Young Rabbis Reach out to South Dakota Jews

An in-home visit with two young rabbis from Brooklyn left Sioux Falls resident Aloma Graham with a sense of connection to her Jewish roots.

Rabbis Shmuel Lefkowitz and Yosef Sharfstein, both 23, are part of a community outreach training program called “The Roving Rabbis.” The men are in Sioux Falls visiting with members of the city’s Jewish community to increase awareness of and passion for Judaism.

They are among hundreds of rabbinical students and young rabbis who spend their summer on the road across the world with a goal of making Judaism accessible and relevant to every Jew.

The rabbis, sponsored by the Chabad-Lubavitch organization, have been knocking on doors across eastern South Dakota as part of a four-week visit. They flew into the Twin Cities late last month and drove to Aberdeen to begin their community outreach training. Most visits are one-on-one home visits.

Graham welcomed Lefkowitz and Sharfstein into her home Thursday. She said she has hosted roving rabbis each summer since 2008 and keeps in touch with some of her past visitors.

The rabbis said a prayer and shared their love for Judaism with Graham.

“It’s a connection and making a connection to a community of Jews,” she said. “That’s the connection we try to keep.”

Sharfstein blew Graham’s shofar — a ceremonial horn — in honor of the coming Jewish New Year, Rosh Hashanah. Before leaving, the rabbis placed a small Mezuzah displaying Hebrew verses on the door.

“The Mezuzah reminds us as we go in that everything we do that God is with us,” Sharfstein said. “It also serves as a protection for the person living in the home.”

The two rabbis are in the city until Tuesday before driving to Black Hills with multiple stops in communities along the way. The two head back for Brooklyn Aug. 21.

The 2012 American Jewish Year Book estimated there were 345 Jews living in South Dakota, the fewest in the nation both in raw numbers and as a percentage of the state’s population.

Lefkowitz said the challenge is finding the ones who do identify as Jewish and teach them about Judaism and its history.

“To experience South Dakota is very, very unique in this aspect that you really get a feel for the needs of smallish Jewish communities,” Graham said.