Wyoming and the Dakotas

Part II

By Hershel Lieber

On Sunday, by eight in the morning, we were already on the road, heading to Mount Rushmore. This massive National Memorial is a sculpture carved into a mountain peak of the Black Hills National Forest depicting four of the most prominent United States presidents. The sixty-foot-high portraits of George Washington, Thomas Jeffer - son, Abraham Lincoln and Theodore Roosevelt was completed in 1941. Over the years, this South Dakota icon has become one of the most visited attractions in the nation.

We were enthusiastic about seeing this granite masterpiece but had no idea of how overwhelmed we would be as we gazed at its majesty and contemplated the larger-than-life personalities that were portrayed. We took loads of photos from every angle and spent a good two hours at this historic site.

Next on the agenda was a drive along the Needles Highway. This fourteen-mile road passes through pine and spruce forests with meadows surrounded by birch and aspen. The needlelike granite formations pierce the blue sky, and the narrow tunnels make for great photo ops. This was followed by a two-hour Safari jeep tour through a wildlife loop within the habitat of herds of bison and longhorn antelopes. We had a great guide whose narrative added much to this excursion.

We left our cabin on Monday morning heading towards Rapid City. We made two stops; both which were extremely en- joyable and entertaining. Bear Country is a zoo-like park replete with many animal species but focusing on its large bear population. The animals are in open areas created to mimic their natural environment. This stop was followed by Reptile Gardens, which had a collection of birds and reptiles within a stunning botanical garden setting.

In the late afternoon, we arrived in Rapid City, South Dakota, and walked the city center streets where buildings and stores exude an atmosphere of the early 1900s. Rapid City is known for the forty-three life-size bronze statues of American presidents placed along the downtown streets. Pesi was poking fun at me as I tried to capture them all on my camera!

Tuesday morning’s plans included a full six hours of driving to Bismarck, North Dakota, with a short stop in Pierre, South Dakota’s capital. Going from one destination to another can range from breathtaking to extremely boring, and on that day, boredom was going to reign. We set out resigned at our fate, hoping to make the best by listening to CD lectures and music and by making good old conversation between us. About an hour into our drive, we passed a sign indicating that we were approaching the Badlands National Park. We did not have this on our itinerary, but immediately decided that although this will delay our arrival for at least two hours, we should stop to see it. What a great decision! The thirtynine-mile Badlands Loop Road took us to all the great overlooks including Yellow Mounds and Pinnacles. The rugged beauty of these fossil-rich towering cliffs are truly awe inspiring. Canyons and ravines add form to the eroded topography, and patches of prairie grass add a hint of bright color to the muted shades of the rocky layers. It would have been a great loss if we would not have made this stopover.

Two and a half hours later, we were touring the State Capitol Building in Pierre, and three and a half hours later we arrived in Bismarck. We settled in for the night, tired but with a great feeling of satisfaction that we had stopped at the Badlands.

The next morning, we visited Bis- marck’s Heritage Center, truly a wonderful museum, followed by a tour of North Dakota’s State Capitol Building. Before leaving for Fargo, we stopped at a supermarket, and I was approached by a woman who noticed my yarmulke. She “bageled” us to tell us that she, too, was Jewish. Upon inquiring, she told us that she was married to a very prominent Indian chief but is not at liberty to say his name as he is too well-known.

Three and half hours later, we arrived in Fargo. After checking in, we still managed to visit a restored village called Bonanza that existed from 1870-1920. The exhibits were interesting and educational. There was even a plaque honoring North Dakota’s early Jewish community. It is hard to believe that there were over fifty Jewish settlements with 1,200 farms back then! Their leader was Rabbi Benjamin Papermaster, who arrived in 1891 and served until 1934.

Thursday we were back on the road traveling towards South Dakota. We stopped in Watertown to see a collection of 150 pieces of art by the famous painter Terry Redlin. He is most famous for his outdoor themes and wildlife scenes often pictured at twilight. We then drove to Brookings and visited the University’s Art Museum and the McCrory Gardens, which was really so lovely and peaceful.

On Friday, we prepared a short itinerary before we headed to Sioux Falls, South Dakota, where we would stay for Shabbos. We were only an hour’s distance away, so we made a stop at the Pipestone National Monument. The natural reddish pipestone was used in sacred ceremonies by the local Indian tribes. The stone is relatively pliable but is buried about fifteen inches deep in the hard quartzite and not easy to quarry. We watched a craftsman form pipes from the stone and took a ninety-minute guided tour of the area. We then drove south into Sioux Falls. We checked into our motel, shopped at Walmart, bought toys for the Chabad shluchim’s children, showered, and dressed for Shabbos.

South Dakota was the last of the fifty states that Chabad established a presence.

After the meal, we walked back to our motel for our Shabbos nap and ate Shalosh

The Sioux Falls Chabad Center was started in November of 2016 and is headed by Rabbi Mendel and Rebbetzin Mussie Alperowitz. We had previously contacted Rav Mendel about spending our Shabbos with them, and they welcomed us with open arms. They recommended a nearby motel about a twenty-minute walk from their home. The shul that they established was at the time in their house, as were the Shabbos meals. Since this shul was still in its initial stage, having a minyan was not yet a given. That Shabbos we did not achieve that goal, but the davening was nevertheless spirited. Rav Mendel and Mussie were joined by one more family other than us. The seudah was fantastic! The cuisine was plentiful and delicious, the divrei Torah were meaningful, and the lively conversation well overshadowed the Lubavitch-style lack of zemiros.

On Shabbos morning, we davened Shacharis at the motel and then walked over to Chabad to finish our tefillos. We were their only guests that day, which allowed us to enjoy a very long conversation at the seudah. They told us about their lives and backgrounds. They related to us about their search for a shelichus city and how Sioux Falls became their mission. We, in turn, told them about our lives and our connection with baalei teshuva in Poland and Russia. We played Jewish geography regarding the many Chabad shluchim we met over the years during our travels.

Seudos in our room. After Shabbos, we ate a light Melave Malke and made plans for the next two days before going to sleep.

On Sunday, we toured all the city’s sights and attractions. Our first stop was Sioux Falls Park, where the Big Sioux River flows over layers of rocks and boulders, creating a series of picturesque waterfalls. We took a narrated trolley tour of the downtown area. Then we visited the Courthouse Museum and walked around the neighborhood viewing its Victorian houses and mansions. We also walked the length of Philip Street which was lined with dozens of modern art sculptures. In the afternoon, we went to a disappointing butterfly house and aquarium. On the way back, a torrential rain flooded the streets. We drove down one block and suddenly our car was enveloped with overflowing rainwater that nearly reached the car windows. We slowly backed up into a mall which had a higher elevation and waited for the waters to recede.

On Monday, we drove to Mitchell to see the Corn Palace. The building is used for exhibitions, shows, banquets, graduation ceremonies, and basketball tournaments. The main feature was the dozen or so murals that are on the Moorish-styled building’s exterior. These ever-changing murals are made from corn kernels which grow in a variety of colors. Other grains and grasses such as wild oats, rye, wheat, and straw are also used in these unique creations.

Later that day, we went to the Dakota

Discovery Museum, whose exhibits portray the stories of the people who came to settle the Northern Plains. They have a section in the museum which relates the history of Jews in the Dakotas. The Holocaust Remembrance Room tells this tragic episode in the form of photos and short biographies of local survivors. We had a nice conversation with the museum’s director Rod Brown.

We still had a few hours on Tuesday morning before leaving to the airport to head back home. We strolled the Japanese Gardens and revisited Sioux Falls Park with its rocks and waterfalls.

This trip held so many different fea- tures, and we gained a tremendous amount of knowledge about these states. There were moments of genuine pleasure and periods of spiritual fulfillment. It was a “great trip,” and its memories should last for many future years.

Hershel Lieber has been involved in kiruv activities for over 30 years. As a founding member of the Vaad L’Hatzolas Nidchei Yisroel he has traveled with his wife, Pesi, to the Soviet Union during the harsh years of the Communist regimes to advance Yiddishkeit. He has spearheaded a yeshiva in the city of Kishinev that had 12 successful years with many students making Torah their way of life. In Poland, he lectured in the summers at the Ronald S. Lauder Foundation camp for nearly 30 years. He still travels to Warsaw every year – since 1979 – to be the chazzan for Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur for the Jews there. Together with Pesi, he organized and led trips to Europe on behalf of Gateways and Aish Hatorah for college students finding their paths to Jewish identity. His passion for travel has taken them to many interesting places and afforded them unique experiences. Their open home gave them opportunities to meet and develop relationships with a variety of people. Hershel’s column will appear in The Jewish Home on a bi-weekly basis.