Roving Scribe Makes His Mark in British Columbia

Hundreds of Jews in British Columbia are making their homes holy with new mezuzahs and having their old ones checked with the help of Chabad Lubavitch in British Columbia. As part of a year-long “Ambassadors of Light” program, Jewish residents around the province are learning about Judaism’s most essential traditions, experiencing them in hands-on workshops and demonstrations, and encouraging their neighbors to participate as well.

Fiona Prince, an active part of the Chabad of Vancouver Island community, says she had never once had her mezuzahs examined. “I received them as gifts and never thought to check the scrolls inside,” she tells Chabad.org. “But they were all forgeries! One was even printed on paper, not parchment.”

For Prince and many others, her home has a “rightness” to it now that her mezuzahs are kosher. 

She also came out for the experience of watching Rabbi Dovid Krautwirth, a certified sofer (“scribe”), at work. “People came to see the novelty of a sofer and to learn about the work I do,” says Krautworth. “Even the children were engaged as I taught them how to write their names in Hebrew with a feather.”

Krautworth spent weeks traveling around British Columbia, meeting with community members along the way.

“Many homes hadn’t had their mezuzahs checked in years, and some never at all, being there is no sofer living in the province,” says Krautwirth.

Krautwirth brought with him examples of the different scrolls found in mezuzahs and tefillin, and demonstrated the intricate process a sofer follows in writing these religious texts, including how to check for mistakes. 

“Seeing a scribe check your own mezuzah scroll before your eyes is a powerful experience, especially for those with a very limited Jewish education,” says Rabbi Shmuly Hecht of Chabad Kelowna. “It connects you straight back to the source of your Jewish roots. And you get to witness it, to be a part of it.”

Krautworth, a certified sofer (scribe) shows guests the tools of his trade.

Six Mitzvah Campaigns Throughout the Year

The mezuzah program got its start this past April on 11 Nissan at the time of the 120^th anniversary of the birth of the Rebbe, Rabbi Menachem M. Schneerson, of righteous memory.  At that time, leaders of ten Chabad centers across British Columbia gathered together to launch a series of six campaigns throughout the year.

Each campaign focuses on one or more of the 10 mitzvot encouraged by the Rebbe to spread Jewish study and practice to the furthest possible reaches. In addition to the mitzvah of mezuzah, campaigns are focusing on tefillin, Torah study, giving tzedakah, having Jewish books in one’s home, being mindful of children’s education, lighting Shabbat candles, observing the laws of family purity, keeping kosher and loving one’s fellow Jew. Residents say these campaigns have brought a uniquely new Jewish experience to many of the Jews living in British Columbia.

While Vancouver and its suburbs are home to large, vibrant Jewish communities, just a few hours away in some of British Columbia’s more rural districts, Jewish activity is minimal. In some, there is little to no Jewish community at all.

“Because of the province’s size, creating an active community can be challenging outside of the big cities,” says Hecht, “homes are often tens of miles apart, and getting people into one space doesn’t happen often. ‘Ambassadors of Light’ has been an incredible way to spread Torah and reach the Jews in our area—some we didn’t even know existed until now.”

Before there were keyboards, pens and pencils, some people wrote with feathers. Some still do.

Campaigns Have Been Transformational for Far-Flung Jews

For Hecht and his wife, Fraidy, who serve as the emissaries to a district that spans hundreds of miles across the high mountains of British Columbia, the campaigns have been transformational. Community members are not only given the opportunity to experience the beauty of Jewish tradition themselves but are encouraged to then share it with others as “ambassadors.”

“When people are empowered, they are inspired to empower others,” explains Hecht. “We all have that one neighbor we know is Jewish, or an unaffiliated co-worker who is looking to know more. Whether it’s with shmurah matzah, Shabbat candles, or a new mezuzah for the home, everyone can be an ambassador of Torah.”

Community members across the province have even been requesting another round of mezuzah checks with the sofer and are looking forward to the coming campaigns.

Igor Sljukic, a resident of Kamloops, BC, and an active “ambassador” within his community, sees the campaigns as a much-needed reminder that so many need to connect to G‑d, their Jewish roots and to other Jews.

“When you don’t have access to these privileges on a regular basis, you realize how just important they really are when they show up at your door,” says Sljukic.

Sljukic, who helped a man he recently met receive his first-ever mezuzah, is just one example of people reached by the programs. “The campaigns are so powerful in their simplicity,” he says. “Especially during Covid, so many of us forgot how to talk to each other and be together. The campaigns remind us what a visit to a neighbor can do. It can change lives.”

As for himself, with a newly checked mezuzah on his front door, Sljukic reports that even he sleeps better at night. 

Learning something about the scribal arts gives people a greater appreciation of mezuzahs, tefillin and Torah scrolls, says Krautworth.

Throughout his province-wide tour, Krautworth checked and repaired hundreds of mezuzahs