About_Me

About Me

Truth is, I didn’t want this website to be about me at all. The extent to which I am not in the picture is the extent to which I will consider my efforts to be successful. Not that I mind the recognition I receive for my work. It’s just that - well, it’s not about me.

Let me explain. A friend kids me by calling me “Nachshon.” Nachshon’s name is found in the Torah, but it is in Rabbinic Literature that his role in our history is made known. According to the Midrash, when the Children of Israel arrived at the Sea of Reeds (the Red Sea), the waters did not automatically part - not even after Moses did what God told him to do to make the waters part. It was not until Nachshon ben Aminadav, of the Tribe of Judah, walked into the waters and reached the depths when the waters were above his nose that dry land appeared as the waters of the sea formed a wall on either side of the path. His bravery and faith made it possible for others to follow. (According to Wikipedia, there is a Yiddish expression “to be a Nachshon,” which means to be an initiator or pioneer). I suppose that by calling me Nachshon, she is implying that I made it possible for other rabbis to follow, in the knowledge that they were visiting a bona fide Jewish community.

While I am flattered by this comparison and while I am not averse to accepting a pat (or two) on the back for leading the Bet Din to Uganda in 2002, I would like to believe that I am Nachshon in another sense, too. Few people know of Nachshon’s role in the miracle at the Sea. All they know is that the waters parted and the Children of Israel made it through safely, to begin their journey to the Promised Land, the next chapter in the saga of their partnership with God. In the final analysis, that’s all that matters.

Having said that - almost everywhere I speak, I am asked how I got involved with African Jewry. If you are interested in learning how this came about, read my account of the Ugandan Bet Din experience or the account that Stacey Schultz wrote for Hadassah Magazine.

And if you want to know why I stay involved, that only shows that you’ve never visited one of these African Jewish communities. A visit is a life-changing, transformative experience - and will make it clear why I am committed to the wellbeing of African Jewry.

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