Samson Magombe is the ninety year-old former spiritual leader of the Abayudaya community. After community founder, Semei Kakungulu, died in the late 1920s, young Magombe became "Rabbi" of the community, leading prayer services at the Namanyonyi synagogue and teaching generations of Abayudaya children about Judaism. In 1976, Idi Amin became dictator of Uganda and forbade practice of Judaism, frightening members of the Abayudaya community into either conversion or hiding. Two thousand five-hundred of the three thousand Abayudaya converted to Christianity and Islam, and the remaining five hundred continued to practice in private, lighting candles in their homes rather than in synagogue, reciting the Shema in a whisper. After Amin was overthrown in 1979 the Abayudaya emerged from hiding to practice once again in public.

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