THEY'RE on a mission from God - but don't mistake them for the Blues Brothers.
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Wagga has been paid a visit by two rabbis who have crossed the Pacific Ocean from their homeland in the US to connect with the city's "isolated" Jewish community.
"No Jew should be left behind just because he is disconnected or far away.
- Rabbi Kagan
"For Jewish people in small citys and towns, there is not really Jewish culture and Jewish life," said Rabbi Yossi Kagan, of Miami.
"No Jew should be left behind just because he is disconnected or far away ... it doesn't mean he should be left out."
Rabbi Kagan, together with Rabbi Srolik Winner, have driven from Melbourne in their "Mitzvah Mobile" for the Chabad of Rural and Regional Australia (RARA) annual tour.
The rabbis - who are both volunteers - caught up with a Jewish family during their Wagga stay.
Rabbi Winner said the lack of a Jewish school in Wagga meant families were unable to learn Hebrew - the language of the Israelites.
The rabbis estimate there could be 15 to 20 Jewish people living in Wagga. At the last census, the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) recorded no statistical data for Jews living in the city.
"Since we know there is no Jewish community, they could automatically assimilate, some people convert to other religions and some people just feel like they are unimportant and no one cares about them. They feel like they can't make a difference," Rabbi Kagan said.
"When really, every single person makes a difference. Everybody is unique and nobody is created for no purpose. So, for Jewish people, every single person is part of the faith and makes the full picture."
The Rabbis conclude their regional tour in the south-eastern Queensland city of Toowoomba.
CONNECT
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