One British rabbi’s quest to keep Judaism alive in Regina

(Photo courtesy Beth Jacob Synagogue / Facebook)

Rabbi Jeremy Parnes only planned on visiting Regina, Saskatchewan, for a year. But, as these things go, he wound up staying—and hasn’t looked back. The Renewal rabbi originally from London, England, took the helm of the city’s Beth Jacob Synagogue, one of two local Jewish institutions (alongside the Chabad in Regina—not bad for a city whose Jewish populace sits in the hundreds).

On today’s episode of Yehupetzville, The CJN’s podcast about small-town Jews, Rabbi Parnes joins to share his story with host Ralph Benmergui, explain why he stayed, describe his interfaith efforts and answer the burning question facing every small Jewish community: what’s the future of the city’s Jewry?

Credits

Yehupetzville is hosted by Ralph Benmergui. Michael Fraiman is the producer and editor. Our music was arranged by Louis Simão and performed by Louis Simão and Jacob Gorzhaltsan. Our sponsor is PearTree Canada: learn more about them at peartreecanada.com. This show is a member of The CJN Podcast Network—you can find more great Jewish podcasts every day at thecjn.ca.