Tuesday, April 21, 2026 at 6:00 PM to 9:00 PM
The Wende Museum, Culver City
This evening features works by award-winning filmmaker Peter Decherney exploring the history and resilience of the Abayudaya, a Jewish community in eastern Uganda. Following a garden reception, the program includes screenings of an Abyudaya music video and the short documentaries *Days Between Rest* (15 min) and *The Cave Synagogue* (8 min). These films document the community’s experience practicing Judaism under political repression and preserving religious life across generations, offering an intimate portrait of faith sustained through adversity and global connection. A conversation will follow with filmmaker Peter Decherney and Abayudaya Rabbi Shoshana Nambi, moderated by Rabbi Dr. Norbert Weinberg. They will address the historical context of the Abayudaya, contemporary Jewish life in Uganda, and broader questions of identity, memory, and cultural survival. The evening concludes with audience Q&A. **Peter Decherney** is the Edmund J. and Louise W. Kahn Endowed Term Professor in the Humanities and Professor of Cinema and Media Studies at the University of Pennsylvania, where he directs the Penn Global Documentary Institute. An award-winning documentary filmmaker and photographer, his work focuses on global Jewish communities and artists working under political and social pressure. **Rabbi Shoshana Nambi** is Assistant Rabbi at Congregation Beth Am. She grew up in the Abayudaya Jewish community in eastern Uganda and was ordained by Hebrew Union College–Jewish Institute of Religion in 2024. She is also the author of the award-winning children’s book *The Very Best Sukkah: A Story from Uganda*. **Rabbi Dr. Norbert Weinberg** is President of Memory In Action and Rabbi Emeritus of Hollywood Temple Beth El. A scholar and community leader, his work focuses on Holocaust memory, Jewish history, and public education connecting historical experience to contemporary civic life. Reception begins at 6 p.m. Welcome remarks start at 7 p.m., followed by the screenings and conversation. Presented in part by the University of Pennsylvania. *As the museum will be closed during this program, please enter through the garden side gate, which will open 30 minutes before the start time. Theater doors open 15 minutes before the start time. Seating is first come, first served. An RSVP does not guarantee admission once capacity is reached. No late entry.*