THE RABBI GOES WEST | Film Screening

THE RABBI GOES WEST centers on 34-year-old Chaim Bruk, an idealistic Chabad Rabbi who moves from Brooklyn, New York to Bozeman, Montana to bring his unique brand of Judaism to the American West. As the founder of the state’s first Chabad Center, Chaim’s first order of business is to affix a kosher mezuzah onto every Jewish doorpost in Bozeman. While some families are eager to accept the rabbi’s offering, other Jewish locals and Bozeman rabbis are uncomfortable by Chaim’s outwardly proselytizing tactics. There is also a growing fear that Chaim’s larger goal is to expand Chabad to other cities in Montana. Despite the recent rise of neo-Nazi threats and the resistance expressed by some folks in his community, Chaim falls hard for Big Sky Country, eager to raise his family and fulfill his mission in Boseman. With its spectacular Montana scenery and glimpses of small-town charm, this funny and engaging documentary has gotten audiences talking at Jewish Film Festival screenings coast to coast.