Manhattan College, Congregation Tehillah, Riverdale Temple And Hebrew Institute Host Special Program

JJ Keki, leader of Abayudaya Jewish community of Uganda, visits College on
Oct. 24.

RIVERDALE, N.Y. – Manhattan College, along with Congregation Tehillah, Riverdale Temple and the Hebrew Institute, have teamed to co-sponsor a program featuring JJ Keki, a leader of the 1,000-member Abayudaya Jewish community of Uganda. It will be held in Manhattan College’s O’Malley Library on Saturday, Oct. 24 at 7:30 p.m.

The program, which is free and open to the public, is part of a Kulanu speaking tour to raise funds for two Abayudaya schools that educate and feed 700 Jewish, Christian and Muslim children. Kulanu – “All of Us” in Hebrew – was founded in 1994 and is a nonprofit organization that supports isolated and emerging Jewish communities around the world.

Keki has been acclaimed in O, The Oprah Magazine for his interfaith coffee co-op and was also nominated for a Grammy in traditional world music. He will share the story of the community’s evolution, from its struggle to maintain its Jewish identity in the face of persecution, to the remarkable development of ties with neighbors of different faiths. A multimedia presentation will detail the education, nutrition, health and economic development programs that are supported by Kulanu.

For more information, please contact Lois Harr, director of campus ministry and social action, at (718) 862-7142, e-mail lois.harr@manhattan.edu or visit www.kulanu.org/abayudaya.

Members of the media who would like to cover the event should call Scott Silversten at (718) 862-7232 or e-mail scott.silversten@manhattan.edu. Manhattan College is located at West 242nd Street near Broadway in the Riverdale section of the Bronx, one mile from the Westchester County line and accessible by MTA subway line 1.

Founded in 1853, Manhattan College is an independent, Catholic, coeducational institution of higher learning offering more than 40 major programs of undergraduate study in the areas of arts, business, education, engineering and science, along with graduate programs in education and engineering. For more information about Manhattan College, visit www.manhattan.edu.