DEAR FRIENDS: WITH DISAPPOINTMENT, THIS PROGRAM IS BEING POSTPONED. THE US STATE DEPARTMENT IS DENYING ENTRANCE VISAS TO OUR FRIENDS FROM UGANDA WHO WERE INVITED TO JOIN US. WE’LL RESCHEDULE THIS PROGRAM IN ANOTHER FORMAT IN THE NEAR FUTURE.

We’re delighted to share a very special program with our friends RACHEL NAMUDOSI and AARON MATEKA, musical leaders of the Abayudaya community of Uganda.

Rachel and Aaron will be in conversation with my teacher RABBI MICHAEL CHERNICK, Professor Emeritus of Rabbinic Literature at HUC-JIR. Rabbi Chernick is a wise and inspiring Jewish scholar and the guiding force behind ACHVAH: The Partnership for Abayudaya Rights.

We’ll have an opportunity to hear some of the music of the Jews of Uganda, and to learn with them some of the cultural traditions of this remarkable and resilient Jewish community.

For a sense of the extraordinary spirit of this community, check out this three-minute video of Rachel leading a choir of musicians in the original song “Bring Them Home” from 2024 (it is extremely powerful!):

This program is brought in partnership with ACHVAH, which works to lobby the State of Israel for the full recognition of the Abayudaya in Jewish and Zionist institutions. For more information, visit https://www.achvah.org/.