Pair of ‘roving rabbis’ visiting North Dakota to connect with local Jews

FARGO — A rabbi from Brooklyn is currently touring North Dakota in an effort to bring together the state’s Jewish population and get in touch with his roots.

Chabad Rabbi Meyer Orenstein has embarked on a two-week tour of the Peace Garden state and plans to make several stops along the way.

He and his travel companion, fellow Chabad Rabbi Levi Shusterman, have a simple if not ambitious goal for the trip.

“We want to meet as many Jewish people as possible,” Orenstein said. “Ideally, we want to meet every Jewish person in the state.”

Orenstein carried on his family’s rabbinical legacy last summer when he was ordained a rabbi. His great-great-grandfather Benjamin Papermaster was a rabbi originally from Lithuania who eventually settled in Grand Forks. Once there, Papermaster would travel throughout the state — much like Orenstein is doing — to tend to fellow Jewish citizens.

Decades later, Orenstein’s visit is part of what is called the “Roving Rabbi” program.

“There are Jewish people that may live in different places throughout the state, different far-off places, and we wanted to come to them and give them some support, a bit of the Jewish experience, give them hope and light and a bit of Jewish pride,” Orenstein said, explaining the mission for his visit.

It’s fitting that Orenstein is making his own Roving Rabbi trip considering that Papermaster was the “OG” roving rabbi, he remarked.

“As a rabbi, he would travel from town to town, visiting Jewish people and supporting and providing them with all their needs all over the state,” Orenstein said.

Orenstein and Shusterman have a packed schedule, with stops planned in Fargo, Grand Forks, Minot, Bismarck, Hettinger and possibly Dickinson.

The trip coincides with the Jewish celebration of Hakhel, a yearlong commemoration that takes place every seven years.

“There is a special significance that in the year of Hakhel, Jewish people gather together to strengthen their commitment to being Jewish, to embracing that Jewish identity,” Orenstein said.

The trip to Grand Forks will be particularly meaningful for Orenstein, who plans to visit his great-great-grandfather’s gravesite while there.

“There’s a special significance in Judaism of visiting a holy person’s grave. It is a very special thing, and I’m definitely looking forward to that,” he said.

Beyond that, he is also excited to enjoy the scenery North Dakota has to offer at this time of year.

“Generally, North Dakota is a beautiful place, especially during the summer, and I’m definitely looking to get out and enjoy the good views and the weather,” Orenstein said.

It will make for a busy two weeks in a state not known for its prominent Jewish population, though Orenstein noted that hasn’t always been the case. At one point, he said, there were as many as 120 small Jewish communities in North Dakota.

“There is definitely a sizable Jewish population spread throughout the state, and we’re definitely hoping to find as many of those people as possible,” he said.

In particular, Orenstein is interested in learning more about what it’s like to live in a state with a sparse Jewish population. Being from Brooklyn, Orenstein is surrounded by other Jews. According to

data from Brandeis University,

25% of the United States’ Jewish population lives in the New York metro area, and 480,000 Jews live in Brooklyn alone.

The entire Midwest, meanwhile, is home to only 12% of the country’s Jewish population.

“I’m hoping to learn more about what it’s like to live far away from other Jewish people and what it’s like to be a Jew like that, and the amount of resilience and pride that it takes to be like that and have that identity,” Orenstein said. “It’s something that’s very special to me.”

It won’t be Orenstein’s first visit to North Dakota, having made a trip in March, as well. He has found the state’s Jewish population to be welcoming and open to meeting other Jews.

“The people are generally very grateful and happy to meet other Jewish people, learn about their experiences and tell stories,” he said.

Those interested in connecting with Orenstein or Shusterman during their travels can do so by calling

917-721-3974

or emailing

rovingrabbis@jewishnorthdakota.com.