Name Reuben Poupko | ||
 | ||
Rabbi Reuben Joshua Poupko is the Rabbi of Beth Israel Beth Aaron Congregation, an Orthodox synagogue in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. He is the son of Gilda Twerski Novoseller Poupko, scion of the Poupko Hasidic dynasty, and Rabbi Baruch Poupko, rabbi for over 60 years of Congregation Shaare Torah in Pittsburgh. Rabbi Poupko is also the twin brother of Rivy Poupko Kletenik. Rabbi Poupko's very first congregation was at the Beth Zion Congregation in Oshawa, Ontario, Canada.
Rabbi Poupko is known for his tremendous oratory skills both in praise of Judaism and the Torah and in the defense of Zionism and the modern State of Israel. Rabbi Poupko also appeared in three films. Schmelvis: The Search for the King's Jewish Roots is a documentary investigating Elvis Presley's supposed Jewish roots. He also appeared in the award-winning, biopic thriller, "Once a Nazi" on former Waffen SS soldier turned professor Adalbert Lallier for SCN, CTV, Canal D, CLT and distributed internationally by the National Film Board of Canada. The film Untying the Bonds ... Jewish Divorce is a documentary that was produced by the Coalition of Jewish Women for the Get that tries to "increase awareness of the Jewish divorce issue" features comments by Poupko on the issue.
Rabbi Poupko has been the spiritual leader on the March of the Living. He is widely involved in the Montreal Jewish Community, including the Montreal branch of JNF, Combined Jewish Appeal, and the March of the Living. He is also the "co-chair of the Canadian Rabbinic Caucus".
During the late 2000s, Poupko has been involved in trying to stop antisemitic attacks against Jews in Venezuela.