It’s hard to believe that it has been one year since Adam and I returned from Uganda. We have had an incredible year in New York City– Adam finished his first year of rabbinical school at the Jewish Theological Seminary while serving as the rabbinic intern at the Maryland Hillel and teaching Hebrew school at Oheb Shalom and I worked at the Center for Alternative Sentencing and Employment Services (CASES) as an administrator and math teacher in the GED program. But as many of you know, Adam and I don’t stay put for very long.
So… tomorrow morning, I am returning to East Africa!!! I will be traveling with my brother, Edden, in Kenya and Tanzania before returning to Mbale, Uganda. I will do my best to document my adventures in Africa on this blog.
In the meantime, Adam will be studying at Yeshivat Hadar in NYC and planning a family camp program at Ramah in the Rockies. All of this before Adam and I head off to Israel for a year where we will be living in Jerusalem. Adam will be studying full time at Machon Schechter and I will be a Dorot Fellow. Stay tuned… we might even write a bit about our lives in Israel.
We have a few other exciting updates: The Bushiglory CDs are finally complete!! Thank you to Rachael Keeler, who worked diligently on the beautiful and informative booklets that include all the lyrics in the local language and translations. We are still finalizing the details of how to make the CDs available to all of our readers and generous donors (more on this in August!). If you happen to live in Westchester or see my parents — ask them how to get a copy.
Also, members of Temple B’nai Shalom in Fairfax Station, VA (Rabbi Amy Perlin’s congregation) collected books for the library. The books should be arriving during my stay in Uganda!! I am excited to post pictures and stories detailing the delivery and reception of this generous contribution.
As they say in Kenya and Tanzania — Kwaheri.
Hi Maital!
I read your blog a few months ago and I really enjoyed it. I was just looking at the photos of Rob Blum’s engagement party and I saw someone who looked like you and I thought, “maital must be back in the U.S.” Then I checked your blog and I see I am correct. I look forward to reading about your adventures in Israel! Bon voyage!
- Shane
Maital, b’hatzlacha, and we look forward to hearing about your time in Africa and then Israel, Sandy Starkman
Hi Maital,
We had a wonderful time with you in Mbale and will never forget that memorable Shabbat! I still have the pictures of the goat that your father sent me.
We hope to be in Uganda again in August and want so much to spend another Shabbat with the Abayudaya. I hope that you will be there!
The library is absolutely beautiful and I pray that I can do the same thing for the Pearl Children Centre that I work with in Jinja. We just bought them land! It is such a wonderful feeling to help the people of that country. I can’t wait to go back. Uganda kind of grows on you…
All the best,
Dvora
( Ontario, Canada)