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The Big Tent Judaism Blog
containing up-to-the-minute news about the efforts of the Big Tent Judaism Coalition and other programs and events within the Jewish community that open our tent...
Monthly Archives
Room for Everyone in our Big Tent
Last month, we blogged about Ugandan rabbi Gershom Sizomu, the first black rabbi from sub-Saharan Africa to be ordained by an American rabbinic school. This, he hoped, would help
the roughly 800 Ugandan Jews, known as Abayudaya, gain further acceptance in the worldwide Jewish community.
Rabbi Sizomu’s dedication to Judaism seems to have already had a big affect on the Jewish population in Africa. According to a piece in the JTA, Rabbi Sizomu, along with a contingent of Conservative rabbis from the US, oversaw the conversion of 250 Africans to Judaism, complete with a beit din (religious court) that supervised the mikvah (ritual immersion). The recent converts came from Uganda, Kenya, South Africa, Ghana, and Nigeria, and the ceremony took place in the Abayudaya village of Nabogoye in Uganda.
This is a great step in the direction of growing the global Jewish population and facilitating participation in Jewish life. It shows that Judaism’s Big Tent continues to expand, and that we will always welcome everyone, regardless of prior background or knowledge.
“The relationship between God and the Jews in the Torah resonates for many spiritual seekers,” said Rabbi Sizomu. “It is important the Africans and others know that they can choose Judaism as a spiritual path — and that we are open to them.”
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