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Friday, July 14, 2006

Rabbinical students express their faith

Duo tours Ozarks trying "to reconnect Jews" and strengthen the bonds of Jewish people.

Linda Leicht
News-Leader

When Yosef Rivkin and Yehuda Reiz arrived in Branson on Tuesday, they expected to find three or four other Jews. Instead, the two young men found about a dozen.

Rivkin and Reiz are visiting communities throughout southwest Missouri to talk to Jews about their faith and encourage them to be observant — from lighting candles on the Sabbath eve to placing a mezuzah on their doors.

The two rabbinical students are part of the Chabad- Lubavitch in Kansas City.

Their expression of their Jewish faith is conservative by Joel Merryfield's standards. But the Branson businessman welcomed them in for a visit, understanding that the work they do is also part of their faith.

"It's a mitzvah to them," Merryfield explained.

A mitzvah is a good deed, an act of kindness and a commandment — one of the 613 commandments, or mitzvot, in the Torah.

The type of Judaism that Rivkin and Reiz, both 21, practice includes careful observance of all the mitzvot. Their appearance immediately demonstrates their piety.

They wear simple black suits and black felt hats, beards and side-curls, and hanging from beneath their jackets are blue tzitzit — strings hanging from the tallit worn by observant Jews.

They carry some items that aren't easy for a Jew in Branson to get, including a kosher mezuzah that Merryfield's brother bought. A mezuzah is a small case in which there is a rolled parchment inscribed with the Shema — the daily prayer of every Jew. It is placed on the door post as required in the book of Deuteronomy.

Merryfield said he enjoyed his visit, but is confident in his own observance. He attends Temple Israel, a Reform synagogue east of Springfield.

"We still light the candles and have Shabbat dinner with the family," he said. "It's all up to interpretation."

Reiz said they understand that many of the people they encounter do not share their level of observance.

"Some people get apprehensive," he said. "All we really want to do is have Jews do a mitzvah."

Rivkin agreed. "We just want to build a morally healthy and ethical environment."

The reason for the campaign is twofold, the men explained.

"We want to reconnect Jews to bring about the coming of the messiah and to prepare them," Reiz said.

"And we are fighting assimilation of Jews in America," Rivkin said. "We hope this strengthens the bonds of Jewish people."

This is not the first time the Kansas City chabad has sent representatives to the area. In fact, Merryfield said he was visited by representatives of the Tulsa chabad just a few months ago.

Rabbi Rita Sherwin of Temple Israel said she has been contacted in the past by the Kansas City chabad when they sent representatives here.

While Sherwin is a Reform Jew and, as a woman, is not recognized as a legitimate rabbi by the Lubavitchers, she said she respects what they are doing.

They are trying to get Jews to connect with their faith and be more Torah observant, she said.

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