Putti

:"For the winged human babies in art, see Putto".Putti is a village in the Pallisa District of Uganda. Putti is inhabited entirely by the Abayudaya people. The villagers of Putti are currently seeking an Orthodox Jewish giur or conversion to Judaism.

Community Life

Putti is an agrarian village. The community centers around the Beit Knesset She'erit Yisrael, the Orthodox synagogue, which has about 130 members. The congregation is collectively known as the Kahal Kadosh She'erti Yisrael (Holy Community Remnant of Israel). Putti villagers currently practice Judaism according to Orthodox halacha [ [http://thejewsofuganda.org/history7.php The Establishment of Shomer Mitzvot Jews in Uganda] The Kahal Kadosh She'erit Yisrael in Uganda is a group of Jews whose practice clings strictly to Orthodox observance.] , as candidates for Orthodox conversion. Villagers perform brit milah on baby boys at 8 days old, keep kosher, obeserve the Shabbat, the Jewish sabbath, and holy days and Taharat haMishpacha: family purity [ [http://www.thejewsofuganda.org/sjimon.php Testimony by Rabbi Sjimon den Hollander] "Members are very serious in both kashrut, observance of Shabbat and Holidays, tefillah, and taharat ha-mishpacha"] .

One of the ways the community supports itself is through coffee farming. The coffee farm in Putti village is in its infancy but coffee is should be available for sale by September of 2008. Documentation is being sought from the government and lawyers in Uganda to make the selling of coffee abroad legal. When this documentation has been obtained it will be posted at http://thejewsofuganda.org/coffee.php.

Persecution

During the reign of Idi Amin, a ban was placed on Judaism in Uganda. Many practitioners of Judaism converted to other religions due to the ban. As a result, the community calls itself 'Remnant of Israel' because they are the remaining practitioners of Judaism in their area [ [http://thejewsofuganda.org/historyidiamin.php A History Written by a Leader of Putti Village] Our group is called She'erit Yisrael because at the time Idi Amin declared a ban on our community, and a majority converted to other religions.] .

External Links

* [http://thejewsofuganda.org/ The Committee To Save Ugandan Jewry]

* [http://groups.yahoo.com/group/TheCommitteeToSaveUgandanJewry/ Yahoo!Groups Ugandan Jewry Page where most volunteers and activists communicate]

* [http://www.new.facebook.com/home.php#/group.php?gid=2261929032&ref=ts Facebook Ugandan Jewry Page]

References