Menorahs in the mist: Uganda’s lost Jews
A London woman went to Uganda in search of gorillas but found a village fighting for Orthodox recognition
Their bare synagogue had no furniture, save for a simple ark, a table serving as a bimah and just two chairs for the elderly.
“They eat twice a day if they have enough food and once a day if they don’t,” Ms Eisen said.
But she was struck by their irrepressible faith and the spirit of their leader. “He is a charismatic young man of 35 who’s got the shoulders of a 65-year-old to support their burdens,” Ms Eisen said. “He has such passion in his faith that no goal seems unachievable to him with God’s will.”
He speaks and reads Hebrew- though he did not have money to complete his Jewish studies in Nairobi – and composes religious songs for the children to sing.
“They want to be recognised as Orthodox and are prepared to do whatever it takes,” she said.