Rabbi Zushi Rivkin, 25, and Rabbi Mendy Wilschanski, 24, just completed a five-week assignment in which they visited Jewish communities and individuals from South Florida to Southern California. As part of Chabad’s Merkos Shlichus “Roving Rabbis” program, they shared the beauty of Judaism wherever they went—helping men and boys wrap tefillin, handing out Shabbat candles to women and girls, hanging mezuzahs, answering all sorts of Jewish-related questions and offering Torah study.
During the time they spent on the road, the two met a total of 192 Jewish people from state to state.
Rivkin shares some of their experiences and newfound inspiration from the trip.
Q: You’ve met many, many Jewish people with a variety of backgrounds. What is it that unites them all?
A: If there is one common thread that we found, I’d say it is the genuine desire that everyone had to come closer to G‑d, each one in his or her own way. We suggested to those we met to add one mitzvah to their lives, and not one person told us that they weren’t interested. Some affixed mezuzahs to their doors. Others took it upon themselves to study Torah. Still others lit Shabbat candles. Everyone seemed to do something, and they seemed genuinely happy to do so.
Q: In most places you went, you had very few contacts to start out with initially. How did you manage to connect to local Jewish people?
A: As anyone who has ever participated in the “Roving Rabbis” program can tell you, this is a business where you very clearly see G‑d’s hand in everything you do.
For example, even before we started out, we went to a printer in Florida to make magnetic signs to attach to the sides of our car. It turned out that the owner was Jewish, as was the graphic designer and the girlfriend of one of the guys behind the counter. Of course, we had our tefillin and Shabbat candles ready—and that was even before we started.
Another amazing example was in Pratt, Kan., which has a population of 6,835. We stopped to change drivers, pulling over in the lot of a furniture store call Aaron’s. It’s a national chain, but we didn’t know that. We wondered if Aaron was perhaps Jewish and went in to find out.
Of course, Aaron was not there; he may never have stepped foot in that store. But we did meet a Jewish person behind the counter. He was originally from Alaska and going through a very difficult time in his life. He introduced us to his cousin, the only other Jew in town. They had been looking for a synagogue (there is none there); instead, we brought the synagogue to them.
Q: Who left particularly deep impressions on you?
A: Every individual made an impression. But here are a few who stood out.
In New Mexico, we met a woman with significant medical expenses who lives pension check to pension check. She told us that she wanted to improve her prayer experience and learn what each section of the prayers mean. At the end of our visit, we showed her that we had book called My Prayer that does a superb job at explaining the meaning of each one. She wanted to buy it, but asked that we wait until her next check was deposited, casually mentioning that she would need to go a month without meat in order to do so, but that it would be worth it. Of course, we just gave it to her.
There are so many others ... like the man who does his Jewish learning via computer. He showed us the tiny sukkah he built in his yard, using the guidelines he had read online.
And people were so very kind. For example, we dropped off some clothes at the cleaners prior to the nine days before the Jewish observance of Tisha B’Av. We mentioned to the lady behind the counter who we were, what we were doing, and that Jews do not launder clothing during that time. When we returned, she said that she had told another customer about us, and he graciously paid half our bill. We were blown away by that. At the same time, they learned something about the holiday.
Another act of kindness that was very touching came from a woman who met us together with her 95-year-old father at a Barnes & Noble bookstore in Rio Rancho, N.M. After we talked about various Jewish subjects, she handed us a CD she had burned for us in advance. “I know you guys drive a lot,” she said. “So I made you this CD of nice Jewish music.” It was wonderful to hear that she enjoyed such music at home.
As for us, as we drove through Kansas—which is flatter than flat—you can be sure we made good use of that CD.
Q: Where did you celebrate Shabbat, and with whom did you celebrate?
A: Our first Shabbat was in Harbor Beach, Fla., where our friend Rabbi Eliezer Perlstein recently opened a new Chabad center. In fact, the Shabbat we celebrated there was the first time he offered Saturday-morning services to the community.
The next week, we were way west in Shreveport, La., where there is a core of inspired young people who really make a difference in the local community. After a whole week of meeting people, we felt we were able to host Shabbat there. On Friday morning, after studying and praying, we drove to Dallas to pick up a complete catered Shabbat meal. There was couple who had just moved to town three weeks beforehand. They told us the first Shabbat there, they cried as they sat among the boxes. The next week, they hosted their parents who were visiting, and it was a bit better. They could not believe that their third Shabbat was among so many of their fellow Jews. It was beautiful!
Shabbat following that was in Kansas City, where we were able to be near an established congregation (Chabad has been there since 1970), since Sunday was the fast of 9 Av, Tisha B’Av.
The fourth week we were in Albuquerque, N.M., where our friend Rabbi Buzzy Ajzenszmidt hosts a large Shabbat meal following services. It turns out that he went out of town for Shabbat, so we stepped in for him. It was really nice to see that some of the people we had visited during that week attended the Shabbat services and meal, and seemed to really enjoy it. In fact, one man there gave us the good news that he had already ordered mezuzahs for his home as we’d discussed.
Our last Shabbat was in Poway, Calif. In a sense, it was our quietest one. We celebrated it with our friend, Rabbi Mendy Goldstein and his wife, Shterna, who recently joined his parents in running the local Chabad. It was a really nice way to cap off what had been five weeks of nonstop travel and talk.
Q: As you traveled across America and had the chance to absorb the landscape, what are some memorable sights that you encountered?
A: Probably the most beautiful were the breathtaking rock formations in the deserts of New Mexico. In fact, we took a few hours to enjoy the Grand Canyon in neighboring Arizona and actually spoke with a Jewish park ranger who was happy to put on tefillin.
Another uniquely American experience was driving along Route 66, the iconic road that connects Chicago with the West Coast before the creation of the Interstate. There is something charming about the old diners and rusting cars that you pass along the way. One interesting stretch of the road was covered with rumble strips. If you drive exactly 45 miles per hour, your car plays “America the Beautiful” as an incentive for people to slow down—an alternative to getting a ticket if you go too fast.
It worked, causing us to slow down and listen to the music. It really drives home the adage that you can accomplish more with honey than with vinegar.
Q: Was it challenging to find kosher food during your travels, aside from the hot meals eaten on Shabbat?
A: We ate a lot of tuna wraps, rice cakes, guacamole and other foods that stay well outside of a fridge. And we brought packs of kosher gum and mints with us from New York to keep us busy while driving.
You’d be surprised by how many things you can get at large retail stores or even a local shop. Of course, every once in a while eating like this causes cravings for a warm meal. Many times the closest we would have to that would be using a coffee-maker in a hotel room to add hot water to instant soups, or coffee or tea.
Q: You mention some other surprises in terms of meeting people—people, perhaps, you didn’t expect? What is a lasting message there?
A: So many people inspired us. But what we didn’t expect was the reaction we got from children of the Chabad-Lubavitch emissaries we met along the way. They have the strength and inspiration to be different, to be unique, in places where there aren’t so many other kids like themselves. They set a Jewish example.
And that’s what we hope we helped impart—be yourself, be Jewish, be proud. That message comes from the very young and reaches those of every age.
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