Bozeman-based rabbi reaches out to Jews across state

The friendliness Rabbi Chaim Bruk has encountered in Montana has made his move to the state an easy one.

Finding kosher food has been a bit tougher, but he and his wife, Chavie, haven’t let that stop them from settling into Bozeman.

“I bought a house, and we’re here for life,” Bruk, 25, said in a recent interview.

They’ve come to the state to establish Montana’s first Chabad-Lubavitch Center and lend encouragement to Jews throughout the state, as well as those passing through. Bruk, from Brooklyn, N.Y., and his wife, originally from San Antonio, are part of the Chabad-Lubavitch movement headquartered in Brooklyn.
Chabad-Lubavitch, a branch of Orthodox Judaism, educates and provides religious support to isolated Jewish populations. “Chabad” is a Hebrew acronym for the expression “Wisdom, Intelligence and Knowledge” – words that describe the theology of the movement. Lubavitch is the name of the town in White Russia where the movement was based for more than a century.

“It’s a town but it’s also the roots of a grand organization,” Bruk said. “The difference between our organization and most Orthodox Judaism is most Orthodox Jews believe in staying within their own community. We believe we have a mission to bring the love of Judaism to every single Jew, no matter their background or affiliation.”

Bruk’s father was a follower of Rabbi Menachem M. Schneerson, also called the Lubavitcher Rebbe, the last in the line of spiritual leaders of the Chabad-Lubavitch movement until his death in 1994. Bruk also was heavily influenced by Schneerson, who strongly emphasized the need for outreach.

“From a very young age, I wanted to bring the message of the Rebbe to the masses,” Bruk said. “I didn’t know it would be Montana.”

The state is the 47th in the U.S. to have a Chabad-Lubavitch center. Bruk also is one of the rare full-time rabbis to work in Montana. In contrast, Temple Beth Aaron, a Reform congregation in Billings, is served by a rabbinical student who travels to Billings twice a month during the school year to preside over services.

In Montana since mid-March, Bruk already is offering biweekly Jewish education classes in Helena, Great Falls and Bozeman. Twelve people regularly show up in Helena, seven to 10 in Great Falls and 15 in Bozeman.

Bruk hopes to start classes soon in Billings, in cooperation with the Billings synagogue.

His work in the state actually started a couple of years before he moved here. Bruk spent a couple summers as a rabbinical student traveling throughout Montana with another student, reaching out to Jews wherever they lived.

Chavie Bruk, 22, also was familiar with Chabad-Lubavitch outreach.

“My wife grew up her whole life doing this kind of work,” Bruk said.

Her father is a rabbi and her parents are Chabad-Lubavitch emissaries to south Texas. In the early ’80s, Chavie Bruk’s father also did outreach in Montana, which included running a summer camp for Jewish children in Great Falls.

Chaim and Chavie visited Montana last summer. They stopped in communities from Billings to Whitefish, finally settling on Bozeman as the place for their headquarters.

“We really feel Judaism is on the rise here, and we’re making it our life mission to bring traditional Judaism and exciting Jewish programs to Big Sky country,” Bruk said.

In May, the Bruks celebrated Shavuot, a Jewish holiday, and welcomed 40 people into their home for an Orthodox dinner. Weekly classes in their home also have brought a nice crowd, Bruk said.

“We follow strict Orthodox observance, and getting kosher food is rather tough,” he said. “But we’ve arranged to do it. If other families want to order kosher meat and chicken, they can do it through us.”

Wherever he has traveled in the state, the response has been positive, Bruk said.

“I’ve traveled a lot in my short life span,” he said. “I’ve been in the U.S. and abroad, and I’ve never been welcomed more warmly than in Montana, especially by the Jewish community.”

In talking about his goals, Bruk speaks with a fervor often associated with an evangelist. His mission, however, is not to reach out to people outside of Judaism, but within it, to every Jew he meets.

“Judaism feels every Jew has a soul – some are a bit dusty – and we want to help them,” he said. “With a lot of love and some kosher food, you can reveal the essence of every Jewish person.”

Within Judaism there is a spectrum of beliefs, and in Montana a majority of Jews belong to Reform Judaism, a more liberal branch of the religion.

“We definitely offer a different side to Jews, a more traditional Judaism than ever existed in the state,” Bruk agreed.

But he sees himself complementing the work of the synagogues in the state, not competing with them. Bruk also said the number of the Jews in the state is expanding.

“In Bozeman, Missoula and the Flathead, the population is growing,” he said. “So we’re very optimistic about Judaism here in Montana.”

Seed money for the Bruks’ work has come from a grant from Sami Rohr, a philanthropist from Bal Harbour, Fla., who funds projects worldwide that spur Jewish communal growth.

Bruk remains close to his roots. He recently flew back to New York to pray at Schneerson’s grave site on June 19, the anniversary of his passing. People from all over the world come to pray for blessings at Schneerson’s resting place in Queens, N.Y., Bruk said.

“That’s how much he means to us and how much our work is connected to living his legacy,” he said.

But Bruk is also looking forward, to continuing his work in his newly adopted state.

“There is such beauty in Montana, both from a Jewish perspective and a Montana perspective” he said. “We love it. It’s really wonderful.”