Yosef Sharfstein likes to joke that there are more Jewish people living on his block in Brooklyn, N.Y., than there are in the entire state of South Dakota—and that’s probably true.

Sharfstein and a friend, Shmuel Lefkowitz of Monsey, N.Y., will spend the next three weeks driving through South Dakota—the only state in the Union not to have a permanent Chabad presence—visiting Jewish people and hanging mezuzahs, sharing Torah literature and perhaps even hosting a kosher barbecue, like they did last August.

The 24-year-olds are among just under 350 other students and rabbinic interns dispatched each summer by Merkos L’Inyonei Chinuch, the educational arm of the Chabad-Lubavitch movement, to serve as “Roving Rabbis.” Directed by Rabbi Moshe Kotlarsky, vice chairman of Merkos, they bring vibrant Jewish life and knowledge to communities from China to Chile and just about everywhere in between.

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Over the years, these young men have paved the way for permanent Chabad centers founded in places such as Wyoming in the United States, and as far as Serbia and India overseas. In fact, with Mississippi currently welcoming its first Chabad emissary couple (Rabbi Akiva and Hannah Hall), Sharfstein and Lefkowitz are unique among their peers in the United States in that they will not be coordinating with a local Chabad couple; South Dakota is the only state without one. Abroad, there are still “Roving Rabbis” visiting Caribbean islands and a rapidly depleting number of countries without a full-time presence, but most now work with full-time Chabad representatives in their destination countries.

The pair also spent Chanukah in the Mount Rushmore state, hosting celebrations in four cities, including one in the State Capitol in Pierre with Gov. Dennis M. Daugaard.
The pair also spent Chanukah in the Mount Rushmore state, hosting celebrations in four cities, including one in the State Capitol in Pierre with Gov. Dennis M. Daugaard.

“We visited South Dakota last summer,” says 24-year-old Sharfstein, “and we spent a lot of time traveling to smaller towns—towns with just a few hundred people—looking for isolated Jews. This year we are going to concentrate on the larger communities, such as Brookings, Sioux Falls, Watertown, Aberdeen and Rapid City—slowing making our way west.”

Working on lists furnished by previous groups of “Roving Rabbis,” in addition to their own networking, the two say they have connected with 150 Jewish households—an impressive number considering that the official Jewish population is just 350 out of a state total of nearly 850,000.

Sharfstein reports that most of the local Jews have deep roots there: “Most of them have been here for generations from when the community was larger, and others came through their jobs decades ago.”

The pair also spent Chanukah in the Mount Rushmore state, hosting holiday celebrations in four cities, including one in the State Capitol with Gov. Dennis M. Daugaard.

‘Really an Event for Them’

Like “Roving Rabbis” everywhere, the pair needs to think ahead in order to ensure they have kosher food. Sharfstein says they pack coolers full of frozen goods, and also bring a full set of kosher pots, burners, grills and other necessary implements. He adds that hotels are almost always helpful, offering them freezer space as needed.

They plan to spend Shabbats in Sioux Falls and Rapid City—two places where they expect to share their meals with the itinerant Israeli youths who sell beauty products in malls all over the world. Far away from home, often for the first time, Sharfstein says the young salespeople are thankful for a taste of tradition.

Since there is very little Jewish infrastructure in the state, Sharfstein says most of their interactions with the Jewish community take place in people’s homes, where the young rabbis are invited for visits that last anywhere from a few minutes to several hours.

“Many people have lived their lives outside of an established Jewish community, so having a rabbi to talk to is really an event for them,” he says. “We have people who save their questions all year for when we come.”

Sharfstein and Lefkowitz hold a Chanukah party in a state with few Jews and very little access to Jewish life.
Sharfstein and Lefkowitz hold a Chanukah party in a state with few Jews and very little access to Jewish life.
Lefkowitz flips latkes in a South Dakota hotel room at Chanukah time.
Lefkowitz flips latkes in a South Dakota hotel room at Chanukah time.