The Jews of Africa -- The Jews of Rusape, Zimbabwe

Rusape, Zimbabwe

for more information

Kulanu supporter Mark Ellyne visited the Zimbabwean Jews twice and has wrtten two reports about his experiences there:

-- "Shabbat in Rusape"

-- "Shabbat in Harare"

If you would like to contact the Rusape community, you may write to the community by sending a letter to:

Cohen Ambrose Makuwaza
Rusape Tabernacle
No 1
P.O. Box 207
Rusape, Zimbabwe

Solomon Guwazah
P.O. Box 142
Rusape, Zlmbabwe

Sending a letter to Zimbabwe takes a couple weeks. Make your initial contact far in advance of your visit – if your letter takes two weeks to get there, theirs will take at least that long to get to you.

Would you like to visit the Rusape community in Zimbabwe? Contact the community at the above address to indicate your interest in visiting and tell them when you plan to arrive and how long you would like to stay.

Rusape is in the northeastern region of Zimbabwe. To get to Rusape, fly in to the international airport of Harare. Round trip flights from the United States to Zimbabwe cost about $1500, though you may get a better deal depending on when you are going and where you buy you ticket (an honest discount ticket broker will save you a lot of money – check the Sunday New York Times travel section for deals). Take a bus from the main bus station to Rusape. The bus should take about three hours, depending on the company.

Arrange for a member of Solomon to meet you at the bus, which will either leave you off in town or at a hotel a mile away from town depending on the company. If no one from the community can meet you, find a public phone in town and call Solomon at home at 3474, or at work at 2835 (Solomon’s home number, including the Zimbabwe country code – 263 – and the Rusape city code – 25 – is: 263-25-3474, and his work number is 263-25-2835). If you can not reach Solomon or his wife Monica, take a taxi straight to the Tabernacle to see Cohen Ambrose Makuwaza. The Tabernacle is about 7 km from Rusape in Mandeya shopping center in the area of Chindukuro. Members of the Rusape community speak English, so you’ll have no problem communicating.

Solomon has developed a “package tour” for visitors to the Rusape Jewish community:

“What it is that I wish to bring in tourists, preferably of Jewish and Afro-American origin to visit Zimbabwe and part of the package will be;

1.Attachment to a rural family, members of the congregation mainly, for at least 3 days, starting on a Friday when I take them to their host family, who will come with them to open Shabbat. They will spend the night with their host family and have supper there, a simple Shabbat-meal.

2.On Saturday morning, Shabbat, they then go down to the Tabernacle where the Shabbat service is held until about 3.oop.m. Lunch will be served at the Tabernacle.

3. After the service guests can then go with their host to get to learn about local Shona cultures which we claim are the true ancient Hebrew or Israeli cultures. They spend the night with their hosts and continue taking walks and visits to local attractions such as the Diana ruins built on ancient Israeli architecture like the walls of Jerusalem, on the following Sunday. Guests can then leave anytime on Sunday.

At current prices the above package will cost about US150 all inclusive of kosher African meals. The host family will earn US90.00,including food expenses. The US60.00 will go towards transport and other expenses. Security will be guaranteed and arranged with local youths and members of host families. The project will be under The Shlomoh-link network, a company I am establishing for the venture.”

If you are unfamiliar with traveling in Africa I recommend picking up a copy of Lonely Planet’s Zimbabwe travel guide. The Lonely Planet books are invaluable for their practical advice while you’re budget traveling in Africa. If you’re curious about prices or distances between points, consult the Lonely Planet guide and you’ll get a pretty good idea of the current rates and bus timetables. If not, contact me and I’ll give you advice. If you’re interested in helping the community with financial or other aid, contact Jack Zeller jdzeller@umich.edu of Kulanu http://www.kulanu.org.