Since August of 2017, I’ve been serving as the student Rabbi for Congregation Beth Aaron and I’ve been a resident of the state since May 2018. I am also currently in my final year of Rabbinic School at Hebrew Union College, the seminary of the Union for Reform Judaism.

In these last three and a half years of serving this community, I’ve come to meet, and learn a lot about, Jewish communities in Montana. I’ve been fascinated by the rich and amazing history of Judaism in Montana. I’ve been amazed at the tenacity of the Jewish spirit that has held many communities together for decades, and even over a century in some places; all while separated by hundreds of miles from major urban and Jewish centers in the rest of the United States.

It is with this in mind that I’ve decided that for my final thesis work to fulfill my educational obligations for ordination, that I will be engaging in a study of Jews and Judaism as it stands now in Montana. There have been many demographic studies of Jewish populations in the United States, including rural and historical communities, however, all of these have focused on communities in places like the South or the upper Northeast, where small Jewish populations still have support from larger urban Jewish communities and infrastructure an hour or two away. This is not the case here in Montana.

I would appreciate it very much if you could take 15-20 minutes to complete this online survey NO LATER THAN NOVEMBER 30th.

If you have any questions, you may contact me at (406) 413-5367, or by emailing me at uriarte.huc@gmail.com.

If you are unable to complete the survey online, but would still like to complete it, I am happy to schedule a time to take your answers over the phone if you contact me by phone or email.

Thank you very much for your time and participation,

Erik L Uriarte, MAHL
Student Rabbi and Director of Religious Programming
Congregation Beth Aaron – Billings, MT
Cell: (406) 413-5367