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The promised land is… Oklahoma? Inside Tulsa’s campaign to court young Jews

Summarizing Benyamin Cohen in Forward · Published Monday, March 23, 2026
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JL;DR SUMMARY Tulsa, Oklahoma, traditionally seen as a tumbleweed town, is drawing attention for its unique initiative, "Tulsa Tomorrow," which actively recruits young Jews to relocate to the city. A way out west there was a fella, fella I want to tell you about, fella by the name of Jeff Lebowski. At least, that was the handle his lovin' parents gave him, but he never had much use for it himself. This Lebowski, he called himself the Dude. Now, Dude, that's a name no one would self-apply where I come from. But then, there was a lot about the Dude that didn't make a whole lot of sense to me. And a lot about where he lived, likewise. But then again, maybe that's why I found the place s'durned innarestin'.

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Tags

Jewish Identity  Jewish Communities  Oklahoma  Jewish Migration  Canadian Jews  Young Jews  Community Integration  Tulsa  Tulsa Tomorrow 

Places mentioned

Tulsa, Oklahoma, United States
"Benyamin Cohen traveled to Tulsa, Oklahoma, where he spent four days and interviewed more than two dozen people for this story."
California, United States
"Two sisters from Northern California peeked into a walk-in closet, while a family of four from Winnipeg, Canada, stepped into the backyard."
Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
"Two sisters from Northern California peeked into a walk-in closet, while a family of four from Winnipeg, Canada, stepped into the backyard."
Maine, United States
"I have Sylvester Stallone to thank for this, said a man from Maine, dressed in jeans and a white T-shirt that read Israel Established 1273 BCE."
Kansas City, Kansas, United States
"In Kansas City, which already runs its own recruitment effort called See KC, a federation representative attended a Tulsa Tomorrow retreat to see what might translate back home."
Dothan, Alabama, United States
"In 2009, a hotel magnate in Dothan, Alabama, offered up to $50,000 to Jewish families willing to relocate to the towns shrinking Reform congregation."
White Oak, Pennsylvania, United States
"In 2022, an Orthodox synagogue in White Oak, Pennsylvania a fading mill town outside Pittsburgh offered $100,000 to anyone willing to move there."
New Orleans, Louisiana, United States
"After Hurricane Katrina, the Jewish community of New Orleans offered stipends for moving expenses, discounted day-school tuition and a year of free membership to a synagogue and the JCC."
Boise, Idaho, United States
"She arrived last summer from Boise, Idaho. Temple Israel, founded in 1914, has about 300 member households and is currently rebuilding its synagogue campus after tearing down its longtime building."
Missouri, United States
"The synagogue also houses a mikvah. Jews from across the region sometimes driving for hours from Arkansas, Kansas and Missouri come to use it."
Arkansas, United States
"The synagogue also houses a mikvah. Jews from across the region sometimes driving for hours from Arkansas, Kansas and Missouri come to use it."
Columbia, Maryland, United States
"In larger Jewish cities, Sachs said, communities can feel settled institutions established, leadership long entrenched. Tulsa still feels different, a place where the future of a Jewish community can be shaped in real time."
New York, United States
"Over the past several years, its Jewish leaders have hatched an audacious plan. Instead of watching young Jews drift toward the familiar centers of American Judaism cities like New York, Los Angeles, Miami and Chicago they are trying to persuade some of them to move in the opposite direction."
Chicago, Illinois, United States
"Over the past several years, its Jewish leaders have hatched an audacious plan. Instead of watching young Jews drift toward the familiar centers of American Judaism cities like New York, Los Angeles, Miami and Chicago they are trying to persuade some of them to move in the opposite direction."
Los Angeles, California, United States
"Over the past several years, its Jewish leaders have hatched an audacious plan. Instead of watching young Jews drift toward the familiar centers of American Judaism cities like New York, Los Angeles, Miami and Chicago they are trying to persuade some of them to move in the opposite direction."
Miami, Florida, United States
"Over the past several years, its Jewish leaders have hatched an audacious plan. Instead of watching young Jews drift toward the familiar centers of American Judaism cities like New York, Los Angeles, Miami and Chicago they are trying to persuade some of them to move in the opposite direction."
Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
"Watching fellow Canadian Jews contemplate leaving the country has unsettled him in its own way. Theres a sadness, Brown said. Im not enthused or compelled by what I see as a re-shtetling."

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Retrieved 2026-03-24 05:30:41 UTC
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