How South Dakota Got Its First Rabbi In Nearly 30 Years

Rabbi Mendel Alperowitz with his two daughters Rochel and Shaina standing in front of an abandoned farmhouse in South Dakota. Photo courtesy of Alperowitz.

In December 2016, Beverly Christensen’s husband yelled for her to come down to the first level of their three-floor home. There was something she needed to see on the local news. Christensen rushed downstairs, stood in front of the TV and let the tears stream down her face.

On screen was Rabbi Mendel Alperowitz and his wife, Mussie. A permanent full-time rabbi had, for the first time in almost 30 years, arrived in South Dakota. This was the big announcement, and for Christensen, a life-altering moment. 

“My heart screamed in joy,” she said. “I didn’t have to do this by myself anymore. It was an overpowering feeling.” 

In July 2017, Alperowitz, Mussie and their two children moved from Crown Heights, Brooklyn to Sioux Falls, South Dakota as emissaries of the Chabad-Lubavitch movement of Hasidic Judaism. With about 3,500 Chabad centers throughout the world, South Dakota was the only place in the United States without a Chabad presence at the time.

In fact, until Alperowitz’s arrival, there was no permanent rabbi in all of South Dakota. So despite the varying traditions within Judaism, Alperowitz became the state’s face of Judaism.

Christensen, 62, had found it challenging to practice Judaism since moving just outside of Sioux Falls 25 years ago. Coming from an Orthodox and Conservative Jewish background, the nearest Reform synagogue to her, Mt. Zion five miles away, never felt like the right fit. In addition to Synagogue of the Hills in Rapid City and Congregation B’nai Isaac in Aberdeen, Mt. Zion was one of three synagogues in the entire state. Relying primarily on lay leaders and student rabbis, these congregations haven’t had a permanent rabbi in several decades.

Although there is no clear number, Alperowitz says the closest estimate of the Jewish population in South Dakota is around 400 people, making it the smallest Jewish population of any state in the country.

Even though there are some Jews in the state who felt a strong Jewish connection prior to Alperowitz’s arrival, one thing is clear: religious practice takes on a new and more important meaning when you are one of 400 in a state of close to 900,000. If the Jews in South Dakota don’t uphold their Jewish identity, the community is in danger of disappearing completely. 

The commitment Jewish people have here is unique and strong in relation to others,” Alperowitz said. “People realize that if not us, then who?”

Alperowitz moved his then family of four from Brooklyn to South Dakota after visiting Sioux Falls for the first time in March 2016. A fellow Chabad rabbi had been serving as a traveling rabbi in the years prior and asked if Alperowitz might lead a Purim celebration that year. The couple rented a venue, brought in plenty of kosher food and hosted what ended up being around a 30-person Purim party. Both Alperowitz and his wife were struck by how appreciative attendees were. 

On the flight back to Crown Heights, the couple decided to leave Brooklyn for the hinterlands of South Dakota. This community, although small, deserves the same opportunities as any other Jewish community, Alperowitz said.

The history of Jews in South Dakota dates back to the 1800s, when German and Russian Jews settled in the Black Hills following the 1876 gold rush. According to Ann Stanton, a Jewish historian, some Jews also took advantage of The Homestead Act in the 1880s and 1890s, which encouraged Western migration by giving settlers free land in exchange for living on the homestead for at least five years. Although most Jews weren’t prospectors or miners, they became merchants, selling provisions like clothing and groceries, and soon became central to the culture and community in the West.

In her book, “Deadwood’s Jewish Pioneers: A Gold Rush Odyssey,” Stanton writes that in 1878 the first national Jewish census overseen by the Board of Delegates of American Israelites and the Union of American Israelites and Union of American Hebrew Congregations, concluded that there were 230,257 Jews nationwide and more specifically, there were 21,465 in 11 Western states and territories. By 1926, according to Stanton, the Jewish population in these Western areas and in ranches and the homesteads dwindled as the second generation of Jews sought higher education and a larger pool of potential spouses in big cities.

A couple participates in a Purim party hosted by the Chabad center in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. The party’s theme was Fiddler on the Roof, taking them back in time to a Ukrainian village in the early 1900’s. Photo courtesy of the Chabad Jewish Center of South Dakota.

Even though the population is smaller than it once was, Alperowitz and Mussie are committed to providing Jewish resources to the existing population. Since opening the ​Chabad Jewish Center of South Dakota, Alperowitz and Mussie offer weekly Torah classes and monthly Sabbath services. The center has hosted Purim parties, “smoothies and self-defense” meet ups with Israel’s Krav Maga training and passed out “seder at home” kits. During the COVID-19 pandemic, they’ve been leading virtual Torah study and pre-Sabbath singing over Zoom. In early March before the pandemic restrictions, Rabbi Alperowitz met with South Dakota representatives Sen. John Thune, Sen. Mike Rounds and Rep. Dusty Johnson in Washington, D.C. to advocate for Israel’s security.

Mussie has also opened the first Jewish school not only in South Dakota, but one of the firsts of its kind from Minnesota to Seattle. She started the pre-school, now in its third year, partially because she wanted her own kids to go to a Jewish school, but also because of the potential she sees in growing this community.

“I have seen growth, slowly but surely,” she said. “It's incredible to have that opportunity.” 

Richard Klein, who has been living in Sioux Falls for a little over 20 years, feels that    Alperowitz’s presence is unequivocally positive. Klein, who is also a member of Mt. Zion Congregation, spends the majority of his time at Chabad, which he says fills a void in Jewish educational opportunities. Prior to the pandemic, Klein studied with Alperowitz three nights a week. “Chabad has been able to fill in the educational need we have,” he said. “We also met people in the community we didn't know before.”

Even though some at Mt. Zion have reservations about Alperowitz and the fact that he represents a brand of Judaism different from their own, Klein said, Alperowtiz’s goal was never to impose his own brand of Judaism on the community.

“Mendel does what he can to include the entire Jewish community,” Klein said. “He isn’t interested in fostering any sort of division within the community.” 

Still, there have been questions about how a Hasidic rabbi might fare in a more Reform Jewish environment.

Steve Benn, who moved to Rapid City in 1995, was the former president of the Reform synagogue in the area, Synagogue of the Hills, for seven years, and now functions as a lay leader and vice president of the synagogue. He feels the magnitude of being part of such a small community.

“If you are in a larger community, you stand on the shoulders of a much broader community,” Benn said. “We don't have that luxury. It’s imperative that we maintain our identity and our presence.” 

A concern for some in the community, Benn said, is that since Alperowitz is technically the only full-time rabbi in the state, he might become the de-facto face of Judaism for all of South Dakota. “Since he is the only card-carrying rabbi, he thus captures the title of the official rabbi of South Dakota,” he said. “Unfortunately, that’s not the way many feel.” 

Benn said that Alperowitz’s form of Judaism, which he describes as more “evangelical” doesn’t accurately represent Judaism in the state. Despite concerns, though, Benn appreciates his presence and the work he’s doing. Benn even has a personal relationship with him, attending Alperowitz’s virtual Torah study classes and corresponding with him via email.

It’s been four years since the Alperowitz family arrived in South Dakota, and the hope now, Mussie said, is to reach every Jew in the state and to strengthen their relationship to Judaism in whatever way that looks like.

“The goal is to find the Jewish spark,” said Mussie, “and let it burn brighter in every Jew in South Dakota.” 

Khaya Himmelman is a New York-based journalist and recent graduate of Columbia University’s School of Journalism. Her work has appeared in Rolling Stone, Bustle, and Eurasianet. Follow her on Twitter @KhayaHimmelman.