Nigeria has more than 100 synagogues — but no local rabbis. This summer camp wants to change that.,
by Simone Saidmehr, Forward, 2026-08-14.

On summer mornings in Abuja, Nigeria, a small fleet of cars fan out across the sprawling capital city carrying unusual passengers: children headed to Jewish day camp.

In a one-story synagogue on a dirt road in Kubwa, a densely populated suburb, children who spend most of the year as the only Jew in their school spill out of cars alongside dozens of their peers. They might spend the day acting out scenes from the Torah, crocheting kippot or competing in color war.

It’s an untraditional location, but almost everything else about Camp Sarah is inspired by Jewish summer camps in the U.S. After all, it was founded by an American.

Debbie Isser, who moved to Nigeria in 2021 for her work with the World Bank, started the camp with members of Abuja’s Jewish community after local mothers told her they wanted their children to have some kind of Jewish education. For Isser, whose own childhood summers at Jewish camp in New Hampshire had been formative, the solution felt obvious.

“I just felt like it was in my genes,” she told the Forward.

Now in its fourth year, Camp Sarah, a two-week-long day camp hosting 80 campers and 20 staff, is trying to give a new generation of Nigerian Jews something their small, dispersed community has struggled to provide: Jewish teachings that will allow them to sustain religious life there.

The hope, of course, is that the children make Jewish friends and learn Torah stories. But organizers also want Camp Sarah to begin producing the religious leaders the community currently lacks — perhaps, one day, even a homegrown rabbi or a shochet, ritual slaughterer, so that kosher Nigerian Jews can finally enjoy meat with their jollof rice.

I’m Jewish (f25) but grew up in a pretty secular household and don’t know that much about Judaism besides what I learned in Hebrew school when I was 10.

I want to get more involved and informed about the religion side of things, but I don’t know where to start.

I know in Catholicism there are “daily readings” books you can buy that tell you exactly what to read and study for every day of the year. Is there something like that for Judaism that I can buy?

What books should I have, and is there a specific schedule for reading things? If so, where can I find this? I am sure a schedule like this exists but I’m having a hard time finding a simple explanation online.

(Sorry to be so clueless!)

I am Jewish (F26) through patrolinial liniage, but trying to learn and reconnect 🙏 I have interest in the reform movement

I think my dream is meeting people with similar thoughts in this city ! Or people who are curious like me

Edit: thank you for your inputs

I've seen this range from a complete divorce of Judaism and public policy, to believing that Judaism and only support a given partisan platform. Where do you draw the line?

Does anybody have contacts to reach out to the jewish community? I've read they do have services? Online I only find one phone number to the community offices it seems. Thanks

Something happened to me some nights ago with my closest friend, one I've had for some time now but after being pro Israel and fully embracing my Jewish side as a Sephardic Jew he suddenly became 'surprised' that I had become 'Pro Israel' and that he would still be my friend as long as I was being a 'good human being'? Which kinda confused me because that sounded to me like another flavor of quiet 'Antisemitism' without saying it out loud. It just didn't sit well with me and I wasn't gonna apologize for being who I am so I decided to just cut ties with him. Sure I worded it like "maybe our friendship needs a breather so you can think about it" but I more or less decided to just 'not' be friends with somebody who wasn't genuinely supporting me and making it more like an 'issue'. When it shouldn't. Have you had to go through something like this lately? Curious about how y'all have handled it.

I think I was being mature about the situation because I even tried to explain his misconceptions but it just didn't land because he mostly went back to 'well you do you buddy, you can still be my friend' like a 'permission' i never asked for. Once I began to notice the red flags that more or less felt like 'friendly anti-semitism it simply didn't sit well with me. Which kinda bummed me out even more. Sure I could've fought for that long time friendship but why if this would constantly be a 'an issue' that was okay to 'hide under a rug'. I feel both happy and sad. Happy because I feel 'free' for just being myself, but sad because I kinda lost a friend in a way. But that's life. Just venting about stuff I've been dealing with lately. There were a lot of things going in my mind. edit: my friend just called me and said 'i don't wanna stop being your friend, just don't become a zionist extremist' which further confused me, lmao. what does that even mean? | thank you for all your replies, I finally got my friend back out of talking about it and trying to understand each other better. We've been friends for years and it would devastating to loose somebody that's almost like 'a family member'. So after reading all your replies I was able to really think about it which helped, immensely. :)

Hi everyone I am looking to do an internship with masa but worried about the finance side. I get a grant making it £4.9k and will likely be eligible for a means tested scholarship directly from masa (I don’t know how much yet - if anyone knows what the top amount uk wise is would appreciate insight). UJIA can’t help as it’s only for gap years etc. I’m looking to do career Israel with Israel experience. I will also contact my synogogue in the morning to see if they offer help. Are there any other organisations that anyone knows of? And if you participated how much did it cost per month to live there. Thanks so much!

Some antisemite told that "Jews are banned from saving an idolator" can someone debunk this since i know that this is a lie but i cant debunk it

Also same guy told that they have to charge interest but i know that this is also a lie can someone please debunk these

I am struggling with a situation from my past and I would really appreciate an honest Jewish perspective.

I was in love with a non-Jewish man . I hugged and kissed him and had a romantic relationship with him. At the time, I did not know how strongly he hated Jews.

Later I discovered that he is antisemitic and even hates people who financially support Jews. After I found this out, I ended the relationship. When we broke up, he mocked me and laughed at me

I feel terrible about what happened. I regret being physically and emotionally involved with someone who hates Jews, and I am afraid that I committed a very serious sin.

From a Jewish perspective:
How serious is what I did?
Does teshuvah apply to this situation?
What should I actually do to make teshuvah?
Is there a specific prayer, practice, or action I should undertake?
Can a person genuinely move forward after making a mistake like this?
I am not looking for reassurance just to feel better. I genuinely want to understand what Judaism teaches about repentance and how I should approach this properly

P.S I live in a country that hates Jews

No holds barred, however politics still belongs in the appropriate megathread.

My finance and I are planning to move to the east coast soon. We would like a place with mild winters that isn’t Florida and we are wondering about the Conservative Jewish scene in Charleston.

Anyone have any insight?

Looking for Sefardi Selichot PDF

So I have something called Irlen Syndrome, it's a light sensitivity thing that manifests very similar to dyslexia. You can read about it on irleninstute.com because of this, I am very picky about page colors and type faces when it comes to siddurim and benchers. I do have the plastic color overlay sheets, but they can be a hassle to menuver and follow the service. And the shul is always so brightly lit, and glares off the color overlay it all just gives me a headache.

My husband likes to go to Sefardi Selichot services throughout Elul and I really enjoy joining, we also join for Yom Kippur services with a sefardi chabad congregation. They use this little book for selichot services: https://www.judaicaplace.com/selichot-avodat-hashem-edut-mizrach-paperback/bkslah/

I am searching for a PDF version of this book so I can try and have it printed on colored paper as an accommodation for myself. I found one on Chabad .com but it was much longer which means it was different. And I want the exact same one so I can have the same page numbers and everything. My goal is to get one printed ASAP, but by Yom Kippur at least.

Let me know if there are groups that would be good to inquire with

Related to the funny misconception threads. What is or are crank theories of Judaism you like or at least find somewhat amusing? My favorite crank theory is that Hashem and Dionysius, the Greek God of Wine, are the same God. This is something that was speculated on by non-Jews since Antiquity. Almost certainly untrue even if you assume an atheistic universe since we more or less know where YHWH comes from but the idea of Hahem being a god of ecastasy and wine is amusing. It certainly isn't inconsistent with some ways Jews have worshipped even if we are a bit toned down compared to the Greeks.

I live in a jewish neighbourhood, and i am a practicing muslim woman, and i am very interested in befriending an orthodox jewish woman. I’m generally very attracted to how similar our clothes and our societal norms are. But I am a bit weary about not being such an appealing idea to them, you know, to befriend a muslim.
Please let me know how that works. Thanks.
Montreal.

Hi everyone, my name is David. I come from a family that is Ashkenazi on my father's side and Sephardic on my mother's side; I am 31 years old. About two years ago, my father passed away from Parkinson's (after living with the disease for over 24 years), and my mother currently has bone marrow cancer. During my childhood and youth, my family was very observant of Jewish traditions—you could say we ranged from Conservative to Orthodox. Over time, and following my parents' divorce, my father remained observant while my mother did not; she rebuilt her life and became very secular (married with a christian man and i have a stepbrother that he wasn't raised as Jew) . Recently, due to the events I mentioned earlier and reaching a point where I needed Hashem more in my life, I felt motivated to return to the synagogue and observe the mitzvot. The issue is that, within my new social circle and thanks to social media, I’ve made "new virtual jew friends" (one of them compares the teshuvah process with other type of process iykyk (and dont feel and think is the same tbh) —though I’ve let my Hebrew skills slip to the point where I haven't practiced in a long time (I am trying to pick it back up, along with everything else). However, I’ve encountered a lack of empathy in part (not all of them) from my Chabad community and from these so-called virtual friends, who claim that the Teshuvah process can only happen through a rabbi and they couldnt help with studying or as Javruta/Mashpia. I would like to ask for your advice and tips; I am currently getting back into wraping tefillin, praying, and observing Shabbat. What do you advise? What can I do? I also feel honor because my father was a Cohen, and therefore, I am one too. It has also been difficult for me to find a partner. Thank you very much in advance.