+ Max’s Mitzvah Project

June, 2013
Dear Tamid Friends and Family,

In November 2012, I had the pleasure of meeting Aron Kintu Moses, a member of the Abayudaya Community from eastern Uganda. Aron and my Rabbi, Darren Levine, are old acquaintances. On Aron’s first trip to the United States, he agreed to come speak to our congregation about his Community and how they became observant Jews.

The story of the Abayudaya is really fascinating. In the early 1900s, Christian missionaries sought to convert the Abayudaya to Christianity.  After reading the bible, the leader of the community, believed the customs and traditions described in the first 5 books of Moses and decided to become a Jew instead. He circumcised himself and his sons.  After this, he and his sons recruited many people to become Jewish. After a little while, they had a decently sized community. The majority of the community continued to be secretly observant during the reign of Idi Amin, when Jewish rituals were outlawed and Jews were persecuted.  After Amin was overthrown, the Abayudaya Community grew stronger.

Today, there are approximately 600 members. They attend services in their mud and brick synagogues, keep kosher, observe the Sabbath and follow the many traditions outlined in the Torah. Aron runs a Jewish boarding school, the Semei Kakungulu School, where Jewish, Christian and Muslim kids learn basic subjects, as well as Jewish rituals and traditions.

For my Bar Mitzvah, I have decided to take on a Mitzvah project; I have decided to raise money for the Semei Kakungulu School. I have set a goal of raising the funds to send at least 10 children to school for a year. Most of the children, who attend the school, do not have the $360 required to feed, house and educate them for the year.

I am motivated to raise money for this cause for several reasons. Firstly, I think it is every child’s right to get a basic education. Without an education, the children will have fewer opportunities as they grow up. On top of that, I appreciate that they are learning all of the things I am learning in my Hebrew school. I also like that the school teaches kids from other religions about Judaism. I think that it is good for the greater community to see the Jews giving back. It can only help develop mutual respect amongst the different religions.

Any donation that you are willing to make would be greatly appreciated.  In addition to advocating on their behalf, I will also be supporting the Abayudaya by donating a portion of the money I receive in honor of my bar mitzvah.

Each student costs $360 to educate, house, and feed for one year. If you would like to make a donation to help these students  and support my mitzvah project, please click here.

• In the fund section, please select “Abuyadaya Schools”
• In the Additional Information section, please type “Max Ingerman Bar Mitzvah.”

If you would like to see a short video on the Abuyadaya people, click here

Thank you for supporting my project,

MAX INGERMAN