Last Days in Uganda

Nothing beats ushering in the Sabbath bride like singing "Shalom Aleichem" on a balcony overlooking the Nile!  After a delicious Shabbat dinner at the Paraa Lodge in Murchison Falls, we had an intimate Shabbat service (complete with a heckler from another hotel room) under the stars of the ink-black sky.  We turned in early so we could awake before the sun.  We watched it rise, a golden-pink orb, behind the palm trees.  After a quick breakfast we headed out for a morning game drive.  We were not disappointed!  Between our morning drive and the one we had in the late afternoon, we saw just about every animal we could have imagined -- including baboons, giraffes, elephants, warthogs, water buffalo, more hippos and crocs, crown- crested cranes, and, wait for it...a lion that Zac Brown's eagle eyes spotted under a bush!

A pair of crown-crested cranes (the national bird)

Baboons travel in "troops"

Did you know that giraffes have the largest eyes of any mammals?

Look at this beauty - a heartebeast!

Lioness.  We heard that there were two cubs hidden in the brush.

A flock of red-breasted bee eaters.

Warthog crossing!

Water buffalo

Naure is truly miraculous!  That all of these amazing animals live in a brilliantly interwoven system is just simply overwhelming!

Between our game drives, we had a wonderful group text study over Shabbat lunch.  We discussed Maimonides' Ladder of Tzedakah, in which the Medieval Spanish, Jewish philosopher teaches that lending money is a higher form of tzedakah than giving it outright.  Higher still is going into partnership with another person.  In the classic tradition of "teaching a man to fish," Maimonides emphasizes that the best forms of tzedakah make the recipient self-sufficient.  It was great to hear the different perspectives the group had to offer on this classic text.  Mount Zion bulletin recipients will see some of our specific comments in the February bulletin's "Take Hold of Torah" page (and anyone who wants to can find this page at www.mzion.org beginning on February 1).

We left the beautiful Murchison Falls early on Sunday morning so we could try to get into The Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary.  Once again we found ourselves trekking through tall grass, following a guide, and being "vewy, vewy quiet" so we could try to spot some of the dozen rhinos that are being raised and reproducing to repopulate the rhino population lost to poaching.  One of the rhinos, the first born in Uganda in 30 years, is named Obama because he was born to a Kenyan father and an American mother!  

Have we mentioned how much each of the rangers knows about the animals?  They speak so lovingly of the creatures as they describe their habits, qualities, and quirks.

Baby Rhino "Laloyo"

After visiting the rhinos, we drove to Kampala for our last couple of hours in Uganda.  We stopped by the beautifully peaceful Baha'i Temple -- one of seven Baha'i Temples in the world.  


We returned to the States on Monday afternoon, and everyone I see asks, "How was your trip?"  I kid you not when I tell you I get goosebumps every time I attempt to answer.  There is just no quick or simple way to sum it all up.  So it will come out over time, through stories and photo-sharing, and through the new perspectives we gained from a remarkable, tiny community living a vibrant Jewish life in the middle of Africa.  

If you are interested, some of us will share more photos & stories on 
Friday, March 15, 6:15-7:15 p.m. at Mount Zion.

Baruch Atah Adonai Eloheinu Melech ha'olam, borei atzei v'samim.  

Praise to You Adonai our God, Sovereign of the universe, for trees and their fragrance.

As we left Uganda, what remained with us is the fragrance of the trees, the earth, the just-picked fruits, and the people.  We cling to the scent of our time there -- lingering, we hope, like the spices of Havdalah after Shabbat has ended.

--Rachel Stock Spilker

Acacia Tree

Days 1 and 2 in Murchison Falls

The last blog entry was written by Kenzie Brown who forgot to sign her name :-)

On Thursday the 3rd we woke up at Cassia Lodge, on a hill overlooking Kampala. Sunrise included an orange sun rising over Lake Victoria and fog mixed with heavy smog. After breakfast we were on our way to Murchison Falls National Park, six or seven hours northwest of Kampala.

After five hours on paved roads we drove about two more on the now familiar bumpy dirt roads through less familiar dense forests teeming with concealed wildlife. After crossing our old friend the Nile while listening to the hooting of hippos, we ate lunch at our home while at Murchison, the beautiful Paraa Safari Lodge, every room of which boasts a view of the river, this section of which is called the Vicotoria Nile.

Hippo sounds are like boat engines starting up!

The croc sits still with its mouth open for long periods of time

After lunch we took a boat up the Nile to Murchison Falls to see the many animals that dwell near this fertile river. Hippos nearly lost their exotic appeal as we passed by school after school, but occasionally reminded us of their power through their sheer size and by baring their tusk-like front teeth. We saw kingfishers hovering in preparation for a dive, and crocodiles cooling themselves by leaving open their huge jaws. We saw black kites (large birds) overhead, and warthogs and waterbucks (deer-like antelopes) on the shore. We saw colorful red-breasted bee eaters darting in and out of their cliff-side nests, and great herons perched on top of trees. 

The red-breasted bee eater

Best of all, we got within a few feet of massive African elephants as they munched on grass on an island in the middle of the Nile. Eventually we got to the falls itself, and watched as its waters churned, producing a foam from pummeled plant and animal remains which flow into the Nile from tributaries.

Friday the 4th we woke up early for Chimp Trekking. Heading back across the Nile we came to Budongo Forest, home to about a thousand chimpanzees. There we met our guide, Nicolas, who took us on a journey through lush forests to find a chimp troupe known to him. As Nicolas communicated with other guides following the chimps, we walked past ironwood trees, mahogany, and the fascinating strangler figs. This odd vine-tree hybrid starts as a seed on the side of another tree (often from the feces of chimps who eat the figs), and, after germinating, send roots to the forest floor, and a trunk up to shoot above the top of the host tree. When successful, the figs kill their host trees, leaving a tangled web of fig roots and a decomposing trunk from the host.

Strangling fig tree

After about an hour of hiking we met some guides relaxing by a tree who told us chimps were just ahead. First we saw one chimp on the ground, who stared back at us from hooded eyes. This chimp got bored of us and moved away after a few minutes, but luckily another was eating leaves in a tree close by. This mature male tolerated our presence for about ten minutes, as it chewed a leafy breakfast, a fibrous change to its diet of mostly fruit. After we watched our cousin for awhile, another chimp ran by, hooting and banging a stick on the ground. The dining chimp seemed unfazed at first, but soon swung down to meet the rest of its troupe, giving us a show of its grace. After he met his troupe, the chimps erupted in loud hooting and hollering, which alarmed me somewhat since chimps can be vicious, but Nicolas was unconcerned. Nic told us that it was a hunting call—an activity they engage in about once a week—and we tried to follow them. We tromped through the woods off trail (some more gracefully than others) providing some of us a view of chimp rear ends as they ran away from us, but we were unable to find any more who were willing to stay still.

Did you know that chimps make a new leaf bed every night?

Murchison Falls, one of the world's most powerful falls

We made our way back to our starting point, but were running behind schedule to catch the two o’clock ferry, which threw off our plans of an afternoon game drive. We switched our plans and made for the top of Murchison Falls, accessible from that side of the Nile. We saw rushing water pound mica covered rocks and send up spray which soaked us, causing the dust to stick to our clothes and skin all the better. After a swim in the pool and a nice dinner it was off to bed to be ready for our game drive on Saturday.

-John Wandschneider

Namonyonyi Synagogue-before

Namonyonyi Synagogue - after

The joy of simply getting to eat lunch in someone's living room in the middle of Africa is impossible to explain and completely hit the spot. The afternoon seemed to fly by after lunch. Simultaneously the entire team painted the inside walls cream and accents/doors vibrant blue while sporadic drumming, singing, and dancing kept the entire mood lively. We left for the hike back up to Nabagoye tired with the shul looking wonderful and plenty of good memories including seeing some circumcision parties - more to come on those.

Lunch at Atelia's house 

To cap off a great day and all of 2012 we followed our good friend Rachman's suggestion and attend a hip hop concert in the neighboring town of Mbale featuring a prominent Ugandan rapper, BB Cool. The concert was outdoors and apart from no more than 5 other Muzungu (white people) we were fully integrated into the nightlife of Uganda. Adele even started a friendly conversation (shocking, I know) with what we would soon figure out was the saxophone player of the next act! We rang in 2013 a full 8 hours before the ball dropped in NYC with many fireworks and bonfires in the villages along our route home. A New Years Eve that with out a doubt was unique, truly Ugandan, and one that none of us will ever forget. Happy 2013 all!

Visiting, Rafting and Dancing

Nabagoye, the village we stayed in, has the largest Abayudaya population, but there are at least four other small villages where Abayudaya live that are even further "off the beaten path.  On Tuesday we visited two of them -- Namutumba and Nasenyi -- to deliver the oral histories that Hannah Nemer (a Mount Zion member who spent three months in Nabagoye last summer) wrote.  The papers reflect interviews Hannah conducted with community members in each village about their memories of being Jewish during Idi Amin's reign and what it is like to be Jewish now.  The smaller villages don't get as many visitors as Nabagoye, so they appreciated our being there, but we felt badly we couldn't spend more time with them.

Community leader in Namutumba

Meeting with community members in Namutumba

We left Nabagoye somewhat reluctantly as we had to say "goodbye" to wonderful new friends and felt like there is so much more we can learn from each other.  We left with many email addresses and lots of ideas that you will hear more about in the coming weeks and months.

On Wednesday we woke up before sunrise to drive to Jinja for whitewater rafting on the Nile.  We split up into two rafts - one with the "younger" folk and one with the "young at heart" folk.  Each raft had a guide in it, and rescue kayakers and a first aid raft followed us just in case!  We alternated between leisurely floating times, light and heavy paddling periods, and, of course, the rapids.  In between we got to jump, somersault or back flip off the rafts and swim, which felt great after tough paddling periods under the hot Ugandan sun.  The rapids are what give this part of the Nile its name - "The White Nile."  We went over eight rapids, mostly rated 4's and 5's (out of 6, which, by the way, is a waterfall!).  The rapids were exhilarating for the "young at heart" raft, skillfully directed by our guide "Big J," as waves cascaded into our raft and we made it through each rapid fully intact.  The "younger" raft had a different sort of excitement as their raft overturned on three of the eight rapids.  One young rafter reported that each raft upset led to "an adrenalin rush" and it was "so much fun!"  We later learned that the "younger" rafters had told their guide they were o.k. with tipping over whereas members of the "young at heart" raft had mentioned early on that they had no desire to overturn.  We have no pictures to share of our rafting experience because we couldn't bring cameras with us, and the pictures the rafting company took were not really worth the steep price.  Suffice it to say, the Nile and its banks were beautiful, and the expressions on our faces as we went over rapids or spilled out of rafts were sufficiently gleeful, surprised and/or terrified.

After some kabobs and drinks served by the rafting company, "Adrift," we drove to Kampala to see a show at the open air Ndere Theater.  The show featured traditional African singing, instruments and dancing.  The dancing is particularly astounding as the dancers can isolate and shake any one part of their bodies. They can also isolate and shake multiple parts of their bodies simultaneously in some mysteriously coordinated and rapid fashion for a LONG time.  No wonder many of them appear to have a negative percent body fat!  Anyone want to take an African dance class with me in St. Paul?

--Rachel Stock Spilker

Ndere Dance Troupe

Sunrise over Lake Victoria, Kampala

P.S.  I think something funky may have happened to the formatting of this post, but I won't know for sure 'til I publish it.  Seeing as it's late, and we're getting up early tomorrow, I think I'll post and let it be what it will be :-)

Hiking in Paradise

We took a trip to Sipi Falls and on this trip we brought a nine year old little girl named Gilla. Earlier that morning, Cantor Spilker asked if there was one place in the world she would want to go where would it be, she replied Sipi Falls, her dream came true later that morning.

 When we got there our guide Patrick gave everyone a large bamboo stick to help us hike through a very muddy trail.  On the trail we climbed a lot of hills and we saw three different waterfalls.  On our hike we had a few miss hap’s, from people falling and hitting their head on a bush to someone hitting the tour guide between the eyes with a stick.

At the first falls we saw a guy repelling down to the side of the falls.  Then we ventured to the second falls, and to get there we had to climb a ladder, hike passed a cave, walk down a road and hike through mud.  Before we reached the second falls we arrived at a restaurant.  We passed the restaurant and got to the second falls.  At this falls we got to stand behind it.  After we were done at the second falls we ventured back to the restaurant for a lunch break.

By this point most of us were tired so we decided to drive half way to the third falls and walk the rest.  To get to this falls we walk right through someone’s yard.  Then we continued down the path and reached the final waterfall.  There was mist everywhere and it looked beautiful.  We ventured back to the cars to return home to the guest house all muddy and tired.   

-Ben Forman

   An Adeledum:

Never put a stick in my hand and send me sliding down a large slope.  The first mishap occured about around 500 yards down the mountain.  I gracefully got up, hoping that no one would realize I went down.  That did not happen.  I was glad that all my bones were intact. Later, I was not so lucky as we tight roped across a small wooden bridge.  I was almost across+ but the last step was a doozie, my flat soled tennis shoes slid off the bridge endlessly falling with my head landing on a banana tree.  My face became a cyclops and Patrick decided that I needed to come to the head of the line and hold his hand for the rest of the journey.    This was working amazingly well until my stick slipped and it stabbed Patrick very close to his eye.  Oh dear! A millimeter closer I would have taken out his eye.  I am so glad that did not happen and equally glad that he continued to be my leader and hold my hand.  We arrived at the end of our hike after seeing the an amazing water fall in the land before time with a bruised head and a guide with a bandaide on his face. 

Our guide Patrick 

Shabbat in Nabagoye

It is now Monday as I write, but between the power being on and off, the internet router sometimes being in the guest house and sometimes borrowed by others, Shabbat and our activities, this is the first time I could actually write about our amazing Shabbat in Nabagoye.

 As the sky turned to shades of purple, gold and pink and the sun began to sink low, we ushered in Shabbat at the Moses synagogue with the traditional psalms accompanied by guitars and the punctuation of African drumbeats.  Hebrew flowed seamlessly into Lugandan (one of the many languages spoken in the village) and the community members knew everything by heart.  The prayers came to life as the congregation, from youngest to eldest, sang in harmonies that reminded me of Ladysmith Black Mambazo – they are influenced by the music of other African countries as well as Uganda.  I had to literally pinch myself to be sure I was really here praying with the Abayudaya community that I’d learned about and longed to visit for so long.  The tunes that I was used to hearing on recordings and teaching to the Torah Tones, Mount Zion’s adult choir, were enveloping me live!  I had goose bumps as I heard the young but strong voices of the littlest members of the kahal who sang with great enthusiasm.*

As we moved past the opening psalms into the main part of the service, the instruments were put away, but the pulpit still served as a wonderful “drum” for the service leaders.   The power went on and off several times throughout the service, so at times we could only see the light of the two Shabbat candles sitting on a chair in the corner of the synagogue.  After the service, we joined together in a tent outside the synagogue for a Shabbat dinner that our group sponsored for the community.

As if Shabbat evening were not special enough, the morning highlight was calling four women to the Torah as b’not mitzvah, the first time adult women had become b’not mitzvah in this community.  Each one led a part of the service or chanted Torah, gave a short d’var Torah and received blessings from several family members plus the rabbi who is related to almost all of them.  It was 

very moving.

After a great Shabbat walk to see where Semei Kukungulu, the founder of the Abayudaya, is buried, I spent some time talking with Rabbi Sizomu and one of his brothers, Aaron Kintu Moses who runs the Hadassah Primary School here.  Everyone in our group seemed to enjoy the quiet and relaxed atmosphere of Shabbat. 

The day ended with a group of children leading Havdalah in the middle of a big circle of adults.  There was no wine because it is difficult to get kosher wine here, especially since grapes don’t grow in Uganda.  The spices were fragrant leaves from a tree.  Our voices joined together in Debbie Friedman's havdalah tunes as we said goodbye to Shabbat and ushered in another fascinating week in Uganda.

*If you’re interested in hearing music from the Abayudaya, go to http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1YVEF3vq9lM  and/or you can purchase a CD (a 2005 Grammy Award Nominee for Best Traditional World Album) at http://www.folkways.si.edu/abayudaya-music-from-the-jewish-people-of-uganda/judaica-sacred-world/album/Smithsonian

--Rachel Stock Spilker

Soccer, Stitches, Shabbat

All week while walking through the village people would come up to me asking if I was ready for Friday, the day the muzungu (white people) would play football (soccer) in a game with the local people, including Jews from the local Abayudaya community and Muslims and Christians. We also have had the pleasure to bring with us 18 soccer balls donated by The Sanneh Foundation and the Forman family.

After a beautiful concert in the morning and observing the preparations for Shabbat, we headed off to the field to play. Our big moment was upon us, Ben and I were ready to play in a competitive game of the sport we love in the middle of Africa.  We were guided up to the field and greeted by the couple of teammates who were expecting us, the rest of the team was very confused at these white people who expected to play. The coach questioned whether or not we were prepared to play on their field, a pristine pitch filled with rocks and bumps. I was to start in goal and Ben was coming on as a substitute. Looking around me, I took a second to realize just how beautiful of a location we were in and how lucky I was to be playing the sport I loved there. It was a unique experience, with a motorcycle and rooster whizzing through the field, assistant referees using tree branches instead of the typical flags and goats among the intrigued onlookers. It was interesting knowing the fans surrounding the field were talking about me, but still having no idea what they were saying (Ben did learn that muzungu was not only used for white people, but for bad soccer players, “you’re playing like a muzungu”). When I would make a save the fans would hoot and holler in excitement and surprise that a muzungu could actually play. At half we were winning 1-0 and my team seemed very happy with my performance.

(all photos credit Curt Brown)

Shortly after the second half had begun my unique and crazy soccer experience in Uganda took a turn for the worse. I came out to head the ball out of my box and an opposing player headed me right in the face. After getting up I realized that I was gushing blood and the whole team had surrounded me. I thought it was a bloody nose, but after walking back to the guest house through a barbed wired fence, accompanied by a small army of little kids, we realized I had a big gash in my lip. Isaac, our trusty guide, ran to get the car and we were off to seek medical care. It was at that Jewish Clinic (the Tobin Health Center) that my multi-faith team of nurses (Hakim the Muslim and Barbara with cross earrings) gave me 12 stitches amid many power outages and with the help of a headlamp brought by big sister Kenzie. After the procedure was done, we took pictures and Hakim told us the cost: 20,000 Ugandan shillings or the equivalent of about $8.

Me and my nurse Hakim after he stitched me up.

We returned back to the guest house, exactly two hours after the incident, to learn that the Rabbi had told the whole congregation at services that evening one of the Americans was in the hospital. We were also happy to hear that Ben had successfully played twenty minutes at the end of the match and only suffered an eight-Band Aid abrasion on his left leg. An unforgettable experience and one I will truly remember forever: The muzungu had played football with the locals, for what probably was the first time for them and for us was definitely the last.   

Off to paint the synagogue 

Zac Brown