(JTA) — A Jewish man from Uganda who led a Birthright trip to Israel in September was denied a visa to study at a yeshiva there.

Asiimwe Rabbin, 28, had intended to participate in a program at the Conservative yeshiva in Jerusalem, but was told this week he would not get the required visa because Israel’s Interior Ministry does not recognize his community as Jewish, Haaretz reported. Last month, Rabbin led the first-ever Birthright trip for Jews from Uganda.

The visa is supposed to be available to people who qualify for Israeli citizenship through the Law of Return — which applies to anyone who has at least one Jewish grandparent, converted to Judaism or is married to a Jew.

Forwarding the News

Thoughtful, balanced reporting from the Forward and around the web, bringing you updated news and analysis each day.

Terms(Required)

I agree to the Forward's Terms of Service and Privacy Policy

Email(Required)

Despite the fact that the Ugandan Jewish community, also called the Abayudaya, was recognized by the Jewish Agency for Israel in 2016, members have faced difficulties obtaining visas to enter the country.

Rabbin’s program is sponsored by Masa, which brings young Jews from around the world to participate in programs in Israel. The organization’s executive director, Liran Avisar Ben Horin, told Haaretz that it had to heed the Interior Ministry’s rulings regarding visas.

“As Masa is subject to conditions set by the Interior Ministry in this regard, we were forced to turn down his request for a Masa visa,” she said.

The Ugandan community traces its roots to the early 20th century, when a former leader read the Bible and embraced Judaism. Most members were converted under the auspices of American Conservative rabbis in the early 2000s and thus are not recognized as Jewish by Israel’s mostly haredi Orthodox Chief Rabbinate.

Today the community, which is based in the rural town of Mbale, has seven synagogues — including a 7,000-square-foot center that opened in 2016 — a mikvah and two Jewish schools.

In June, Israel denied the immigration request of a Ugandan Jew, prompting outcry from the community’s rabbi and leaders of the Conservative movement as well as accusations of racism. Last year, Israel denied another visa application by a member of the community to study at the Conservative yeshiva.

The Forward is free to read, but it isn’t free to produce

I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward.

Now more than ever, American Jews need independent news they can trust, with reporting driven by truth, not ideology. We serve you, not any ideological agenda.

At a time when other newsrooms are closing or cutting back, the Forward has removed its paywall and invested additional resources to report on the ground from Israel and around the U.S. on the impact of the war, rising antisemitism and polarized discourse.

Readers like you make it all possible. We’re in the middle of our Passover Fundraising Drive, and we have a very ambitious goal of $127,000 by April 22.

This is a great time to support independent Jewish journalism you rely on. Make a Passover gift today!

—  Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO

Make a Passover Gift Today!

$90 $180

$360

Other amount