anyone’s charity of their choice
to increase kindness in the
world.
“I know there have been
many incidents in recent years,
but we did not experience any
of that at all,” Shemtov said.
“On the contrary, people were
kind, so maybe that can speak
to the hope that things are not
as dark as we perceive them
to be.”
Slonim, steeped in the
Jewish teachings of Divine
providence, believes it was no
coincidence they came upon
finding northern Michigan
Jews in a seemingly random
way. He said he also believes
this based on the three
summers he spent as a roving
rabbi in Arizona. He said
recently he was contacted by a
man in Arizona whom he met
who now wanted to order a set
of tefillin to practice the daily
mitzvah.
“Everything in this world
happens for a reason, and I see
this when I do this work when
I’m on the ground, and I see
how this concept plays out,”
Slonim said. “We could be on
the street, in a supermarket
or in a library, and at that
very specific time, we meet a
certain person who will lead
us to another until we find
Jewish people in these towns.”
How do roving rabbis keep
up with their own observances
on the road? In terms of
keeping kosher, they know
how to pack a cooler with
kosher foods and then rely on
well-stocked produce sections
in local groceries.
They planned some trips
so they could arrive back in
Detroit for Shabbat. Other
times, they spent Shabbat at
Camp Gan Israel in Kalkaska
and shared their stories with
campers and counselors. The
rabbis made stops to pray
three times daily, most times
without a minyan.
“Judaism should be lived
anywhere and everywhere,
even at times and places
where there is no access to
a minyan,” Slonim said. “So
in terms of davening, we just
figure that out. But doing this
this summer was completely
worth it. We did what we set
out to do, to find every Jewish
soul we could and make them
understand that they count no
matter where they live.”
In Houghton, meeting a fellow
Jew at a small supermarket
SEPTEMBER 28 • 2023 | 23
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