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Jewish Community News

News: December 2006

My High Holy Days in Africa
By Lee Gerston

Lee Gerston is a junior at the University of California, San Diego. He spent his fall semester studying at the University of Ghana in Legon. Lee grew up in Los Gatos and attanded Yavneh Day School.

Buried in the lush trees of the Western Region of Ghana, near bordering Côte D’Ivoire, is the small town of Sefwi Wiawso (pronounced sef-SHWEE wee-OH-so). Sefwi Wiawso is not a typical Ghanaian town. Sure, the village is filled with dirt roads and brick houses, shaky electricity and honking taxis–all typically Ghanaian. But it also has something that no other village in Ghana has: a synagogue.

Sefwi Wiawso boasts the only Jewish community in Ghana. The community is led by Alex Armah, 29. Alex is not a rabbi, but he is the respected spiritual leader, elected into the position by the community this past July. Alex has tried to get to Israel, but Ghana has no Israeli embassy and the embassy in Côte D’Ivoire has denied him a visa four times. “It is my dream to go to Israel and become a rabbi,” says Alex, “so I can learn more about Judaism and teach my village.”

For now, though, Alex teaches the village what he knows. A community of about eighty people coming from a few families, the Jews of Sefwi Wiawso, gather at their synagogue, Tefreth Israel, for all important religious occasions. The synagogue is small, but comfortable, and with a little extra room, I was given the opportunity to join the community for the High Holy Days. How could I say “no” to a once-in-a-lifetime chance: to celebrate the Holy Days in Africa.

The trek to Sefwi Wiawso from Accra–my home while studying abroad in Ghana–is long. Through a combination of taxis and tro-tros (vans), the trip takes almost 11 hours. But the journey is worth it; the destination is worth it.

I make the trip twice: once for Rosh Hashanah, once for Yom Kippur. The High Holy Days in Sefwi Wiawso are eerily similar to the High Holy Days at home. All of the important prayers are said, everyone over 13 fasts, and the typical Torah portions are read…kind of.

Nobody in Sefwi Wiawso speaks Hebrew, and very few can read the language. None–not even Alex–can read the vowel-less Torah. So as is typical of Africa, they make do with what they have. Alex translates an English Pentateuch into Sefwi, the local language (there are over 50 native dialects in Ghana) for the congregation. “English is not our first language,” Alex explained “so we do the reading in Sefwi so everyone will understand it.” While I felt somewhat excluded because I don’t speak Sefwi, I could only appreciate exactly what this group of Jewish people was doing.

This small community in Africa is learning Judaism on the fly. For decades, the community has followed Old Testament law, but only within the last 50 years did they find out that this meant they were essentially practicing Judaism. They keep kosher, refusing to buy meat from local Christian butchers and only eating meat they slaughter themselves. The Hebrew songs that they have been taught by visitors–Oseh Shalom and Eliahu Hanavi, among others–they sing with great pride. But what makes the community unique is how it manages to blend Ghanaian culture with Judiasm.

The most evident blending of cultures was a midnight service for Rosh Hashanah. I’ve never been thrilled about waking up at eight in the morning for services, so getting up at midnight would not be easy. But this was their culture and their tradition–a curious one, until the reasoning was explained. Joseph Armah, Alex’s father, said that “midnight is when people commit crimes, so if we are in the synagogue, we will be protected by G-d.” In a country where faith and religion are so important, this makes perfect sense.

I did not expect to find Jews in Ghana, and I certainly never thought I would celebrate the High Holy Days here. I am incredibly grateful to have celebrated the holidays with my African “brothers and sisters.” The memories of the two weekends are forever etched into my mind, and wherever I go, their story will always come with me.

The Jewish Federation of Silicon Valley is organizing a shipment of Jewish ritual items to send to Sefwi Wiawso. The Jews in this small, African community need mezzuzot, candle sticks, hannukiahs, siddurim, Kiddush cups, spice boxes, havdallah sets, tallitot and kippot. These items do not need to be new. Please drop off any donations at the Federation office before January 1, 2007. The Federation will ship the items to the Jewish community in Sefwi Wiawso.

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