Gershom Sizomu (born 1972) is a Ugandan

rabbi A rabbi () is a spiritual leader or religious teacher in Judaism. One becomes a rabbi by being ordained by another rabbi – known as '' semikha'' – following a course of study of Jewish history and texts such as the Talmud. The basic form o ...

serving the

Abayudaya The Abayudaya (''Abayudaya'' is Luganda for "People of Judah") are a community in eastern Uganda, near the town of Mbale, who practice Judaism. They are devout in their practice, keeping kashrut and observing Shabbat. There are several differ ...

, a Baganda community in eastern Uganda near the town of Mbale who practice Judaism. Sizomu is the first native-born black rabbi in Sub-Saharan Africa."Over 250 Africans convert to Judaism in Uganda," Jerusalem Post, 16 July 2008
/ref> He is also the first chief rabbi of Uganda. Sizomu is a member of the Ugandan Parliament.

Childhood

Sizomu was born into an Abayudaya family, and his grandfather was the community's leader."An evening with Rabbi Gershom Sizomu," Canadian Jewish News, 3 November 2008
/ref> The Abayudaya were persecuted during the years of the Idi Amin regime, when it was illegal to openly practice the Jewish faith in Uganda. During his childhood, Sizomu's father was arrested for building a

sukkah A or succah (; he, סוכה ; plural, ' or ''sukkos'' or ''sukkoth'', often translated as "booth") is a temporary hut constructed for use during the week-long Jewish festival of Sukkot. It is topped with branches and often well decorated w ...

as part of the celebration of the Jewish holiday

Sukkot or ("Booths, Tabernacles") , observedby = Jews, Samaritans, a few Protestant denominations, Messianic Jews, Semitic Neopagans , type = Jewish, Samaritan , begins = 15th day of Tishrei , ends = 21st day of Tishre ...

. His father was released when Sizomu's family paid the arresting officer with a ransom of five goats. In 1979, following the overthrow of the Amin government, freedom of religion was restored in Uganda, and Sizomu's family celebrated by hosting 200 people in a

Passover Seder The Passover Seder (; he, סדר פסח , 'Passover order/arrangement'; yi, סדר ) is a ritual feast at the beginning of the Jewish holiday of Passover. It is conducted throughout the world on the eve of the 15th day of Nisan in the Hebrew c ...

consisting of homemade matzoh and macco, a Ugandan

banana A banana is an elongated, edible fruit – botanically a berry – produced by several kinds of large herbaceous flowering plants in the genus ''Musa''. In some countries, bananas used for cooking may be called "plantains", distinguis ...

wine with an 80 per cent alcohol content.

Education

The Abayudaya was not recognized by the government of Israel as being Jewish because the community had not formally converted to Judaism. In 2003, Sizomu sought Israeli approval of the Abayudaya by inviting four U.S. rabbis to conduct a conversion ceremony for 300 Abayudaya Jews, which they did in 2003, in a ceremony consisting of the question, 'Why do you want to be Jewish?', to which the Abayudaya responded: "I was born Jewish and I'd like to stay Jewish." Others refused to take part saying: "We're already Jewish." Sizomu has openly identified himself as a Zionist and once stated in an interview: "If the Arab world declared war on Israel, we would fight and die to protect it." Sizomu earned a Bachelor of Arts in education from Islamic University in Uganda. As a Be'chol Lashon Rabbinic Fellow at the Institute for Jewish & Community Research, he came to the U.S. to 2003 to study in a five-year graduate program at the Ziegler School of Rabbinic Studies at the American Jewish University in Los Angeles. He graduated in 2008 and was ordained as a rabbi under the auspices of

Conservative Judaism Conservative Judaism, known as Masorti Judaism outside North America, is a Jewish religious movement which regards the authority of ''halakha'' (Jewish law) and traditions as coming primarily from its people and community through the generatio ...

Rabbinical activities

In July 2008, Sizomu returned to Uganda and conducted a conversion ceremony for 250 people at the village of Nabogoya, with converts coming from across Uganda and from Kenya, Nigeria and South Africa. During the ceremony, Sizomu stressed the viability of the Jewish faith for sub-Saharan Africans by noting, "The relationship between God and the Jews in the Torah resonates for many spiritual seekers. It is important that Africans and others know that they can choose Judaism as a spiritual path and that we are open to them."

Political activities

Rabbi Sizomu was a candidate to represent Uganda's Bungokho North District in Parliament in the 2011 election, held on February 18, 2011. He lost that election, but ran again in 2016 and was elected to Parliament in a close race.
Kestenbaum, Sam. "Uganda Rabbi Wins Opposition Seat in Parliament as Authoritarian Leader Clings to Power", ''The Forward'', 24 February 2016.

Childhood

Education

Rabbinical activities

Political activities

References

Further reading