Banff is a popular vacation town in Alberta, Canada, full of natural hot springs, plentiful ski slopes, and stunning scenery. This idyllic luxury resort is the perfect vacation, conference and wedding destination, and is visited by approximately 5 million tourists each year, including tens of thousands of Jews. But until now, kosher food has been nearly impossible to obtain in this relatively remote town nestled in the Canadian Rockies.
That is about to change.
Now, the newly launched Chabad of the Canadian Rockies is preparing to open a 30-foot-tall, $200,000, state-of-the-art mobile glatt kosher commercial kitchen that will open Banff to the world of kosher tourism. .
Rabbi Chabad of the Rockies dovid and Deborah Pinson I moved to Banff to manage the kitchen. They also use their experience in Jewish community work to enrich the lives of the local Jewish community, including holiday celebrations, Shabbat dinners, and family events.
This project reflects the vision of two grieving parents and the dedication of a man whose kidney donation gave him a new lease on life.when Yehuda (Eugene) and Ilana Weick20 year old son of Daniel Since he died in tragic circumstances, they wanted to remember him and celebrate his life with a project that would improve the lives of the Jewish community. Toronto residents chose to donate seed money to begin construction of a mobile kitchen.
To proceed to the next step, Howard Moster. The former Milwaukee police sergeant became seriously ill several years ago and needed a new kidney. His close friend, Rabbi Dovid Pinson, began a campaign to find Moster as a donor. Many donors came forward but were turned away, but Rabbi Mendy Blackman, Chabad's representative in Edmonton, Alberta, was the perfect fit. “If they were brothers, they couldn't be more compatible,” the doctor said.
Moster's new life inspired him to take impactful action. He participated in the campaign and brought in funds from many sources for the project.
Now, Jewish travelers to the Canadian Rockies won't have to look far for kosher regulations, and Pinson said the bar mitzvah destination is already booked for July of this year.
rabbi Menachem Matusov, senior rabbi and executive director of Chabad-Lubavitch of Alberta, says it has been a long-standing goal to establish a Chabad center to serve the Jewish community of the Canadian Rockies. “The Pinson family is a perfect fit for this position,” Matusoff said. “This Chabad Center is already a great asset, enriching Jewish life not only for local residents but also for visitors from all over the world.”
