Due to COVID-19, planned for 2022/5782.
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“Bringing Judaism in a Suitcase” - Summer 2018
Roving Rabbis Touring Alberta from Fort McMurray to Lethbridge & Everywhere in Between
Touring Alberta from July 9th to July 27th 2018
For the eleventh year, the ‘Roving Rabbis of Alberta’ will be touring Alberta. Chabad Lubavitch of Alberta, led by Rabbi Menachem and Rebbetzin Rochel Matusof, is sending a team of two young Rabbis on a tour of Alberta to seek out Jews in rural areas of the province.
Rabbis Eli Superstein of Edmonton and Mendel Mann of Toronto, will be traveling thousands of kilometers this summer, stopping in Banff, Canmore, Drumheller, Rumsey, Cochrane, Red Deer, Medicine Hat, Lethbridge, Lake Louise, Grande Prairie, Fort McMurray and more.
The two young Rabbis, both 22, are dedicated students, chosen for their rabbinical proficiency and people skills, vie for the honour of assisting the faraway communities. They have packed their car with suitcases of necessary Jewish items, including books, candle lighting kits, Mezuzahs, and of course kosher food. And are ready to host Shabbat dinners and more.
“Our job is to find out what the community or individuals need, and help them get access to it,” said Rabbi Eli. “Whether it’s ritual objects or information, we’re here to listen and serve.”
“While classes and communal evenings go a long way in educating people, it is the conversations we have one-on-one that have the greatest impact,” said Rabbi Mendel. “People who hear we’re in town approach us seeking advice on how to maintain or bolster their Jewish identity, especially where the Jewish infrastructure is small.”
For Rabbi Eli, spending a summer as a Roving Rabbi in Alberta is a personal journey as well. “Growing up in Edmonton and studying abroad, it is very nice to return home to perform a needed service for my fellow Jews,” says Rabbi Eli. “It also serves as a token of appreciation to Rabbi Menachem Matusof, Senior Rabbi of Chabad Lubavitch of Alberta in Calgary, for reaching out to my family 30 years ago”.
For some of the tourists visiting Banff, it is kind of a pleasant surprise to meet two young Chassidic Rabbis in an exotic mountain retreat. For others in rural Alberta it is more like finding a connection and meeting another Jew in their area.
The program was conceived by the Lubavitcher Rebbe, Rabbi Menachem Schneerson, in 1943, and since has touched literally millions of Jews. This year, Rabbis Superstein and Mann are part of over 400 young rabbis and senior rabbinical students who are visiting over 1,000 cities worldwide to bring Jewish joy and learning to people of all ages.
For more information or to contact Alberta's Roving Rabbis:
Phone: (403) 281-3770
Email: [email protected]
