KulanuSupporting isolated,

emerging and returning Jewish communities

www.kulanu.org 1

Agenda

• What is Kulanu?

• Where is Kulanu?

• What can you do to help?

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Agenda

• What is Kulanu?

• Where is Kulanu?

• What can you do to help?

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What is Kulanu?KULANU ("All of Us" in Hebrew) is a non-profit organization

supporting isolated, emerging and returning Jewish communities around the globe through:

• Jewish education• Networking • Recruiting rabbis and

Jewish educators to teach in Kulanu communities

• Arranging for young people to participate in Jewish leadership programs

• Publications• Speaking tours• Research• Organizing Batei Din for

conversions when appropriate

• Kulanu does not proselytize

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Did You Know?• Semei Kakungulu, Ugandan military leader, started

practicing Judaism in 1919• Jews have been living in Kaifeng, China for about

1100 years• Anousim, or Crypto-Jewish descendants, live today

throughout Latin America and Southwestern United States

• DNA testing has revealed a Kohen, or priestly, gene in an African tribe which has claimed Jewish descent for decades

• The Gogodala tribe of Papua, New Guinea is embracing Judaism

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Agenda

• What is Kulanu?

• Where is Kulanu?

• What can you do to help?

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Communities with a Kulanu Connection

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Where Are These Communities?

• Brazil – Navegantes, Goiania & Synagoga Bnei Avraham (Sao Paolo)

• Cameroon - Beth Yeshourun at Sa’a & Douala

• China - Kaifeng• Colombia – Santa Marta• Costa Rica - Alajuela• Ecuador – La Sinagoga Sefaradita• El Salvador - Armenia• Ethiopia - Beta Avraham• Gabon - La Communautee des Juifs• Ghana - Sefwi Wiawso• Guatemala – Adat Israel• India - Bnei Menashe & Bene Ephraim• Ivory Coast - Beith Israel & Etz Chaim• Kenya - Olkalou Kasuku

• Madagascar - Antananarivo• Mexico – Mexico City, Puebla & Vera

Cruz• Nicaragua – Congregacion Israelita• Nigeria - Igbo: Tikvat Israel, Gihon,

Israel Heritage Synagogue & Plant for the Growth of Israel

• Peru - Huanuco• Poland - Beit Polska with 8 Havurot

throughout the country• Portugal – Southern Portugal (Al

garve)• Southern Italy - Calabria• Suriname - Neve Shalom• Uganda - Abayudaya• Zimbabwe - Lemba

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Jewish Communities in India (1) Manipur and

(2) Mizoram Bnei Menashe

(3) Kolkata Baghdadi

(4) Andhra Pradesh Bene Ephraim (Telugu)

(5) Mumbai Bene Israel Baghdadi

(6) Cochin Cochini

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Kulanu’s Journey Began in 1994 Among the Bnei Menashe

in India• Descendants of the

tribe of Menashe exiled in 722 B.C.E.

• In the 1800’s, Christian missionaries found Jews on the Burmese border in northern India

• Many now making aliyah to Israel

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Kulanu Sent a Rabbinic Couple to Teach and Study with the Bene Ephraim in

IndiaThe Bene Ephraim community in Andhra Pradesh speak Telugu and maintain Jewish traditions

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Kulanu’s African Communities

(1) Ethiopia - Beta Avraham

(2) Zimbabwe - Lemba

(3) Ghana - Sefwi Wiawso

(4) Nigeria - Igbo (Ibo)

(5) Cameroon - Beth Yeshourun Sa’a & Douala

(6) Uganda - Abayudaya

(7) Kenya - Olkalou Kasuku

(8) Ivory Coast - Beith Israel & Ets Chaim

(9) Gabon - La Communautee des Juifs

(10) Madagascar - Antananarivo

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Abayudaya of Uganda• Embraced Judaism 1919• Persisted despite

persecution• United States-trained rabbi

returned in 2008

Rabbi Gershom Sizomu with mother and brother

welcomed home after ordination

Bat Mitzvah at the Moses Synagogue 13

How Kulanu Helps: Abayudaya Education

• Support for elementary and secondary schools

• Nutrition program• Health education• Women’s empowerment

Volunteer teacher at primary school

Child hunger project14

Abayudaya Women's Association meeting

How Kulanu Helps: Abayudaya Economic

Development• Micro-credit projects• Water and electricity• Fair trade interfaith coffee

project• Agricultural development• Tourism program• Grain mill in Namutumba• Goat Project

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Cameroon’sBeth Yeshourun

Community • Evolved from a Christian group

16 years ago• Embraced Judaism and biblical

practices• Had never met a Jew

• Community leaders educated themselves about Judaism

• Downloaded prayers, music, Torah study, etc. from the Web

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Kulanu’s Response in Cameroon

• Serge Etele contacted Kulanu in March, 2010• Rabbis Bonita and Gerald Sussman visited four

months later• Kulanu published article, photo album, and videos by

October• Today, Beth Yeshourun has expanded to a second

community

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Ethiopia’s Beta Avraham Community• The Ethiopian Jewish community can trace its lineage to

biblical times• Western travelers to Ethiopia discovered the community in

the 1800’s

• 75,000 Jews were air-lifted to Israel during Operation Moses in 1984, and Operation Solomon in 1991

• Today many thousands remain

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The Hidden Jews of Ethiopia

Members of the community outwardly adopted Christian practices

Judaism was observed in secret synagogues

Religious wisdom was passed orally from generation to generation

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• The Beta Avraham share ancestral origins with the better-known Beta Israel community and observe pre-Talmudic Jewish practices.

• To minimize persecution:

Secret No More

• Younger members of community rent space for synagogue in Addis Ababa and embrace their Jewish heritage

• Meet with elders living and worshipping in secret synagogues to ensure transmittal of authentic Jewish customs and rituals

• Invite Kulanu to visit emerging community

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Kulanu’s Response in Ethiopia

• Kulanu board members visited the Beta Avraham in January, 2010 to meet with leaders and learn about the needs of the community

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Kulanu Grants to Beta Avraham

• Sent community leader to Uganda yeshiva

• Renovating Addis Ababa synagogue to house visiting educators

• Supporting film on secret synagogue

• Funding grain mill to support large secret synagogue

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Historic Partnership: Kulanu Celebrates the Ingathering of

the Lemba of Zimbabwe

• Oral history of Jewish origins

• Genetic evidence of priestly gene

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• Lemba worship one God, practice circumcision and ritual slaughter, and observe kashrut, niddah and the Sabbath

Kulanu Supports Houses of Worship in Zimbabwe

The Lemba, with help from Kulanu, are building a synagogue in Mapakomhere, in the Lemba heartland, and have organized a spiritual and religious center in the capital of Harare

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Teaching is the KeyTeachers from Israel, Canada, France and the United States are engaged in cyber and on-site teaching of Hebrew, Jewish history, rituals and practice, songs and prayers, and conducting a discussion of the Torah portion of the week

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Lemba Celebrate Our Jewish Heritage

Kulanu works with Lemba to preserve Jewish life and practice, strengthen Jewish learning and education

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Kulanu Helped the Jewish Community in Ghana

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Sefwi Wiawso community:• Oral history: Community origin

from Ethiopia via Mali • Kulanu sells their locally-made

challah covers and tallitot• Kulanu has helped send Jewish

studies teachers to Ghana• Kulanu sent Ghana leader to

study with Abayudaya

Latin American Communities with a Kulanu Connection

Kulanu communities in Latin America are primarily Anousim and descendants

of Jewish traders.

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1(1) Brazil (2) Mexico

(3) Ecuador

(4) Peru

(5) Suriname

(6) Dominican Republic

(7) El Salvador

(8) Guatemala

(9) Nicaragua

(10) Costa Rica

(11) Colombia

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Anousim (Crypto-Jews)

Expulsions: Spain 1492

Portugal 1497Bnei Anousim are descendants of Spanish and Portuguese Jews forcibly converted to Catholicism 600 years ago during the Spanish Inquisition.

Based on genetic studies, scholars suggest that 20% of Spain’s and one-third of Portugal’s population may have Jewish heritage

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Page from Barcelona Haggadah (14th century)

Anousim• Many Jewish communities in Latin America have Anousim

roots• In the past, some Jewish traders intermarried with local

settlers and assimilated into the general population• Many communities have been out of touch with the

mainstream Jewish community for decades. • Kulanu helps some of these.

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Armenia, El Salvador Kulanu sent rabbi with

Anousim roots to work with community several times over three years

Kulanu helped set up religious school for young children and education programs for adults

Kulanu donated computer to access online Jewish resources

Kulanu supplied books and educational materials

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Huánuco, PeruDescendants of Anousim, assimilated Ashkenazi

traders (19th C), and Jews by Choice

Kulanu sent volunteer to serve as teacher, tutor and cantor in “reformative congregation”– Taught Hebrew so

community could pray together

– Prepared boy for first Bar Mitzvah in over 100 years

– Taught introductory course on Judaism including Jewish law, traditions and holidays

– Led weekly services

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Communities in Ecuador

Congregations follow Orthodox and Conservative paths toward spiritual fulfillment

• Summer 2013, volunteer visited two congregations– Helped prepare congregants for future conversion– Taught Hebrew classes– Discussed Torah portion– Conducted Havdallah– Taught women how to

put on tefillin (conservative) – Prepared youth for upcoming Bar Mitzvah

• August 2014, volunteer taught Hebrew writing, reading, comprehension in Quito

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Paramaribo, Suriname

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Community Seder

• Sent a volunteer/Jewish educator to community

• Helped arrange for a three-month visit of a rabbi

• Donated $10,500 towards travel expenses for Birthright Israel trip for 16 young adults

Anousim in Mexico

Havurah in Mexico CityVeracruz Synagogue

Pesach in Puebla Tefillin 35

Anousim Communities in Brazil and Colombia

• It is estimated that 10% of Brazil’s 170 million people are of Jewish heritage

• To be continued…

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Agenda

• What is Kulanu?

• Where is Kulanu?

• What can you do to help?

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You Can Help

•Volunteer

•Donate

•Host speaker

•Raise funds

www.kulanu.org/getinvolved www.kulanu.org/donate

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• Visit Kulanu communities

• Plan Bar/Bat Mitzvah projects

• Follow us on Facebook

• Read our blog

Contact Information

Kulanu165 West End Ave., 3R

New York, NY 10023

(212) 877-8082

www.kulanu.org

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