After Yom Kippur, one author is asking: Can we actually make Heaven on Earth?

Back in the 1990s, Martin Rutte earned his most prominent byline co-writing one of the famous Chicken Soup for the Soul books, which focused on incorporating spirituality into the workplace. Now residing in Charlottetown, PEI, Rutte is again working on a spiritual level—and the scale is far greater than just offices.

A sought-after speaker and consultant, Rutte's newest endeavour, Project Heaven on Earth,_ translates the concept of tikkun olam to the wider world, questioning why humans can't create greater peace with themselves and their communities. While the project launched years ago, his book of the same name (2018) is especially timely now, as Jews move on from Yom Kippur and begin thinking about how they can better themselves and the world in the coming year.

Rutte spoke with The CJN Daily earlier about his work, but also about how Jews in his home province struggled to keep high holiday services going during the recent post-tropical storm Fiona. Hear how he met a stranded American Jewish tourist on the island. All these struggles only underscore the importance of his messages of perseverence, altruism and faith.

What we talked about:

• Learn about Project Heaven on Earth

Credits

The CJN Daily is written and hosted by Ellin Bessner (@ebessner on Twitter). Zachary Kauffman is the producer. Michael Fraiman is the executive producer. Our theme music is by Dov Beck-Levine. Our title sponsor is Metropia. We're a member of The CJN Podcast Network. To learn how to support the show by subscribing to this podcast, please watch this video.