“Not just a cup, but a just cup” is the slogan of Thanksgiving Coffee, the company that roasts the beans for the Peace Kawomera Cooperative.  The co-op is a joint effort among Jews, Muslims, and Christians in Uganda.  This unique project not only fosters inter-religious tolerance, but also encourages sustainable farming practices and provides many Ugandan families with a living wage. 

Below is a video from an upcoming documentary on the cooperative which both tells the back story and gives some insight into how coffee is made- so sit back, have a cup ‘o joe, and enjoy!

”Israel is now a flourishing country, an example to struggling ones like Uganda. I see international aid as the new Zionism,” Tenenboim says. ”We did it ourselves with the help of the international community. Now it’s time to give back.”

An Israeli humanitarian organization, Brit Olam, has recently been focusing its efforts on Uganda. AIDS orphans and impoverished families there are afforded health services, clean food and water, and education, all provided by Israelis. The money for the operation is raised by selling Ugandan-made jewelry in Israel.

The project has done a lot to change the view of Israel in that region- one teacher in the program previously viewed Israelis as nothing more than “inflexible and sophisticated weapons makers.” But, as you can see from the quote above from Shiri Tenenboim, an Israeli physician who worked in Uganda, the program (and others like it) has also changed Israelis’ conception of Zionism.

What does it mean that international humanitarian aid is “the new Zionism”?