Gihon’s Eden Hebrew Class gets Significant Support from the A.B.A. Foundation
As many Nigerians, particularly those of the Igbo ethnic group, continue to return to Judaism from both Christianity and Messianic circles, Nigerian Judaism is currently confronted with a new two-fold challenge, that of having a mass of returnees whose lives are built on anti-Torah beliefs and practices mixing up without first being purged. The potential to raise a mass of proclaimed Jews whose understanding of Judaism contradicts Torah, Mishnah, and Gemara is a significant problem that must be taken seriously. Returnees have the task of understanding what Judaism is all about, understanding and reading Hebrew as Judaism’s official language, and understanding the structure of prayer in Judaism. When these challenges are considered, it is clear that a significant inventive strategy is required, including the establishment of a mechanism to assist returnees in purging themselves of the minim (avodah zarah) they used to believe and practice.
As a Jewish community, Gihon Hebrew Synagogue has taken the lead in ensuring that this mass of returnees, including men, women, teenagers, and children, are adequately directed toward knowing what Judaism is all about. Because these returnees are considered babies in Judaism, Gihon has established a Hebrew and Judaism class (which was merged into their already thriving children class) to guarantee they are cared for as babies in their Judaism practice. Many returnees have admitted that it is difficult to understand the language of Hebrew, which is the official language of Judaism, as well as the pattern of prayer, which is vastly different from what is available in Christianity and messianic, from which the most of them are coming. As a result, it is critical that a system be put in place to address this difficulty. Again, these returnees appear to be doing everything wrong when it comes to Torah and Halachot, the foundations of Judaism.
Gihon Jewish Experience
Gihon, located on the outskirts of Abuja, Nigeria’s capital city, is one of the country’s oldest Jewish communities, having been created over thirty years ago. They have maintained in their history of taking Judaism to the next level. Gihon has continued to bring out the best in those who want to practice Judaism since it was founded, thanks to the efforts of men and women who were once zealous Christians—special thanks to these men and women whose sacrifices gave birth to everything that is locally and internally known about Gihon Hebrew Synagogue today.
It is widely known among Nigerian Jewish communities, as well as foreign Jews residing in Nigeria and Jews who rarely visit Nigeria from other African countries, Israel, the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom, that observing Shabbath or other Jewish festival in Gihon Hebrew Synagogue will take your Jewish festival experience to a level you never imagined—a level you will certainly testify to be out of the ordinary. In Gihon, you will hear the melodic voices of men, women, and children echoing Hebrew melodies written by several music masters who crossed over from various Christian churches to form the Gihon Jewish community. Everyone who has ever visited Gihon in the past has always expressed how remarkable their trip was—they have always expressed having had the “Gihon Jewish experience.”
Again, as it was commanded that the teaching of Torah must be made a priority in Judaism, Gihon, as it was popularly called, was founded upon the learning of Torah and Halachot. It will not be wrong if one refers to the Gihon Hebrew Synagogue as the citadel of Torah learning in Nigeria. This is so because the leaders of Gihon Community laid a foundation that made it possible that, from an early age of five, children of the community have started learning Torah, Halachot, and Hebrew songs from the children’s class. Morehs are drawn from members who are well grounded and passionate about Torah and Halachot and who are also skilled in teaching children. As it was said that an apple does not fall far away from its tree, Gihon has continued to raise youths who are passionate about Judaism. In Gihon, you will meet youths who don’t just answer Jews; rather, you will meet youths whose lives are Jewish to the core—thanks to the effort made by the founders of Gihon Community, who ensured that children of the community are raised to become Jewish inside and out. Many of these children have today grown to become youths who have taken Judaism to the next level, both locally and internationally.
Gihon Incorporates Returnees Class to Children Class
Gihon have continued to demonstrate leadership in matters of Judaism, having risen up to the challenge posed by the mass return being witnessed in Nigerian Judaism today by incorporating a special foundation class named Gihon Eden Returnees Class into the community’s Shabbath Day children’s class. This foundation class is held every Sunday morning inside the synagogue hall, immediately after morning Shacharit. It is open to returnees who worship in the synagogue and those worshiping in other synagogues, as well as others who are not yet into Judaism but want to learn about Judaism. According to the class coordinator, Shlomo Ben Yakov, Sunday was chosen as the day for the class so that students who came for Shabbath observation could sleep over in the synagogue and participate in the class on Sunday morning before going back to their homes and businesses.
If you visit Gihon Hebrew Synagogue on Sunday mornings, you will be greeted by a class filled with men, women, and children asking questions and holding discussions on various issues that relate to Judaism. Paying more attention to the discussion class will make you notice how inexperienced they are in matters of Judaism. You will also notice how passionate they are about learning about Judaism. Also, you will hear the stories of how they journeyed from Christianity into Messianism, then into Judaism.
As a reader, you may be asking about those handling this class owing to the fact that not everyone is qualified to teach about Judaism, especially to returnees who have been socially constructed to be Christians, then messianic, and now Jews. The class is handled by a team led by Shlomo Ben Yakov, who doubles as a chazzan in the Gihon Hebrew Synagogue as well as an aspiring Jewish Rabbi. Other members of the team include Ima Emmanuel and Eluzai Ben Dan. Shlomo Ben Yakov, who can be regarded as the son of the soil in the Gihon community, is the son of Yakov Ben Yeshayahu, who is one of the founding fathers of the Gihon Jewish Community. Shlomo was very young when his father left Christianity for Judaism. He said he can still vividly remember what it was like when they started the journey of Judaism in Nigeria—a journey that has metamorphosed into what is known today as Nigerian Judaism.
Just like every other child whose parent took along as they journeyed from Christianity into Judaism, Shlomo started practicing Judaism even before he understood anything about Judaism. Apart from suffering isolation and discrimination in school for having been identified as a Jew by the school authorities and students, he once didn’t know how to speak or read the Hebrew language. He once attended a service without comprehending the words being spoken. As a child, he also witnessed how elders struggled to practice Judaism as they are doing today. According to him, he understands what it means to be a newly born child in Judaism, having been one himself in the past and having been in Judaism long enough to witness how new converts became well versed in their practice of Judaism.
Today, Shlomo and his team are dedicated to educating individuals of all ages about Judaism, enabling them to embrace and practice its teachings within and beyond the Gihon community. In 2019, he attended a Jewish conference held in Onitsha, Anambra State, south-east Nigeria, as an educator responsible for teaching a class called Chita Hebrew. The national seminar was organized by the national Jewish Youth in collaboration with Shevei Israel, an organization that is working to bring together Jews in Africa with those in Eretz Israel and other parts of the world. Over two hundred and fifty individuals from various Jewish communities across Nigeria gathered for the conference, representing a wide range of ages.
A curriculum has been developed and shared with adult participants to ensure a seamless learning experience in the Gihon Eden Returnees Class. This was done to support participants in their pursuit of self-learning by providing access to free resources that can assist them in their exploration of Judaism. Through the curriculum, students have the opportunity to explore various aspects of Hebrew language, Judaism, Jewish scriptures and texts, rituals and traditions, history and culture, contemporary issues, the Jewish Diaspora, Hebrew language, ethics, and holidays.
Gihon Receives Donation from Avraham Ben Avraham Foundation (ABAF)
As the scripture says, “May Hashem send you help from Zion,” Gihon Hebrew Synagogue has received a helping hand towards the running of Gihon Eden Class, having attracted a goodwill donation of an MTN 4G router and its continuous data subscription from the Avraham Ben Avraham Foundation (ABAF). A foundation founded by Avraham Ben Avraham, a foremost Jewish journalist of Nigerian origin who is also a senior member of the Sub-Saharan African Jewish Alliance (SAJA), founded the foundation to support the growth of Judaism in Nigeria and Africa at large. In the recent past, the foundation made a donation of numerous Hebrew learning books to some synagogues in Nigeria so as to aid their Hebrew language learning. It has also made several donations to numerous synagogues to help in their celebration of Jewish feasts. The donation of MTN 4G routers to Gihon Hebrew Synagogue is the latest in the book of goodwill donations extended to Jewish communities in Nigeria and Africa by the A.B.A. Foundation.
During the gadget transfer, Mr. Avraham expressed that he bestowed the device upon Gihon Hebrew Synagogue due to their commendable efforts in bolstering Judaism in Nigeria and Africa as a whole. He states that the router will facilitate internet connectivity for the synagogue, allowing community members, particularly those involved in teaching, to have continuous and uninterrupted access to the internet. This will enable them to access resources that will aid in imparting Jewish knowledge to children, returnees, and older members of the community. In his words:
“I am happy to see that Gihon has put a system in place, a system that will cater for Jewish children and our brothers and sisters who are returning to Judaism. The best I can do is support them with this. I believe it will help teachers, returnees, and members alike to access materials that will help them learn Hebrew and Judaism so as to practice Judaism better. Since the synagogue is now internet-connected, people can easily stay in synagogue and access Jewish materials from the internet, even at night. I know this donation will help this community and its members grow in Judaism. I have good confidence that Shlomo and his team will utilize it for the good benefit of African and worldwide Jewry. Also, the Avraham Ben Avraham Foundation will see that internet data will not be a challenge. Currently, we have subscribed upto 50 gigabytes of data and will continue to do the same when it finishes. Internet data will not be a problem.
Also speaking, Shlomo Ben Yakov appreciated the donor Avraham Ben Avraham Foundation saying;
“On behalf of the Gihon Eden class, especially children, we appreciate the Avraham Ben Avraham Foundation and their esteemed partners all over the world for this great gift. We are very happy for the donation, and we promise to do our part to ensure that the purpose for which this donation is made is achieved. Now we can even have access to the video and audio Hebrew language class. We can also have access to children songs, games and what have you. These things will help the children and returnees have a better understanding of the concept of Judaism.”
He went on:
“Again, we hope they see reasons to do more. We pray they have more funds so they can do more towards raising these children to be Jews who practice Judaism with all their heart, might, and possessions. This donation is an investment in the souls of these young Jews. We say thank you so much to the A.B.A. Foundation! To you, Mr. Avraham Ben Avraham, we say, Todah Rabbah! Thank you very much.”
Last but not least, once the handover was finished, the router was immediately configured in such a way that it could be utilized by the folks who are already present in the Synagogue. It was easy to see the joy that flashed on their faces when they connected to the internet using their mobile phones and laptop computers. Their expressions of happiness were readily evident for everyone to observe. With the internet connectivity, classes can be streamed live for interested students to join in real time irrespective of their remote location. Another viable option being considered is to record and upload series of these beginners classes on the internet to enable students learn at their own pace.
ABOUT THE WRITER: Israel ben Avraham is a Nigerian writer, author, blogger, and Jewish Journalist. He is the founder of the Kosherworld News Blog, and a former newswriter with African Today News. Isreal is currently a new recruit for the Avraham Ben Avraham Foundation and a guest blogger for the Jewish Nigeria Blog.
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