The fascinating story of the Abayudaya, a small community of African Jews in Uganda

[Disir]

It was all joy last year when the Abayudaya, a small Jewish community of around 3,000 located near the town of Mbale in eastern Uganda, celebrated 100 years of its founding. Somewhere in 1917, its founder, Semei Kakungulu, embraced Judaism after reading a Bible.

Kakungulu is said to have led many lives in Uganda. He was a guerilla leader, a chief, an elephant hunter, a border warlord and a British ally in military campaigns. During the 1880s, a Protestant missionary converted him to Christianity and taught him how to read the Bible in Swahili.

​

Gradually, he began rejecting all the forms of biblical religion that had been introduced to him and started focusing more on the Hebrew Bible and Judaism. By 1919, Kakungulu, who was then one of the toughest soldiers the British ever hired to fight their colonization wars in Uganda, became a self-proclaimed Jew, an Omuyudaya.

The fascinating story of the Abayudaya, a small community of African Jews in Uganda - Face2Face Africa

The Abayudaya, who are spread among six villages in Mbale, go about their daily activities while committed to traditional Judaism

face2faceafrica.com

That's kind of interesting. The fact that this group continues to exist is even more interesting.

 

[Blackrook]

It's an odd journey to believe in Christ, but then reject him for Judaism. Not many take that path.

 

[shimon]

It's an odd journey to believe in Christ, but then reject him for Judaism. Not many take that path.

Although Jews don’t go out of their way to convert people from other faiths to become Jewish and prefer to be left alone...You obviously haven’t attended too many conversion classes where the majority of the people there are converting from Christianity to Judaism thus making your premise bogus...Fascinating story non the less and probably more common then known but people like this go quietly about their business and don’t advertise unlike some groups that hype everything to their own advantages...Still being a very very small minority in a vast and hostile world it is amazing they hung on....

 

[Blackrook]

It's an odd journey to believe in Christ, but then reject him for Judaism. Not many take that path.

Although Jews don’t go out of their way to convert people from other faiths to become Jewish and prefer to be left alone...You obviously haven’t attended too many conversion classes where the majority of the people there are converting from Christianity to Judaism thus making your premise bogus...Fascinating story non the less and probably more common then known but people like this go quietly about their business and don’t advertise unlike some groups that hype everything to their own advantages...Still being a very very small minority in a vast and hostile world it is amazing they hung on....

If you convert from Christianity to Judaism it means you never really believed in Christ in the first place.

 

[fncceo]

It's an odd journey to believe in Christ, but then reject him for Judaism. Not many take that path.

Although Jews don’t go out of their way to convert people from other faiths to become Jewish and prefer to be left alone...You obviously haven’t attended too many conversion classes where the majority of the people there are converting from Christianity to Judaism thus making your premise bogus...Fascinating story non the less and probably more common then known but people like this go quietly about their business and don’t advertise unlike some groups that hype everything to their own advantages...Still being a very very small minority in a vast and hostile world it is amazing they hung on....

If you convert from Christianity to Judaism it means you never really believed in Christ in the first place.

Isn't that kind of the point?

 

[shimon]

It's an odd journey to believe in Christ, but then reject him for Judaism. Not many take that path.

Although Jews don’t go out of their way to convert people from other faiths to become Jewish and prefer to be left alone...You obviously haven’t attended too many conversion classes where the majority of the people there are converting from Christianity to Judaism thus making your premise bogus...Fascinating story non the less and probably more common then known but people like this go quietly about their business and don’t advertise unlike some groups that hype everything to their own advantages...Still being a very very small minority in a vast and hostile world it is amazing they hung on....

If you convert from Christianity to Judaism it means you never really believed in Christ in the first place.

No it no longer means that you are a “ fool for Christ” and that the proverbial wool that covers your eyes From seeing properly by being a ” sheep” has been removed And you are able to “ see” things more clearly and stay focussed and what is right and what is wrong...

 

[fncceo]

By 1919, Kakungulu, ... became a self-proclaimed Jew,

For those how are worried about losing a potential soul to the heathens, you can rest easy.

It doesn't work that way. You can't self-proclaim yourself a Jew. Any conversion has to be done under the supervision of a rabbi and approved by a board of rabbis.

His soul will still go to xtian heaven.

 

[shimon]

By 1919, Kakungulu, ... became a self-proclaimed Jew,

For those how are worried about losing a potential soul to the heathens, you can rest easy.

It doesn't work that way. You can't self-proclaim yourself a Jew. Any conversion has to be done under the supervision of a rabbi and approved by a board of rabbis.

His soul will still go to xtian heaven.

Dont they teach in Romans 10: 12 differently... That is because the Romans would have dearly loved for the Jews to come to their way of thinking ... Guys like Blackrook are disturbed when people figure things out for themselves and go in the opposite direction it goes against everything they hold dear....

 

[Blackrook]

What I'm saying is there's no way to logically believe in the Jewish religion if you're a believer in Christ. The Jewish faith teaches Christ was a charlatan and the Apostles lied about him and fooled billions of people into believing in him. Judaism is a conspiracy theory.

 

[fncceo]

The Jewish faith teaches Christ was a charlatan and the Apostles lied

Actually, the Jewish faith doesn't teach anything about Jesus, or Buddha, or Krisha, or L. Ron Hubbard.

As far as Judaism goes, Jesus is a non-entity and isn't even mentioned in Jewish scripture.

 

[fncceo]

Dont they teach in Romans 10: 12 differently...

Who knows? I didn't read their book.

 

[shimon]

What I'm saying is there's no way to logically believe in the Jewish religion if you're a believer in Christ. The Jewish faith teaches Christ was a charlatan and the Apostles lied about him and fooled billions of people into believing in him. Judaism is a conspiracy theory.

Hardly...J

What I'm saying is there's no way to logically believe in the Jewish religion if you're a believer in Christ. The Jewish faith teaches Christ was a charlatan and the Apostles lied about him and fooled billions of people into believing in him. Judaism is a conspiracy theory.

My My... Shows what you know... Sorry to deflate your ego but we don’t even mention anything at all about your saviour or his followers . .

 

[Blackrook]

What I'm saying is there's no way to logically believe in the Jewish religion if you're a believer in Christ. The Jewish faith teaches Christ was a charlatan and the Apostles lied about him and fooled billions of people into believing in him. Judaism is a conspiracy theory.

Hardly...J

What I'm saying is there's no way to logically believe in the Jewish religion if you're a believer in Christ. The Jewish faith teaches Christ was a charlatan and the Apostles lied about him and fooled billions of people into believing in him. Judaism is a conspiracy theory.

My My... Shows what you know... Sorry to deflate your ego but we don’t even mention anything at all about your saviour or his followers . .

OK, but admit that what I've said is true. You believe Christ didn't really rise from the dead and his claim to be the Messiah is a lie.

Right?

 

[shimon]

Dont they teach in Romans 10: 12 differently...

Who knows? I didn't read their book.

I understand Where you are coming from but knowledge is power and it is sometimes best to educate oneself so one cannot be deceived and can make the proper choices.

 

[fncceo]

Dont they teach in Romans 10: 12 differently...

Who knows? I didn't read their book.

I understand Where you are coming from but knowledge is power and it is sometimes best to educate oneself so one cannot be deceived and can make the proper choices.

I'm happy with my choice. Although, L. Ron makes some pretty good points.

 

[shimon]

What I'm saying is there's no way to logically believe in the Jewish religion if you're a believer in Christ. The Jewish faith teaches Christ was a charlatan and the Apostles lied about him and fooled billions of people into believing in him. Judaism is a conspiracy theory.

Hardly...J

What I'm saying is there's no way to logically believe in the Jewish religion if you're a believer in Christ. The Jewish faith teaches Christ was a charlatan and the Apostles lied about him and fooled billions of people into believing in him. Judaism is a conspiracy theory.

My My... Shows what you know... Sorry to deflate your ego but we don’t even mention anything at all about your saviour or his followers . .

OK, but admit that what I've said is true. You believe Christ didn't really rise from the dead and his claim to be the Messiah is a lie.

Right?
Jews are taught Somevery specific things about Moshiach.You should try and educate yourself about this and look at it truthfully.... Nothing This Jesus did or was said to have done in your book qualifies him as a messiah or redeemer.. Therefore he is disqualified in so many ways in that role along with the likes of Shimon Bar Kochba , Shabatti Svi etc etc...To name a few ... There were many failures... All must be accomplished during ones lifetime ... Dying and coming back to life as the king of the dead although a fancy story certainly disqualifies him.... There are many many other reasons as well..

 

[Blackrook]

What I'm saying is there's no way to logically believe in the Jewish religion if you're a believer in Christ. The Jewish faith teaches Christ was a charlatan and the Apostles lied about him and fooled billions of people into believing in him. Judaism is a conspiracy theory.

Hardly...J

What I'm saying is there's no way to logically believe in the Jewish religion if you're a believer in Christ. The Jewish faith teaches Christ was a charlatan and the Apostles lied about him and fooled billions of people into believing in him. Judaism is a conspiracy theory.

My My... Shows what you know... Sorry to deflate your ego but we don’t even mention anything at all about your saviour or his followers . .

OK, but admit that what I've said is true. You believe Christ didn't really rise from the dead and his claim to be the Messiah is a lie.

Right?
Jews are taught Somevery specific things about Moshiach.You should try and educate yourself about this and look at it truthfully.... Nothing This Jesus did or was said to have done in your book qualifies him as a messiah or redeemer.. Therefore he is disqualified in so many ways in that role along with the likes of Shimon Bar Kochba , Shabatti Svi etc etc...To name a few ... There were many failures... All must be accomplished during ones lifetime ... Dying and coming back to life as the king of the dead although a fancy story certainly disqualifies him.... There are many many other reasons as well..

So you admit what I've said is true. Jews believe that Christianity is nothing more than the world's largest conspiracy.

 

[shimon]

What I'm saying is there's no way to logically believe in the Jewish religion if you're a believer in Christ. The Jewish faith teaches Christ was a charlatan and the Apostles lied about him and fooled billions of people into believing in him. Judaism is a conspiracy theory.

Hardly...J

What I'm saying is there's no way to logically believe in the Jewish religion if you're a believer in Christ. The Jewish faith teaches Christ was a charlatan and the Apostles lied about him and fooled billions of people into believing in him. Judaism is a conspiracy theory.

My My... Shows what you know... Sorry to deflate your ego but we don’t even mention anything at all about your saviour or his followers . .

OK, but admit that what I've said is true. You believe Christ didn't really rise from the dead and his claim to be the Messiah is a lie.

Right?
Jews are taught Somevery specific things about Moshiach.You should try and educate yourself about this and look at it truthfully.... Nothing This Jesus did or was said to have done in your book qualifies him as a messiah or redeemer.. Therefore he is disqualified in so many ways in that role along with the likes of Shimon Bar Kochba , Shabatti Svi etc etc...To name a few ... There were many failures... All must be accomplished during ones lifetime ... Dying and coming back to life as the king of the dead although a fancy story certainly disqualifies him.... There are many many other reasons as well..

So you admit what I've said is true. Jews believe that Christianity is nothing more than the world's largest conspiracy.

No I don’t speak for others... What they choose to know is their own business ... If they are educated enough they will draw their own conclusions. In other words you can’t make a “ fool” out of someone who is educated enough and smart enough to figure things out for themselves like the fellow in Africa did at the beginning of this story...

 

[GreenBean]

It was all joy last year when the Abayudaya, a small Jewish community of around 3,000 located near the town of Mbale in eastern Uganda, celebrated 100 years of its founding. Somewhere in 1917, its founder, Semei Kakungulu, embraced Judaism after reading a Bible.

Kakungulu is said to have led many lives in Uganda. He was a guerilla leader, a chief, an elephant hunter, a border warlord and a British ally in military campaigns. During the 1880s, a Protestant missionary converted him to Christianity and taught him how to read the Bible in Swahili.

​

Gradually, he began rejecting all the forms of biblical religion that had been introduced to him and started focusing more on the Hebrew Bible and Judaism. By 1919, Kakungulu, who was then one of the toughest soldiers the British ever hired to fight their colonization wars in Uganda, became a self-proclaimed Jew, an Omuyudaya.

The fascinating story of the Abayudaya, a small community of African Jews in Uganda - Face2Face Africa

The Abayudaya, who are spread among six villages in Mbale, go about their daily activities while committed to traditional Judaism

face2faceafrica.com

That's kind of interesting. The fact that this group continues to exist is even more interesting.

Nice Post ... don't have time to read it all but one quick question ....
Are they descended from Ethiopian Jews ? Haille Sallasse and Queen of Sheba ....

 

[Carl in Michigan]

It's an odd journey to believe in Christ, but then reject him for Judaism. Not many take that path.

Jesus said, "I am the Way." And no man can come to Me, except the Father draw him."

It's a shame they abandoned the complete for the incomplete.

BTW, "Jew" is a RACE. Jews are born of the tribe of Judah. The RELIGION is Judaism. These people have converted to Judaism, but they are not Jews