We arranged to stay with Shlomo Guwazah and his family. He has three grown sons (David 18, Tesfah 17, and Daniel 13) from a British wife and one 2-year-old son (Kudzi) from his Zimbabwean wife, Monica. We were welcomed into their home like family. We stayed for two nights and by the time we left we felt like family. It was the first time we were welcomed to live in an African home.

Shlomo shared a lot about his past journeying into Rastafarianism, Christianity, and Judaism for the last 15-20 years. The Jewish congregation he attends practices "prophetic" Judaism, which originated in Virginia about 100 years ago; it is affiliated with African American Beth El Congregations. They define prophetic in the sense of their leaders and the fact that each one of us is truly a prophet of God. Shlomo described how he and the Rusape Jews feel a connection with Judaism that harmonizes with their historical Shona heritage of a belief in one God. They described the need to reconnect to their ancient past in order to find the strength and the framework to take control of their lives and fulfill the vision of the African Renaissance. Individuals are trying to buck centuries of oppression by traditional leaders, colonialists, and modern-day cultural imperialism to assume ownership and control of their own destinies. Shlomo believes that Judaism is the path.

On Sabbath morning, we went with Shlomo and his family for whole day (9 am-4 pm), an experience that we will never forget. The tabernacle (synagogue) sits on the side of a small mountain by a lake. It was spectacular. The tabernacle was filled to capacity with over 100 people. The rabbi welcomed us and described the origins of their belief and their delight in sharing their rituals and customs with us. This was a cultural mind blowout! You cannot imagine how enchanting it was to hear 50 Africans in a choir singing a new version of the Shema (the most sacred prayer in Judaism) in a combined English, Hebrew, and Shona. They sang Adon Olam, David Melech Yisrael, and many other songs in English and Shona. The music and chanting was revivalist in nature and Judaic in spirit! The Shona songs were our favorite, even though we don't know what they meant. The kids played outside, drew water from the well, ate pomegranates, and chased turkeys. After the morning service the congregation had lunch together followed by singing and announcements. During the announcements the rabbi said something in Shona and then they sent a collection around and gave the money to Monica. Later we learned the money was to help feed us.

After we left the tabernacle we went with Shlomo and Daniel to the village that he grew up in and where his mother still lives. The village was about 20 minutes outside of Rusape. Her house was well developed for a village home, with several rooms in the main house. She had traditional rondovels (round huts) -- one was the kitchen and another was where her maize is stored. As we approached the house, Shlomo's uncle and grandmother welcomed us. His grandmother took an immediate liking to Paul, flirting with him. She had been drinking way too much of their homemade brew and she was stumbling through the maize fields. We were given a traditional welcome inside her living room where she and three other relatives bent their knees and clapped their hands. We then had drinks outside since she has no electricity and it was quite dark inside Outside her house she had a large maize field and beautiful rock-formed hills. The children ran around chasing her goats.

Several days later we rejoined the Rusape tabernacle for the celebration of the Convocation of the Feast of Tevet. This gathering recalls the destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem and the migration of Jews into Africa. This is one of their high holidays. The tabernacle was even more crowded than before, and the choir was complete, with about 70 people. The energy was overwhelming! The whole congregation stays together for eight days with prayers beginning at 4 am. Each day they pray in a different position, beginning with standing; on the last day they are lying flat on the floor.

Rabbi Ambros Makuwaza told the congregation how appreciative he is of all the different people he has met through Kulanu and the gifts that the tabernacle has received. We are now working with the Rusape tabernacle to help them develop a proposal and get a sponsor to produce a CD and a tape. We are hoping that Kulanu will get involved.

The Rusape tabernacle welcomes donations of Judaic items (tallit, kippot, books, etc).
Please send them to Rabbi Makuwaza, Rusape No. 1 Tabernacle, PO Box 207, Rusape Zimbabwe.