Description
The 600 members of the Abayudaya (Children of Judah) community living in a remote area of eastern Uganda lead a life devoted to traditional Jewish practices. They observe the Sabbath and holidays, attend services, follow dietary laws, and cling tightly to traditions in their small mud and brick synagogues. Surrounded by Muslims and Christians, facing poverty and isolation, these people have maintained their Jewish way of life for four generations since the initial conversion of their tribal chief Semei Kukungulu in 1917. Even during Idi Amin's reign of terror, when synagogues were closed and prayers had to be held in secret, the Abayudaya did not abandon their beliefs.
Richard Sobol is the first photojournalist to document this newly discovered Jewish community's way of life and to relate their heroic story. His sensitive portraits and moving landscapes depict everyday life. He shows their day of rest on the Jewish Sabbath, as well as their religious celebrations and rituals. His intriguing text chronicles the story of this community from its conception to the present. The book includes a CD filled with powerful music and songs from services recorded by ethnomusicologist Jeffrey A. Summit, who has also provided an essay examining this unique mix of African and Jewish sounds.
Richard Sobol is the first photojournalist to document this newly discovered Jewish community's way of life and to relate their heroic story. His sensitive portraits and moving landscapes depict everyday life. He shows their day of rest on the Jewish Sabbath, as well as their religious celebrations and rituals. His intriguing text chronicles the story of this community from its conception to the present. The book includes a CD filled with powerful music and songs from services recorded by ethnomusicologist Jeffrey A. Summit, who has also provided an essay examining this unique mix of African and Jewish sounds.
Details
- Pages: 168
- Publisher: Abbeville Publishing Group
- Imprint: Abbeville Press
- Publication Date: 1st August 2002
- Trim Size: 10.3 x 10.3 in
- ISBN: 9780789207760
Reviews
"– The Jewish PressA beautiful coffee-table book
"
"A– Rabbi Harold S. Kushner, author of When Bad Things Happen to Good People
fascinating study of one of the world's most exotic Jewish communities in the
fullness of their humanity and authenticity."
"Richard Sobol has– Elie Wiesel, winner of the 1986 Nobel Peace Prize
a unique story to tell the story of Abayudaya a community
of Bantu Jews from a remote region of Uganda. I have seen the photographs and
was deeply moved by the work that he has created."
Author Bio
Richard
Sobol has contributed photoessays to such leading publications as
National Geographic, Time, Newsweek, and The New York Times Magazine. He
lives in Lexington, Massachusetts.
Rabbi
Jeffrey A. Summit is the Neubauer Executive Director of Tufts Hillel
at Tufts University, where he also teaches Music and Judaic Studies.
The 600 members of the Abayudaya (Children of Judah) community living in a remote area of eastern Uganda lead a life devoted to traditional Jewish practices. They observe the Sabbath and holidays, attend services, follow dietary laws, and cling tightly to traditions in their small mud and brick synagogues. Surrounded by Muslims and Christians, facing poverty and isolation, these people have maintained their Jewish way of life for four generations since the initial conversion of their tribal chief Semei Kukungulu in 1917. Even during Idi Amin's reign of terror, when synagogues were closed and prayers had to be held in secret, the Abayudaya did not abandon their beliefs.
Richard Sobol is the first photojournalist to document this newly discovered Jewish community's way of life and to relate their heroic story. His sensitive portraits and moving landscapes depict everyday life. He shows their day of rest on the Jewish Sabbath, as well as their religious celebrations and rituals. His intriguing text chronicles the story of this community from its conception to the present. The book includes a CD filled with powerful music and songs from services recorded by ethnomusicologist Jeffrey A. Summit, who has also provided an essay examining this unique mix of African and Jewish sounds.
Richard Sobol is the first photojournalist to document this newly discovered Jewish community's way of life and to relate their heroic story. His sensitive portraits and moving landscapes depict everyday life. He shows their day of rest on the Jewish Sabbath, as well as their religious celebrations and rituals. His intriguing text chronicles the story of this community from its conception to the present. The book includes a CD filled with powerful music and songs from services recorded by ethnomusicologist Jeffrey A. Summit, who has also provided an essay examining this unique mix of African and Jewish sounds.
- Pages: 168
- Publisher: Abbeville Publishing Group
- Imprint: Abbeville Press
- Publication Date: 1st August 2002
- Trim Size: 10.3 x 10.3 in
- ISBN: 9780789207760
"– The Jewish PressA beautiful coffee-table book
"
"A– Rabbi Harold S. Kushner, author of When Bad Things Happen to Good People
fascinating study of one of the world's most exotic Jewish communities in the
fullness of their humanity and authenticity."
"Richard Sobol has– Elie Wiesel, winner of the 1986 Nobel Peace Prize
a unique story to tell the story of Abayudaya a community
of Bantu Jews from a remote region of Uganda. I have seen the photographs and
was deeply moved by the work that he has created."
Richard
Sobol has contributed photoessays to such leading publications as
National Geographic, Time, Newsweek, and The New York Times Magazine. He
lives in Lexington, Massachusetts.
Rabbi
Jeffrey A. Summit is the Neubauer Executive Director of Tufts Hillel
at Tufts University, where he also teaches Music and Judaic Studies.