Despite there only being around 1,500 Jews in Kitchener–Waterloo, there are two synagogues—and Jacob Sivak has belonged to both. Sivak has spent 50 years living a Jewish life in Waterloo, raising children, researching its Jewish history and writing for various Jewish publications. With a campus Hillel and active Chabad house, Judaism in KW has never been more popular. It’s a positive trend for a community whose shuls have had ups and downs with memberships and inconsistent rabbi tenures—but will it sustain the community in the future? Sivak joins to discuss.

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, which you can learn more about at peartreecanada.com. This show is a member of The CJN Podcast Network—find more great Jewish podcasts at thecjn.ca.