Do you think you have it tough? Ask rabbi Shalom Greenberg what it’s like to be the sole leadership for the Jewish people living in Shanghai! Imagine how difficult it would be to live in the land of pork and try to keep kosher. Picture him having to ask the Chinese communist government for permission to use the 85-year-old Ohel Rachel Synagogue and to have that request granted at most 3 or 4 times a year.

That’s just the start for this 33-year-old rabbi from Brooklyn who was asked to move to China to help lead the Jewish faithful. Despite all of the obstacles (and there are lots more) rabbi Greenberg and the 1,000 or so Jews living in Shanghai prove that where there is a will, there is a way. Oddly enough, this story could actually be a good premise for one of those ‘fish out of water’ comedy flicks! Don’t forget to give us credit for the idea if this becomes a blockbuster hit starring Ben Stiller. Check out the rest of the story here!

(Photo of the Ohel Rachel Synagogue courtesy of tmcvacation.com)

When it comes to your morning coffee, remember that every cup counts. Buying Fair Trade beans means that you are directly supporting Third World growers who receive a living wage for their work. The Abayudaya Jews of Uganda have recently teamed up with their Muslim and Christian neighbors to produce organic, kosher coffee that will help build schools, maintain clean water supplies and create a sustainable economy.
NoCal’s Paul Katzeff, head of Thanksgiving Coffee (one of the first American companies to make Fair Trade beans available to the American public) and MOT is heading up the venture, calling it “the most important project I’ve ever done. Everything I’ve done up to this point was leading to it.”

Wonderful. And to do your share of giving power to the peaceful, all you gotta do is drink up.