Editing Shimon Lazaroff (Texas) (section)

== Life History ==
Born in the Soviet Union on the 5th of Menachem Av 5702 to his father Rabbi Gershon Eliezer Lazaroff and his mother Mrs. Menucha. Before his birth, he was orphaned from his father who was murdered by the KGB for spreading Yiddishkeit, and he was raised by his mother. His maternal grandfather was the chossid Rabbi Chaim Tzvi Lipsker, the Rav of Poltava.

When Chabad chassidim [[The Great Escape from Russia 1946|left Russia en masse in 5706]], his mother joined the refugees together with him and his sister. After various wanderings, they arrived in Paris, France where his mother received a position as a house mother in one of the Chabad institutions established for refugees.

Later, when [[The Rebbe's Visit To Paris|the Rebbe came in 5707]] to accompany his mother to America, Lazaroff's mother helped cook food for Shabbos for the Rebbe. Because of this, he spent time in the Rebbe's presence and felt a close spiritual connection, which was strengthened due to being fatherless.

At the last farbrengen the Rebbe held before departing with his mother by plane to America, the chassidim broke out in a chassidic dance at the end of the farbrengen, while the Rebbe remained seated. Rabbi Lazaroff, who was then a five-year-old child and felt close to the Rebbe, approached and pulled on the Rebbe's jacket sleeve, urging him to join the dance. The Rebbe indeed responded to his request and danced with him for several minutes.

Subsequently, he traveled with his mother to Israel and entered to study at Tomchei Tmimim Yeshiva in Lod. During his years studying there, he began taking on an approach of kabolas ol and merirus which greatly influenced the development of his character and his relationship with his surroundings.