INVOLVING JEWISH MEN IN JEWISH LIFE
Park SYNAGOGUE Men's Club
The Israeli Rabbinate recently declared that Yosef Kibita, a Jew from the Abayudayan community in Uganda, was not Jewish and that he was ineligible to make aliyah under the Law of Return. This action has brought the Abayudayan community to the forefront while questioning the legitimacy of Conservative conversions completed anywhere in the Diaspora.
Besides this case that has gained worldwide attention, the Abayudayan Jewish community, that numbers approximately 2,000 Jews, continues to face life or death peril. They live in extremely difficult conditions and they face famine and drought regularly. In July 2017, they were eating one meal per day due to East Africa's famine.
The Park Synagogue Men's Club learned that the Abayudayan community has been creating customized kippot to raise funds for their community. The money raised from the sale of kippot helps to build infrastructure and purchases food and other staples that can sustain the community. We wanted to help their community so we ordered 50 handmade kippot. A U.S. Citizen flew to Uganda, picked up the kippot and flew them back to U.S., and then delivered the kippot to us. These beautiful kippot each took half a day to make. Each hand knit, maroon kippah has 'Park Synagogue' written with white or black thread, along with a Star of David in the center.
Please help the Abayudayan community by purchasing one or more kippot for $20 each. We can leave these for you to pick up at Park Synagogue East. Or, add $2 per kippah to cover postage & handling and we will ship the kippot to you. Your purchase and wearing of one of these special Park Synagogue kippot will make a difference. Please show your support for your Jewish brothers and sisters in Uganda who need our help.
Help Support the Jewish Community in Uganda
To learn more about the history of this community that goes back to the early 1900s, please see this article in the Forward.