Young Chabad rabbis mission in central Oregon to chat, joke with Bend Jewry

Rabbinic students Dov Herman, 22, and Shmuel Konikov, 24, plan to use humor and anecdotes of Jewish life to bring Jewish resources to central Oregon during August.

The duo are two of the some 280 senior Lubavicher Rabbinic students who will spend their summer on a mission to reach hundreds of Jewish communities throughout North and South America, Europe, Asia, Africa and Australia.

“They are very funny young men,” Chabad of Oregon Rabbi Moshe Wilhelm said of Herman and Konikov.

Konikov, who is in Oregon for the first time, said that he enjoys Jewish humor. Using traditional Jewish jokes and funny tales of past experiences, Konikov said he likes to get a laugh. Originally from Englewood, N.J., Konikov has spent time in many places around the globe, including Hong Kong and Germany, so he has a diverse range of experiences to share.

The pair is in Oregon to “chat about any Jewish topic,” but Herman said people often ask him to share Hassidic lore, a topic he especially enjoys.

Herman was in Oregon in 2000 to participate in Chabad of Oregon’s summer yeshiva program Beis Midrash L’tzeirim, which brought dozens of young scholars to Portland for four summers. He said he is very pleased to return.

“This is a beautiful place with beautiful people,” he said.

The Chabad students, aged 20 through 24, have volunteered to spend most of their summer vacation to contact thousands of Jews at the grass-roots level, meeting them on the streets and in their homes, in shopping centers and at work. Traveling in pairs, they will also meet with rabbis, Jewish educators and communal leaders in the community they visit.

The rabbis bring Tefillin and other religious articles, and disseminate the Jewish educational and reading material published by the Lubavitcher publishing house for schools, libraries and homes.