Hashgacha Protis in Montreal

Hashgacha Protis is a great Hebrew word which most people translate as 'divine providence' which is like translating Tefillin as 'phylacteries' when in reality people should just call them by their more commonly used synonym: Jew-straps.

Similarly, Hashgacha Protis in plain English means: 'G-d makes cool coincidences' which according to Judaism, aren't coincidences.

Since I have returned to the land of wide roads, I have searched for Jews from Stavropol in every city I've been to. For example, in Toronto I stopped by Rabbi Zaltsman (translation: salty man), who is in charge of Russian Jews and runs the JRCC of Ontario, and I asked him if he knew any Jews from Stavropol.

His answer: No.

Bet you weren't expecting that. Well, neither was I. I also asked Rabbi Sirota in Montreal, and other Rabbis in other places.

Anyway, so in Montreal they had this bone marrow drive to help several people in the community. I went to get the inside of cheek swabbed by Q-tips, and it was held in the Montreal 'Y', where they have a woman in charge of all Russians living in Montreal, Olga Freiman.

I tried to meet hger but she was away, so I gave up.

Then on Monday on a whim I decided to call again. She answered and I explained that I live in a city in Russia, and I am looking for Jewish people from that city in Montreal so I can contact their relatives in Russia, and maybe they have a database where everyone is from blah blah blah blah.

So she asked, "Which city?"

And I said, "Stavropol!"

So she says, "I'm from Stavropol!"

See? a classic case of Hasgacha Protis!

Anyway, we met today and had a long chat, where it turned out that I know her relative in Stavropol, who is one of the sweetest men in the community. He's the guy who when he sees me trying to walk into a room or entering the building, he immediately rushes over to open the door for the Rabbi. He's the guy who on his second time meeting me gave me a piece of paper on which he drew by hand a map of Stavropol, so that I wouldn't ever get lost. He's the one who smiles every time I call him by his Jewish name, Yitzchak.

And I think it will be nice returning to Stavropol, and showing him pictures of his relatives in Montreal, and telling him all about how I met his cousin, and what she is like, and giving him a letter she wrote to him.

I hope it warms up his heart like he warms up mine.