Kulanu Blog

Help Kulanu feed hungry Jewish, Muslim & Christian kids at Abayudaya SK High School in Uganda! http://tinyurl.com/feedUgandankids

In the Kulanu-supported Abayudaya schools of Uganda, hungry students are commonplace.  That is why we are grateful to have received a matching grant offer of $7500 from The Estelle Friedman Gervis Family Foundation.  If our donors can match the Gervis gift, we will be able to support an urgently needed food program for hungry students in the Abayudaya community.

Semei Kakungulu High School was established in the late 1990’s as a haven for Abayudaya Jewish students to study peacefully along with their Christian and Muslim neighbors. Located in an impoverished area where most families are subsistence farmers, the high school, which currently has an enrollment of 380 students, has had a remarkable record of success.  Many of its graduates, some of whom are boarders from outlying areas, have passed Uganda’s national exams for college entrance, despite a variety of challenges. Hunger is foremost among those challenges.

Since 2006, thanks to the Gervis Foundation, high school students (many of whom often arrived at school without breakfast or lunch) have received a daily breakfast of protein-enriched porridge and bananas and a lunch snack of chapati flat bread three times a week. This has been hardly enough to satisfy hunger and alleviate the risk of exploitation for food. Now, due to economic necessity, even that is in jeopardy if we cannot provide matching funds.

Would you please consider this special request? For just $119 a day all the students could have two substantial meals a day.  The Gervis Foundation matching funds must be available by May 1st. Please give online at www.kulanu.org/donate or send a check, payable to Kulanu, to Kulanu, 165 West End Ave, 3R, New York, NY 10023, USA. Be sure to write “food program” in the online comments or in the memo on your check.

We would be grateful for any amount you can give. Kulanu and the students of Semei Kakungulu High School thank you in advance.

Please share this on email lists, Facebook, and Twitter! Here’s a “tweet-length” message you can use on Facebook and Twitter:

Help Kulanu feed hungry Jewish, Muslim & Christian kids at Abayudaya SK High School in Uganda! http://tinyurl.com/feedUgandankids

Thanks for your help!

Sincerely,
Harriet Bograd, President
Kulanu, Inc
For more information:
www.kulanu.org/abayudaya
Abayudaya slideshow at www.kulanu.phanfare.com

Photo by Lorne Mallin

Teens build bridges – from So Cal to Uganda – by Rachel Heller – Feb 24, 2010 – http://www.jewishjournal.com/tribe/article/teens_build_bridges_from_so_cal_to_uganda_20100224/

***

Harriet Bograd, President of Kulanu, spoke at this event

***

Tefillah, sports, study sessions and even a dance — the four-day youth convention on Nabugoye Hill in late January was almost like a typical United Synagogue Youth (USY) convention, according to the three Southland USYers who traveled to Uganda to help run the event.

But there were a few major differences. Instead of staying in a cushy hotel, the nearly 200 African Jewish teens who attended slept on mats in the local school building. Rather than in a synagogue social hall, study groups took place in outdoor tents. Most importantly, while members of USY (the Conservative movement’s North American teenage youth group) enjoy an established and far-flung social network, many of the Ugandan kids who ventured to this inaugural gathering were meeting one another for the first time.

more

Kulanu very much regrets our association with the individual known as Jorge Yoram Torres, Jorge Torres Orellana, and Jorge Puello. We condemn in the strongest possible terms the reprehensible criminal activities that have been described in the press, and sincerely wish to apologize for any incorrect assessments of his motives and actions that Kulanu may have communicated. (more…)

You have probably seen on our website and in recent Kulanu Updates that we are recognizing Karen and Aron Primack’s many years of service to Kulanu and to Jews around the globe through an online ad journal. I am writing to remind you that the time to publicly show your appreciation for Karen and Aron’s hard work will come to a close at the end of this month. If you have already contributed, thank you so much! While we will of course continue to accept donations and notify the Primacks of gifts in their honor, the deadline for contributions and messages to be displayed on our website and other forums is January 31. To honor the Primacks now, go to http://www.kulanu.org/tribute.
From the beginning of Kulanu’s journey as an organization to assist isolated and emerging Jewish communities worldwide, Karen and Aron Primack have been at the forefront with founder Jack Zeller. There is no way to calculate the number of hours they have contributed to building and strengthening the organization and the depth of their emotional commitment to the causes for which Kulanu stands. They have given of themselves in countless ways, providing leadership, visiting communities abroad, editing two books and the newsletter, donating funds and hosting numerous visitors from around the world. Their generosity is legendary.

As they step down from their 15 years as editor (Karen) and layout/technical director (Aron) of the newsletter, Kulanu would like to take this opportunity to honor them for their unique contributions. Through the newsletter, they have enriched our knowledge of dispersed communities, fostered interest and support for Jews in isolated circumstances and created a lasting legacy for current and future generations.

Karen and Aron are both in Africa now, continuing their tireless dedication to Kulanu by visiting with the Abayudaya Jewish community of Uganda. When they return in about two weeks, we would love to show them that our community of supporters admires and appreciates how much they have given to world Jewry.

Please join us in honoring these two special people by contributing to our online ad journal to support Kulanu’s important work. Remember, the deadline is January 31st!

Thank you so much for helping us recognize Karen and Aron Primack with your gift today.

On January 11, 2010 there will be a special screening of The Fire Within: Jews in the Amazon Rainforest at the Gershman Y In Philadelphia, PA at 7PM. There will also be a special guest speaker Rabbi Marcelo Bronstein of B’Nai Jeshurun of New York City

Synopsis from RuthFilms.com – http://www.ruthfilms.com/the-fire-within.html

A moving documentary that is a reflection of the survival of spirit, belief, and heritage. This is the story of the unique Jewish community of Iquitos, Peru. In the late 19th century, among the adventurers who came to the Amazonian rainforest following the great rubber boom, were Jewish men from Morocco. Some of these men settled in the isolated town of Iquitos. There, they married indigenous women, raised families, and maintained names such as Cohen, Pinto, and Khan. Their original Jewish traditions became mixed with indigenous Amazonian life creating an authentic and practically unknown Jewish tradition.
(more…)

Dear Friends,

2009 has been a year to remember as Kulanu completed its sixteenth year of outreach to isolated and emerging Jewish communities around the world. It continues to be a joy for me to serve as President of Kulanu, working with you and “all of us.” This year we continued to sustain long-time relationships and develop new ones. As I look back on 2009, here are some highlights of Kulanu’s work.

Overseas

In Uganda…
· Kulanu continued to support the Abayudaya primary and high schools, which together educate 700 Jewish, Christian, and Muslim children, and their nutrition programs that feed hungry students.
· Kulanu volunteers initiated and supported a variety of projects in the Abayudaya community. Lorne Mallin, a Canadian journalist, spent six months living and teaching in the community. He helped with a grant application to the US Embassy that raised $10,000 for a chicken coop that will provide an important source of nutrition and income. Dr. Liz Feldman, a Family Practice Doctor from Chicago and and Hedy Cohen, an activist who makes yearly visits, worked on health education and public health programs including HIV screening and counseling, cervical cancer screening, and water purification. In addition, Dr. Feldman raised significant amounts of money for the Kavule Parents School For The Deaf. Yale University student Raffi Magarik taught for a month during the summer. David Wise expanded the math skills of the teachers at Hadassah Primary School and helped the students at Semei Kakungulu High School prepare for national exams.
· Kulanu helped the Mirembe Kawomera/”Delicious Peace” interfaith, fair-trade coffee cooperative, created by master farmer JJ Keki and Kulanu Coordinator Laura Wetzler, win a $250,000 facilities and farmer development grant/loan package from USAID. Thanks to our partners at Thanksgiving Coffee for their extraordinary support of this project.

In Ethiopia…
· Dana Eitches spent a month in Kechene, visiting the Beit Avraham, a community of previously secret Jews. She contributed to our knowledge of the group by photographing their work .
· In January, 2010, a group of Kulanu board members and friends will visit the Beit Avraham in the Kechene area to assess their needs and explore Kulanu’s future relationship with them.

Elsewhere…
· Rabbi Larry Goldstein, Kulanu’s coordinator for Puerto Rico, teaches classes in Judaism to potential converts. He participated in the first Orthodox beit din in Puerto Rico in November. Rabbi Goldstein also works with three communities in El Salvador who want to convert.
· Board member Jacob Steinberg has been working with Jews in Suriname to support a new mikveh, and to bring more visitors, volunteers, and other resources to this community.
· Kulanu provided international publicity for the Fraternité Judéo-Noire, an organization of Black French Jews, and introduced Kulanu’s readers to this new group.

On the home front
· We expanded the Kulanu board, adding Judy Manelis of Brookline, MA and Matt Feldman of Philadelphia. Judy has stepped into the role of vice president and is our new newsletter editor.
· Kulanu now has a Facebook page with more than 460 fans from 20 countries and is steadily growing. The photos of our Facebook fans highlight the diversity of our supporters.
· Our annual Abayudaya speaking tour has been a great success. This year’s presenter, JJ Keki, spoke to more than 3,200 people across the U.S and Canada at over 35 venues including synagogues, schools, universities, and Jewish community centers
· The Kulanu Boutique has expanded its merchandise and is now offering discounts on select bulk purchases.
· Kulanu has greatly expanded our multimedia resources. Our new multimedia manager, Dan Knapp, documented this year’s Anousim conference organized by board member Rabbi Stephen Leon in El Paso, TX, and posted six videos to YouTube. Our online photo albums at kulanu.phanfare.com continue to expand. And you can view a new Powerpoint presentation about Kulanu on the About Kulanu page of our web site.

Today, I’m asking you to join me in continuing our support of this organization that is so important to so many. We are able to do so much, even with small amounts. As an example, $75 pays to feed 700 children in the Abayudaya schools for one day. We know that this year has been a challenging one economically for many. We ask you to help us maintain our programs by giving as generously as you can. My deepest thanks for your generous support.

With all best wishes,

Harriet Bograd
President

Yes, I/we wish to support the work of Kulanu by making the enclosed gift of:

___ $50 ___ $100 ___ $150 ___$750 ___$1,500 ___$6,000 _____ Other

Please help us by updating your information:

Name(s) _________________________________

Address _________________________________

City _________________ State ____ Zip _______

Telephone (____)__________________________

Email ___________________________________

Comment ________________________________

_______________________________________

Kulanu

c/o Harriet Bograd, President
165 West End Avenue, Apt. 3R
New York, New York 10023
USA

As you know, Kulanu is planning a speaking tour this spring for Shi Lei from the Jewish community in Kaifeng, China.

video from Shavei Israel

From Harriet Bograd Kulanu President:

By Laura Wetzler

Last chance to hop on: Jewish Life in Uganda Mitzvah Tour and Wildlife Safari. Jan. 10-23 featuring the fabulous Abayudaya Music and Dance Festival Jan. 17. Eco-tourism development project now in our 7th year.  Contact for info: laura <at> laurawetzler <dot> com, Kulanu Coordinator for Uganda.

My husband, Ken, and I will be on the tour, along with Laura Wetzler and our new newsletter editor, Judy Manelis. We’d love to have you join us!

From their facebook group http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=92337892676&v=info:

“Next Year in Bombay” is a documentary (52 min, HD) by Jonas Pariente and Mathias Mangin.

Sharon and Sharona Galsulkar are the last educators of their Indian Jewish community, the ‘Bene Israel’, which has been residing in the Bombay region for 2000 years and is now disappearing. Genuinely Zionists and concerned by their daughters’ future, they are also committed to their community’s needs. Whose education will they sacrifice?

Screening at:

HUNTER COLLEGE
SATURDAY, DECEMBER 19th, 2009, 5:30pm
Film and Media Screening Room, Hunter North 502
(enter on East 69th between Lex and Park and take elevator to 5th floor).

This is a free screening part of a MFA Thesis exhibition with the work of two other artists showing.

This spring, Kulanu is delighted to host Shi Lei of the historic Jewish community of Kaifeng, China. Cut off from the Jewish world for hundreds of years until it was “discovered” by a Jesuit priest in 1605 CE, the Kaifeng community remained intact until the 19th century when it disappeared from the Jewish map. Today, this ancient Jewish community is undergoing a remarkable resurgence. Shi Lei is a descendant of one of the original Jewish families, believed to have settled in Kaifeng between 960 and 1127 CE.
 
An accomplished and experienced speaker, Shi Lei will present the history of this remarkable community, offering insight into the ability of some remnants of the community to survive under difficult, even impossible, circumstances. Today, some 300 descendants still live in Kaifeng, and while some Jewish traditions have been forgotten, others have been preserved through the centuries. Like Shi Lei, many young people desire to learn about their origins. Eighteen of them are currently studying in Israel.
 
Shi Lei is a graduate of Henan University in the province of Henan, China. From 2001 to 2002, he studied Jewish history and religion in Israel at Bar-Ilan University, continuing his studies at Machon Meir Yeshiva in Jeursalem. Now a tour operator and national tour guide, Shi Lei leads private and group tours to Kaifeng and other Chinese cities with Jewish sites of interest, including Beijing, Harbin, Xi’an and Shanghai. 
 
This year’s Kulanu-Kaifeng speaking tour will run from April 23 through May 24, 2010. If you are interested in hosting Mr. Lei in your community, read on for what to do next.

What is required of host locations?
(more…)