Rabbi Shlomo DovBer Pinchas Lazar

Rabbi Shlomo DovBer Pinchas Lazar (commonly known as Reb Berel, born on 8 Sivan 5724, May 19, 1964) is the Rebbe's Chief Shliach to Russia and serves as the Chief Rabbi of Russia on behalf of the Federation of Jewish Communities of Russia. He was initially sent on shlichus by Ezras Achim and later began working through Or Avner and the Federation of Jewish Communities in the Commonwealth of Independent States.

Life History

Rabbi Lazar was born in Milan, Italy, to Rabbi Moshe Lazar and Henia Yehudis. His father was sent by the Rebbe.

In 5738, he began studying at Yeshivas Tomchei Tmimim in Morristown. After a short period, he transferred to Yeshivas Tomchei Tmimim 770, which he completed with semicha for dayanus.

In 5748, he visited Russia for the first time on behalf of Ezras Achim.

Upon reaching marriageable age, he married his wife Mrs. Chana in Sivan 5749, daughter of the chossid Rabbi Yechezkel Deren.

Immediately after his wedding, he desired to go on shlichus to Russia and wrote to the Rebbe about this. The Rebbe responded that in the first year of marriage, the wife should be close to her family members.

In 5750, he received the Rebbe's bracha and was sent through Ezras Achim as the Rebbe's shliach to Moscow to renew Jewish life throughout the city. He was appointed as rabbi of the historic Chabad shul in Marina Roscha. In 5753, he was elected as Chairman of the Union of Rabbis of the CIS countries and began establishing Jewish communities anew. In 5754, he was appointed as a partial member of Agudas Chasidei Chabad in the CIS. During these years, he joined Or Avner in the CIS and was among its directors. In 5759, the Chabad rabbis established the Federation of Jewish Communities of Russia and chose Rabbi Lazar as the Federation's rabbi. In 5759, the Federation included 67 communities, and by 5761, it already numbered 189 communities in 170 cities.

In 5760, he was elected by the Federation of Jewish Communities of Russia as the Chief Rabbi of Russia. Rabbi Lazar, with the support of Lev Leviev, established Or Avner schools and colleges for Jewish boys and girls in large communities. Additionally, on Rabbi Lazar's initiative, Yeshivas Tomchei Tmimim were established in major cities. The Or Avner organization also maintains dozens of soup kitchens and supports chesed activities.

At the beginning of 5769, during the global financial crisis, when many wealthy supporters, including Reb Levi Leviev, reduced their donations, Rabbi Lazar together with Reb Dovid Mondshine from Or Avner's management took upon themselves the fundraising for the Rebbe's shluchim in Russia and other CIS countries.

During the Corona pandemic in 5780, he initiated extensive activities to strengthen unity among chassidim, including long nighttime farbrengens with chassidim of various opinions, coordination and mediation between shluchim and askanim, and more. As part of his activities, he gave an unusual interview to Beis Moshiach weekly, and strongly rejected criticism, insisting that ideological and philosophical disagreements should not cause division among chassidim. As a result of these activities, he was chosen in 5781 by Chabad Info as one of the ten 'People of the Year'.

Every Shabbos and Yom Tov, the Rav gives public shiurim to hundreds of mispallelim in the central Marina Roscha shul, in addition to regular Torah shiurim in Torah, halacha, and chassidus, delivered primarily in Russian to diverse audiences. His unique personality and scope of public activities have earned him worldwide recognition, and the Rav stands among the most famous and greatest rabbonim in the world.

Rabbi Lazar spoke at the satellite gathering held on Yud Shevat 5756 to receive pnei Melech HaMoshiach.

Rabbi Lazar signed the psak din that the Rebbe is Melech HaMoshiach.

With Russian President Vladimir Putin

Rabbi Lazar maintains good relations with government representatives and frequently receives visits from senior government officials at his institutions, as well as being a frequent guest of government representatives. Some Jewish oligarchs loyal to the government have connections to him. With the help of Lev Leviev, he established close ties with Russia's former and current president Vladimir Putin. In 2007, he met with Putin's successor Dmitry Medvedev.

In 2006 and 2007, Lazar was a member of the first session of Russia's Public Chamber, a government body appointed by the President, whose purpose is to examine legislation and government actions in the federal subjects that make up the Russian Federation. In 2008, he was reappointed as a member of the Chamber, whose members serve two-year terms.

In 2014, approaching his fiftieth birthday, he received a special congratulatory telegram from Russian President Vladimir Putin, congratulating him on his work for Russian Jewry.

In Av of the same year, President Putin awarded him an honor medal for his contributions to Russia.

Didan Natzach March

Following the famous Seforim trial, which began in Tammuz 1985 and continued throughout 1986 until 5 Teves 1987, when victory was declared by the judges, the Chassidim set the words "Didan Natzach" to a Chabad niggun with a victorious movement. The niggun was popular and was sung at farbrengens with the Rebbe (for example, Purim 1971 at the end of the seventh sicha). During the trial, Rabbi Lazar composed the words "Didan Natzach" for the melody.

His Book

• Shlach Lachmecha, lectures, sermons, commentaries, 2024

His Family

Rabbi Lazar has 14 children:

• His son, Rabbi Yechezkel Lazar - The Rebbe's shliach in the Salmon Khilas neighborhood in Moscow
• His son, Rabbi Menachem Mendel Lazar - The Rebbe's shliach in Krasnodar
• His son, Rabbi Shalom Lazar, The Rebbe's shliach in Sochi
• His son, R' Yisroel Aryeh Leib Lazar - shliach in New Moscow
• His son, Levi Yitzchak Lazar, and his wife Druiza Raskin, daughter of Rabbi Tzvi Hirsh Raskin
• His daughter and son-in-law Rabbi Yitzchak Rosenfeld, director of the Chabad House in the neighborhoods around "Leninsky Prospekt"
• His daughter and son-in-law Rabbi Moshe Lerman - Rosh Yeshiva of Tomchei Tmimim Moscow, Moscow
• His daughter and son-in-law Rabbi Menachem Mendel Wilensky, Ram in Yeshivas Tomchei Tmimim Moscow and director of 'Torah Center' and 'Torah Conventions'
• His daughter and son-in-law R' Baruch Naftali Wilhelm, The Rebbe's shliach in Omsk
• His daughter and son-in-law R' Shmuel Zaltzman

Further Reading

• "Everyone's Birthday - Article by Rabbi Lazar, "Techayeinu" Issue #4, 11 Nissan 2016
• Menachem Ziegelboim, We're Living in Yemos HaMoshiach. We Just Need to Wake Up a Little More, on Chabad Info website, from an interview in Beis Moshiach weekly parashas Balak 2020