Original Source: Miami Herald
Wire Service: AP
On January 7, 2005 the Associated Press reported, "Idaho may be one of the last frontiers for American Orthodox Jews. It's nearly impossible to keep kosher without shipping food from out-of-state, there is only one Jewish synagogue in the state's largest city, and the nearest mikvah - a ceremonial immersion pool central to traditional Jewish family life - is hours away in Salt Lake City. But all that could change now that Chabad Lubavitch is in town. Rabbi Mendel Lifshitz, 28, his wife Esther, 23, and their two young sons are part of Chabad, a Hasidic organization that sends its emissaries around the world to convince Jews to become more observant. The Lifshitzes came to Boise to open a Chabad center, where classes, religious services and social gatherings are held... Until just a few months ago, Idaho was one of only six states without a permanent Chabad center. The last one established in the United States was in Utah nearly 12 years ago, Lifshitz said. The only states remaining without permanent Chabad centers are the Dakotas, Montana, Wyoming and Mississippi."