halakhic.

The Conservative denomination of Judaism acknowledges modern-day realities and justifies some modification to the old laws, provided that such modifications are authorized by esteemed scholars and Rabbis and are guided by Halakhic principles. Some adaptations over the years include accepting women as members of a Minyan (a quorum of ten for prayer), and changing some of the rituals, for instance allowing Jews to drive on Sabbath to go for prayer. The denomination also allows men and women to sit together in the Synagogue, which was unheard of in ancient times.

A Synagogue is to a Jew what a Church is to a Christian, and what a mosque is to a Muslim. Synagogues were introduced during the dawn of the Greek civilization—as the world was transitioning into the Roman era in the late BCEs—as places of religious education and minor prayer sessions. They gave birth to the notorious Pharisees and Sadducees, the Rabbis (teachers) of Jewish customs and religions. The main prayer place however was the Temple in Jerusalem where, by the instruction of the Torah books (Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy), major Jewish ceremonies and prayers were held. A Jew, even one who had become Hellenised by the Greek way of life, or displaced to far gentile lands had to travel to Jerusalem to hold these festivities and prayers. The synagogues on the other hand were decentralised, which is why they exist even in Uganda.

How to Convert to Judaism
To convert to this denomination, one has to undergo eighteen weeks of study conducted in a private setting, and immersion in a Mikveh (a ritual bath). This applies to both men and women. Then there is Brit Milah (Circumcision for men, relating to the Abrahamic covenant in Genesis, which required circumcision) or Hatafat dam brit (a symbolic bloodletting ceremony for those already circumcised, ritually taking a drop of blood).

Following these rituals, the candidate appears before a Conservative Beit Din (a three Rabbi tribunal) and is interviewed on their emotional readiness, spiritual preparedness, and academic understanding. Through a series of questions, the Rabbis evaluate their commitment to embracing Jewish values, practices, and traditions. The tribunals’ assessment will determine whether the candidate’s conversion has been successful or not.

The Orthodox denomination of Judaism on the other hand, strictly follows the Torah, strongly believing it came directly from God. Nothing in the Torah can be adjusted or altered. From this standpoint, Orthodox Judaism firmly opposes the practices of the other branches, considering them contravention of God’s original word. One needs personal conviction to become a convert, and the process of conversion is similar to the one aforementioned, save for the involvement of The Beit Din (three Rabbi tribunals), a composition of three Orthodox Rabbis.

Reform Judaism conversions on the other hand are far more lenient. It takes a liberal view, contending that the Jewish law can be adjusted to cater to modern-day developments. Many traditional rituals have been altered. They have an outreach program for those seeking conversion. Reform conversion programs are called ‘Introduction to Judaism Classes’. These classes last eighteen weeks.

Some Jewish denominations do not recognize conversions from the other branches.

Earlier this year in August, a member of Uganda’s Abayudaya, Yosef Kibita, was granted Israeli citizenship after seven years in court and four conversions. He first underwent conversion under the conservative movement, and this wasn’t recognized by the courts because the conservative movement did not require him to undergo a study period. His fourth and final conversion included a nine-month study duration.

There you have it, if you wish to join the Abayudaya.