Submitted Photo Student rabbis Levi Shusterman, left, and Meyer Orenstein are traveling across North Dakota. The trip includes Orenstein tracing the footsteps of his great-grandfather who was a rabbi in Grand Forks.

FARGO — A two-week visit through North Dakota holds profound significance to a student rabbi who is retracing the footsteps of his ancestor.

Meyer Orenstein, of Brooklyn, New York, and Levi Shusterman, of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, both student rabbis studying in Brooklyn, arrived in North Dakota Wednesday, July 12, and will be here until Wednesday, July 26.

Orenstein’s great-grandfather was Rabbi Benjamin Papermaster of Grand Forks. Papermaster came to Grand Forks from Lithuania in 1891 and dedicated his life to serving the Jewish community of North Dakota. In recent years, two of Orenstein’s brothers, one now serving as a rabbi in Portland, Oregon, and the other as a chaplain for the Nevada National Guard, visited the state during their Rabbinical training.

Orenstein and Shusterman are traveling across the state visiting cities and towns including Fargo, Grand Forks, Minot, Bismarck, Williston, Valley City, Cavalier, Hettinger and others. They were scheduled to be in Minot Sunday, July 16 and today, July 17.

During their trip across the state, the student rabbis hope to meet with local Jewish populations. The trip will include for them to learn about North Dakota’s Jewish stories and experiences To schedule a visit contact Orenstein at 917-721-3974 or email rovingrabbis@jewishnorthdakota.com.

Ortenstein’s and Shusterman’s trip is in partnership with Rabbi Yona Grossman at the Chabad Jewish Center of North Dakota in Fargo in conjunction with the Roving Rabbis international summer visitation program.