Rabbi's Weekly Message
Courage in Beaverhead County
August 17, 2026
While our family is enjoying the final days of our trip to Europe, taking in the historical sites of Budapest and Bratislava, the news out of Montana was horrifying. Having lived through the Bridger fire of 2020, I remember the anxiousness as we waited to hear if the fire was contained, and the horror of so many homes lost, including the homes of the beloved Feniger and Mendelson families, who are dear friends and active members of our Jewish community. The current fires across the state, especially in Beaverhead County, including the Maverick Mountain Ski area, are heartbreaking and so scary. My heart aches for those who lost homes, businesses, agriculture land, but I also feel for the heroic firefighters and their families who devote themselves selflessly to extinguish the fires in every way possible, including the firefighting pilots.
Montana's Jewish voice
Quarterly Publication by Chabad-Lubavitch of Montana
A mashup of thoughts, ideas, news, and stories about this unique outpost of Jewish life in the West. Remote Jewish communities are as old as time, but this remote Jewish community is young, vibrant, and growing. Our saga draws on age-old Jewish values, quintessential Western grit, and the idealistic fire of four Chabad Families. Curious, complex, and committed, they model the highs and lows of being human, the relevance of being Jewish, and simmering, lasting courage to perservere.
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Totally Unexpected! Podcast
I love people and I love hearing their stories. I want to know who they are, how they got there, what didn’t go as expected, and what they did about it. That passion and curiosity led me to create “Totally Unexpected!” A podcast featuring interviews with guests who inspire me. Whether it’s the mom next door, the enlightened academic, or the maverick healer, I am here to learn about their unique contribution to our world.
Totally Unexpected! Blog
Welcome to Totally Unexpected! Where you can find my free flowing, stream of consciousness, unfiltered thoughts, and ideas. I process the twists and turns of life by sharing it with you. I hope this also helps you process your own struggles and joys.
I think of myself as a juggler: leading a Jewish community with my sushi loving husband, caring for my five rambunctious kids (who are adopted), and living in the Wild West of Montana, where it’s ALWAYS winter (or so it feels). It’s an art to be juggler, to live our fullest potential and still have very real lives. Not the perfect, glossy, manicured ones we so often encounter. I am here to be real.
I think of myself as a juggler: leading a Jewish community with my sushi loving husband, caring for my five rambunctious kids (who are adopted), and living in the Wild West of Montana, where it’s ALWAYS winter (or so it feels). It’s an art to be juggler, to live our fullest potential and still have very real lives. Not the perfect, glossy, manicured ones we so often encounter. I am here to be real.
