Cameroon

The Beth Yeshourun Community

Reflections on the First Kulanu-Cameroon Speaking Tour

As many of you are aware, Kulanu brought Serge Etele - a leader of the Beth Yeshourun community of Cameroon - to the United States for a six-week speaking tour earlier this year to inform audiences about this emerging group of dedicated Jews in central Africa. This first visit to the U.S., packed with formal presentations as well as informal gatherings, was a life-changing experience for Serge - and, we think, for many of us who were fortunate enough to meet him and hear his story. Most importantly, on Wednesday, February 22, 2012, Serge Etele formally converted to Judaism, presenting himself before a three judge Beit Din (Jewish court) and submerging himself in a mikveh (ritual bath). Mazal Tov Serge!

Click here to read Harriet Bograd's thoughts on what this groundbreaking tour means to her, as well as its significance for Kulanu, Serge, and the Beth Yeshourun community.

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image: Rabbi Gerald Sussman teaching the Mitzva of Teffilines in Cameroon (Photo: Serge Etele)

Rabbi Gerald Sussman teaching the Mitzva of Teffilines in Cameroon.
(Photo: Serge ETELE)

A relatively "new" community, Beth Yeshourun was founded in 1998 when its leaders turned away from Christianity. Increasingly observant and deeply committed to Jewish rituals and practice, the 50-member community has made amazing progress, educating themselves through the Internet by downloading Jewish liturgies and prayers, and studying Judaism, Hebrew, and Torah on Jewish websites.

Isolated from mainstream Jewry, the community had its first visitors when Rabbi Bonita Sussman, a Kulanu board member, and her husband Rabbi Gerald Sussman went to Cameroon during the summer of 2010. These emissaries from Kulanu were welcomed warmly. Their reports reflect astonishment at the level of Jewish knowledge and practice they observed during their ten-day visit.

image: Serge Etele, the spiritual leader of Beth Yeshourun (Photo: Nama Naser)

Serge Etele, the spiritual leader of Beth Yeshourun.
(Photo: Nama Naser)

How "All of Us" Can Help

Kulanu has supported community Jewish education for Beth Yeshourun by funding their Internet connection and providing volunteers to teach Jewish subjects online. Members now have better access to online resources as well as contact with Jewish educators, opening doors to the wider Jewish world and enabling formal conversion in the future, a goal of the community.

We are currently seeking more online teacher volunteers so that a greater number of willing and sincere Beth Yeshourun students can learn Hebrew and chant Torah. Interested in teaching, or know someone who might be? Click here or go to www.kulanu.org/volunteer to find out how to apply! We also welcome donations in support of the Beth Yeshourun community at www.kulanu.org/donate

Thank you for your support!