Living out in Vladivostok, we expect people to know nothing about Judaism. And usually they don't. We are most people’s first introduction to Judaism ever. It’s exciting, really, meeting a Jew, and introducing them, for the first time ever, to Torah, to tefillin, to G-d, to Shabbos. Sometimes, though, we meet people who already have some background knowledge – and every time it just throws me off and cracks me up.
About a month after we moved here, an older man came to the synagogue on Shabbos. He had a question. Which year would this be, within the 19 year Jewish calendar cycle? The question was just so far out, that it was really funny.
Anyway, on Shavuos a boy came to Synagogue. He speaks fluent English, and has been reading all about Judaism on chabad.org. He walked in, really dressed for the part. He wore a button-down shirt, suit, and. . . a black fedora.
The regular minyan-goers were shocked to see him. Someone asked if we brought him from America to help with the holiday.
We will never cease to be entertained.
2 comments:
Thats a great story! I hate to ask this question, but is he Jewish?
Possibly. He thinks he is.
He is off in July to his grandmother in Siberia to search for his documents. To get there, he will take a plane, then a train, then a bus, then a car, then a train again, and finally a car to get to this little village.
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