Shana Tovah from Uganda: Celebrating Rosh Hashanah 5786.

Rosh Hashanah, the head of the year, is a time on the Jewish calendar when the blast of the shofar fills our homes and surroundings, marking the start of the High Holidays. The sounding of the shofar actually begins at the start of the month of Elul, which precedes the 1st of Tishrei, the seventh month celebrated as the Jewish New Year. However, it may seem confusing to celebrate a new year in the seventh month. But actually, it marks the anniversary of the creation of Adam and Eve, a spiritual significance, as well as other important historical events and seasons that coincides with the festival of Rosh Hashanah.

The Jews in Uganda joined the rest of the Jewish people across the globe and were thrown into a festive mood, starting from the preparations for the feast of Shofar. Known as the Abayudaya, which in the native language means the people of Judah, a collective name for the Ugandan Jews. Today, Jews have spread out from Mbale, the cradle of Judaism in eastern Uganda, to almost every region across the federation and growing in numbers.

In Mukono, just about 21 kilometers from the outskirts of Kampala, the capital, vibrant Jewish communities are flourishing in their worship and observance. These communities are not only thriving in their observance but are also achieving playing-host to notable political national duty, highlighted by the recent launching of ZIMU in Mukono and Uganda’s historic inclusion in the World Zionist Congress. Two communities, Tzion Beit Hamitzvot and the Mukono Orthodox Jewish community, together have a combined population of two hundred individuals. While the number may be smaller in comparison to other Jewish communities in Uganda, Mukono has emerged on the global stage, increasingly recognized as a vibrant center for Jewish activities within the nation.

***Eliyahu, a shechita student of Rabbi Ari Greenspan, slaughtering chickens for lunch during the Mukono gathering.***

Recently, Mukono has emerged as a popular destination for the Abayudaya Jews to obtain festival supplies especially for Pesach. This initiative, praised by various voices and perspectives, has offered a solution to the challenges of obtaining symbolic meal items such as matzot and kosher wine for Pesach. The story, Matzah, Wine, and Unity: Uganda’s Unforgettable Pesach Journey, vividly portrayed the occasion that united 22 Jewish communities in the baking of matzot.

**Women from different synagogues gathered at the baking venue in Mukono, mixing flour with honey in preparation for the sweet festival challah.**

And once again, as the Jewish people worldwide prepare for this 5786 Rosh Hashanah, Mukono again played host to another mass challah baking. The nationwide baking and local wine production were sponsored by Kulanu, a nonprofit organization based in the United States that supports isolated, returning, and emerging Jews around the world. The event was held at the residence of Sarah Nakintu, the vice president of the Sub-Saharan African Jewish Alliance (SAJA) and founder of the Shalom Women Development Network (SWODN). Baking had commenced at the end of Shabbat and lasted up to the following evening, in a gathering of people from about 27 Jewish communities nationwide.

With the women taking turns, the mixing station produced the flour dough mixed with honey and sliced apples, and the baking was completed in the oven section that houses the big industrial oven equipment. At the end, about 200 round loaves of sweet, high-quality bread were made, placed in white-wrapped paper boxes, and distributed to every community represented. In addition, wine and some cash were also part of the package. Participants were filled with gratitude for the gift provisions, and everyone headed back to their base ahead of the festival the following day.

**Participants proudly display their boxed loaves** ***of challah and other gifts before departing from the mass baking event.***

In the Tzion Beit Hamitzvot Jewish community, the women organized a colorful candle lighting ceremony to memorably mark the start of the year 5786. Prior to this, the women have decorated the tables with fine cloths, with festival symbolic food items placed in sets around the long table arrangement. Moshe, the chief chazan of the community, conducted the Seder service during one of the most entertaining and high-spirited Rosh Hashanah evening services. There was a guest from the Kahal Kadosh Beit Shalom (KKBS) congregation in Nangolo in Mbale, the eastern part of the country, as well as a visitor from Nigeria.

The air was alive with the joyous shouts of “Shana Tovah umetukah” that evening, as we indulged in a variety of local delicacies accompanied by an abundance of bread and wine from the grand challah bake held the day before. During the shacharit service, the sound of the shofar filled the synagogue as the moderator announced the sequence of the shofar service: Tekiah, Shevarim, Teruah. The service proved to be exceptional, with worshipers praying with new Sidurim, Chumash, and festival prayer books that were recently brought from the United States by Eliyahu, thanks to the generous donation efforts of Rabbi Sjimond Den Hollander. At the conclusion of the service, a communal kiddush took place, accompanied by a lively musical brikat hamazon. Following this, there was a break period, during which attendees remained in the synagogue until the evening for the commencement of the second night of Rosh Hashana.

***Women’s group leads candle-lighting*** **prayers before the start of the second night of Rosh Hashanah services.**

Facts About Rosh Hashana

Day of Judgment (Yom HaDin) – Hashem judges all of humanity, determining the fate of individuals, communities, and nations for the coming year (Rosh Hashanah 16a).

Day of Remembrance (Yom HaZikaron) – God “remembers” the deeds of mankind, weighing merits and shortcomings.

The Shofar – Central mitzvah of the day is hearing the shofar blasts, symbolizing coronation of Hashem as King, a call to repentance, and a reminder of the Binding of Isaac.

Two-Day Observance – Even in Israel, Rosh Hashanah is observed for two days (Yoma Arichta – one long day of holiness).

The Talmud (Rosh Hashanah 11a) teaches that on Rosh Hashanah, three “mothers” of Israel were remembered and conceived: Sarah, Rachel, and Hannah.
Later commentaries (such as Pirkei D’Rabbi Eliezer) connect Sarah’s death directly with Rosh Hashanah, noting that the shofar of Rosh Hashanah is also a remembrance of the ram offered in Isaac’s place and of Sarah’s passing.

The evening of the second night was marked by a remarkable display of unity and togetherness, characterized by mutual cooperation and shared religious sentiments. Shortly after the mincha prayers, a group of ten visitors from the Mukono Orthodox community entered Tzion Beit Hamitzvot, extending a gesture of friendship in the spirit of the festival. The maariv was lively, filled with enthusiastic guests who participated in the second night seder service and enjoyed the rest of the feasting that evening.

**Guests from the Mukono Orthodox community joined** ***the Erev Rosh Hashanah service at Tzion Beit Hamitzvot Synagogue.***

Throughout Uganda, the 5786 festival was clearly celebrated with joy and a sense of fulfillment. The unity of the Jewish community faced another test, and it was clearly strong as 27 communities embraced Rosh Hashanah together in harmony. As the 10 days of Awe come to a close tomorrow and we prepare for the Yom Kippur fast, may our prayers be heard, our sins pardoned, and our names inscribed and sealed in the Book of Life for good. Wishing everyone a smooth and significant fast.