New York – The landlocked East African country of Uganda is making Jewish history this year: It is the 100th country to welcome a permanent Chabad-Lubavitch presence in its midst.
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In October, Rabbi Moishe and Yocheved Raskin, along with their young son Menachem Mendel, moved to the country’s capital city of Kampala, where they established Chabad of Uganda. The milestone was marked with a formal announcement on Sunday evening at the annual International Conference of Chabad-Lubavitch Emissaries (Kinus Hashluchim) in New York.
Other countries where Chabad is establishing new permanent presences this year include Montenegro, Nassau in the Bahamas, and the tiny Caribbean island of Curaçao. These countries followed the recent opening of Chabad Houses in Laos and the Pacific island of New Caledonia.
“Having centers in 100 countries is a momentous achievement and gives us a permanent way to constantly be in touch with Jews in every single one of these countries,” says Rabbi Moshe Kotlarsky, vice chairman of Merkos L’Inyonei Chinuch—the educational arm of the Chabad-Lubavitch movement—chairman of the conference and a key person behind Chabad’s expansion into Jewishly uncharted territories. “The Rebbe [Rabbi Menachem M. Schneerson, of righteous memory] tasked us with the mission of connecting Jews to their heritage wherever they may be. The number 100 is spiritually significant, and these young couples are willing to go to the farthest reaches of the earth to make this happen.”
Chabad has had contact with the small but dynamic Jewish community in Uganda since at least 1999, when Rabbi Shlomo Bentolila, who together with his wife, Miriam, heads Chabad of Central Africa in Kinshasa, Congo, first sent “Roving Rabbis” there for the summer and to help mark Jewish holidays throughout the year.
The country has come a long way since the dark years under the thumb of dictator Idi Amin (1971-79), who in 1976 famously allowed a plane that had taken off from Tel Aviv and was hijacked by Palestinian terrorists to land at Entebbe Airport. The episode culminated with the Israel’s miraculous Operation Thunderbolt, when Israeli commandos surreptitiously landed in Uganda and freed 102 hostages. The operation’s commander, Yoni Netanyahu, the older brother of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, was killed during the rescue.
In recent years, stability has been the rule in Uganda, which has seen an influx of international business. Today, some 400 Jews, mostly Israelis, live there year-round, joined by Jewish diplomats and NGO staffers from around the world.
“The time was right to establish a permanent Chabad House there,” says Bentolila, who arrived in the Congo with the Rebbe’s blessing in 1991.
The Raskins, both from Israel, traveled to Kampala for Purim and Passover, running holiday programs there before making the decision that the country would become their permanent home.
“We liked it right away,” says Moishe Raskin, who is currently in New York for the conference of emissaries. “My wife and I both got this feeling that this was the place for us.”
The International Conference of Emissaries brings together 5,600 rabbis and their guests from around the world, from as far off as Stalin’s Jewish Autonomous Region of Birobidzhan, in Russia’s Far East, to Staten Island and now, Uganda.
Other countries where Chabad is establishing new permanent presences this year include Montenegro, Nassau in the Bahamas, and the tiny Caribbean island of Curaçao. These countries followed the recent opening of Chabad Houses in Laos and the Pacific island of New Caledonia.
The new generations of emissaries will join those who have gone out before them. Back in 1950, when the Rebbe assumed leadership of the Lubavitch movement following the passing that year of his father-in-law—Rabbi Yosef Yitzchak Schneersohn, of righteous memory—the first country he sent emissaries to was Morocco in North Africa, which had a significant Jewish population at the time.
On Sunday night, at the conference banquet in Bayonne, N.J., the oldest living emissary in Morocco, Rabbi Sholom Eidelman, who arrived in Casablanca in 1958, will be sitting at table I23. Sixty years and a few tables over, Rabbi Moishe Raskin of Kampala, Uganda, will be at U10.
I whole heartedly admire the work that these Shluchim do, giving away their own life to help others, we couldn’t do without them, but my question is, UGANDA? are we looking to integrate ethnics in to our society? i understand & appreciate that the Jewish tourism industry will be the main beneficiaries, but eventually some locals will claim that their roots are from the BNEI EFRAYIM, like some Indians claim to be from the BNEI MENASHE, I’m not trying to be racist at all, i’m just confused,,, & we all know where this will end up,
KUDOS TO CHABAD
“Welcome”? i doubt that the people of Uganda will welcome these interlopers, or invited them in. Chabad must have learned that there are a sufficient number of wealthy Jews in Uganda that can be conned into accepting Chabad “honors” in exchange for large donations.
Chabad should just leave the proud people of Uganda alone.
Chabad is awash in money. Their missionaries are everywhere .
Numbers 2&3, Look at your comments. They are similar to how goyim have described “the Jewish conspiracy.” There are Jews living there that can use some community structure and chizuk.
To numbers 2 and 3
Of course, the thousands of Shluchim who don’t get funding from HQ in NY, and don’t send funding to HQ in ny, and who move their families for a LIFETIME of struggle, and who have to try and fundraise on their own to keep their doors OPEN in order to provide yiddishkeit to locals or tourists, are all just doing it for “large donations”….
Do your research about chabad shluchim, and instead of letting out your bitter lives on selfless ppl, pay for a therapist, or find one who accepts your insurance.
very dangerous, more than dangerous than walking amongst the “minority ” youth of crown heights, if you know what I mean.
Comments 2&3 are not only bitter and misleading but blatantly false and shows your ignorance.
I don’t know if it’s because you’re envious of Chabad’s success or some other misguided reason that you think it’s ok to spread falsehood.
“Chabad” is not awash with money. Of course BH there are many Chabad institutions that are financially stable often in more affluent communites but there are literally thousands of Chabad Shluchim struggling financially and have financial uncertainty month to month.
Just to give you a glimpse of how Chabad runs…
Yes, new Shluchim and Chabad centers must be approved by the Shluchim office HQ but they do not receive a PENNY from any central office. Shluchim are expected to serve their local communities Jewish needs and be 100% financed through fundraising from their local communities.
As to the comments questioning the need for Chabad in Uganda, you must lack some basic teading comprehension.
The article clearly states “Today, some 400 Jews, mostly Israelis, live there year-round, joined by Jewish diplomats and NGO staffers from around the world.”
And that number will only rise.
I believe other sects of Chasidus could learn from them, especially those nut jobs protesting in Israel
To #1 , #2 , #3 and #9 – feh! You are sonei yisroel. We need to dunk you in the mikveh (after you remove the sheretz in your hand). Do teshuvah! One day YOUR children or grandchildren will need the help of Chabad to get back to yiddishkeit. I am a Satmar Chosid that would mock Chabad until they succeeded in preventing my son from intermarrying. My son still does not yet keep shabbos fully, but at least he comes for kiddush (and I still shudder of the thought of gentile grandchildren). Now I admire Chabad and will fight anyone who dares say a word against them.