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Abayudaya Pesach Campaign

Support Masorti Olami and Cleveland Hillel student leader, Maya Friedlander, to ensure that our communities in Uganda and Kenya can celebrate this important holiday to the fullest.

The Abayudaya (Abayudaya is a Luganda word for people of Judah) community is comprised of over 3,000 members spread among 10 villages and centers across eastern Uganda and northern Kenya.

The community formally converted to Judaism in 2002 under the auspices of the Masorti/Conservative Movement, and live their daily lives committed to traditional Judaism, observing kashrut, celebrating Shabbat and holidays, and engaging in text study on a regular basis.

The Abayudaya perform its own schitah, and have their own health clinic, schools, NOAM youth groups and a Marom young adult center.

Click here to learn more about our Abayudaya communities.

Through the leadership and generous support of Cleveland Hillel student leader, Maya Friedlander, and generous supporters like you, we’re raising funds for matzah, wine, and other Pesach essentials. Every contribution brings us closer to our $6,000 goal to cover costs, including transporting these crucial supplies.

Our community in Nabugoye, the main Abayudaya village in Mbale District, is already preparing to welcome over 500 guests from all over Uganda for a big communal seder on the first night.

Donations from 2024 helped our Abayudaya communities celebrate Pesach

Your support is needed to help provide:

Kosher Wine | Uganda has a 100% liquor tax and it is nearly impossible to obtain kosher wine, which must be imported from Kenya, from where we are looking to purchase and import at least 40 bottles.
Matzah | Since the supply in Uganda is extremely costly and limited, we hope to purchase at least 30 boxes of matzah from Kenya, one for each community and about 20 for the community seder.
Transportation| Members from our Kenyan community will help purchase and collect all the items and bring them to the Ugandan border, where members of our leadership will distribute among our Ugandan villages.
Food for Seders| We hope to help organize and provide funding for communal seders across all villages in Uganda and Kenya for the first night of Pesach, some welcoming over 100 people.

Let’s stand together as a global Masorti/Conservative family and make this Pesach significant for all.

We are a registered non-profit charity in the United States (we are registered under our official name "World Council of Synagogues, Inc." and donations are tax-deductible for US taxpayers). We are also a registered non-profit (Amutah) in Israel with a certificate of good standing (Nihul Takin).

United States