For Passover, I sent matzo to the Jews of Uganda. They've given me a gift as well

Members of the Abayudaya Jewish community of Uganda engage in the ritual of burning leavened foods before the Jewish holiday of Passover. There are some 2,500 Abayudaya Jews in the country. In the past they have faced persecution for their beliefs but are steadfast in their commitment to Judaism. (Emily Chaya Weinstein)

My friend Jacob reaches out to me in Albany, New York, 7,677 miles from his home in Mbale, Uganda. He is seeking matzo for Passover and prayers for his community, known as the Abayudaya. I will mail the matzo to him before the holiday.

Abayudaya means "People of Judah" in Luganda, a Bantu language spoken widely in Uganda. Their ancestors adopted the Jewish religion a little over a century ago. Their founder, the political leader Semei Kakungulu, renounced his political work for the British Empire and started studying Judaism, gradually developing a full commitment to the religion in the 1910s, bringing along with him other members of his family and extended community who had been studying and practicing with him.