LOCAL NEWS
Out of Africa
Counselors from Uganda enjoy
experience, inclusion at Coleman
By Michael Jacobs
[email protected]
ing Judaism. He embraced the religion,
and a Jewish community was born.
Community members later went
ara Nabagalaa and Shoshana through the formal steps of conversion
Nambi aren’t your typical Camp by a beit din (Jewish court), but NabagaColeman counselors.
laa said they saw that process as more
Nabagalaa, 24, is working with of an affirmation than a conversion be10-year-olds in Coleman’s second ses- cause they were already Jewish.
sion after having
The
Aba8- and 9-yearyudaya
Jews
olds in the first
went through
four weeks. She
tough times in
soon will graduthe 1970s when
ate from law
Idi Amin was in
school on her
power because
way to a career
he
outlawed
as a human
Judaism. Much
rights
lawyer
like Jews living
after
growing
Roman
Photo by Michael Jacobs under
up on a family Sara Nabagalaa and Shoshana Nambi are enjoying occupation cenfarm, where her their first summer in the North Georgia mountains. turies
earlier,
father grew corn
the
Ugandan
and beans and raised livestock.
Jews had to worship in caves and take
Nambi, 26, who has been friends other steps to hide their Judaism.
with Nabagalaa most of her life,
Today, Nabagalaa and Nambi said,
worked with the 10-year-olds in the their community is thriving while pracfirst session and has 11-year-olds this ticing Conservative Judaism. A new
session. She was raised by her grand- synagogue is being built, and the two
parents on a coffee farm and works as Jewish day schools are strong enough
an HIV counselor.
to draw non-Jewish families.
“They are doing a great job,” said
The two women have been to the
their boss for the summer, Coleman Di- United States before, including a USY
rector Bobby Harris.
convention in 2009, but they owe their
Their ages and professions alone summer in Georgia to the recommenwould set them apart from most camp dation of a friend who worked at a
counselors, but they also are providing camp in Connecticut last summer. Harcampers and co-workers a glimpse into riet Bograd, the president of Kulanu, a
one of the world’s lesser-known Jewish nonprofit organization that supports
groups: the Abayudaya community in scattered Jewish groups around the
Uganda.
world, connected Nabagalaa and NamThe two women are among 1,500 bi with Harris.
to 2,000 Jews who live in rural villages
“I have been very happy being with
and small towns. Their hometown is the children,” said Nabagalaa. “They
Mbale.
give you all the love and attention.”
Unlike the Jewish community to
Nambi agreed about the pleasure
the northeast in Ethiopia, the Abayu- of working with children. “They ask
daya (“People of Judah”) community me questions, and they always want
knows it does not descend from one to know. We’re very comfortable with
of the lost tribes of Israel. Instead, the each other.”
Ugandan Jews’ story goes back a little
Coleman has been special for
more than 100 years.
them in part because of the opportuA tribal leader, Semei Kakungulu, nity to see so many Jews of different
was working with the British colonial backgrounds in one place, and th