Road Trippin Rabbis – Seattle and Portland

The weather in Seattle was reminiscent of Manchester. Summer seemed to have been too busy with the east coast to get around to those north-west coast folks. The weather had no effect on the city spirit however. We visited the oldest “farmers only” market in america which opened August 17, 1907, and the people there were in full summer swing. We stayed again by the Morozov household (if you may recall they were the same ones who left their doors open for us after the tire blowout episode on our way to Vancouver). We met some bochurim from Morristown running the local Gan Yisroel.

We had a hearty before fast meal at the Kornfelds, with all the camp councilors. A local jewish radio show had us for an interview the next day and then we hit the road aimed south this time.

So we started the fast in Seattle and broke it by the Wilhelm family in Portland, Oregon. This place is weird. Not the Wilhelm house, they’re really nice. Portland is weird. Its actually something the town is proud of and wants to preserve. “Keep Portland/Oregon Weird” bumper stickers and billboards were seen fairly often. And it lives up to this challenge. But that doesn’t deter us, it just makes our job that much more interesting. We found two people who have never put on Teffilin on in their life. We stopped by the local gan izzy run by Rabbi Chiam Mishaloven and did a play of Kamtza and Bar Kamtza with the kids there, then we took them on a tour of our van/home/mitzva tank.

Then it was off again. Next up is the city that remains famous for its liberal and alternative lifestyle society, Berkely California.

Thanks for watching.

Written by Road Tripping Rabbi Yaakov Hellinger
Video and Editing by Road Tripping Rabbi Shmueli Bell