Berel Lazar
| Rabbi Berel Lazar | |
|---|---|
Lazar meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin on March 3, 2005.
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| Position | Chief Rabbi of Russia |
| Organisation | Federation of Jewish Communities of Russia |
| Began | June 13, 2000 |
| Predecessor | Adolf Shayevich |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
May 19, 1964 Milan, Italy |
| Nationality | Russian, American |
| Denomination | Hasidic Judaism |
| Dynasty | Chabad Lubavitch |
| Spouse | Channa Deren |
| Children | 13: Bluma, Yechezkel, Mendel, Sholom, Fradel, Yisrael, Levi Yitzchak, Leah, Sara, Bracha, Rivka, Miriam, Shaina |
| Alma mater | Rabbinical College of America |
Rabbi Shlomo Dovber Pinchas Lazar (born May 19, 1964 in Milan, Italy), better known as Berel Lazar, is an Italian Jewish Orthodox, Chabad-Lubavitch Hasidic rabbi. He began his service in Russia in 1990. Known for his friendship with Vladimir Putin, since 2000, he has served as the Chief Rabbi of Russia, and chairman of the Federation of Jewish Communities of Russia and Federation of Jewish Communities of the CIS. In September 2005 Lazar became a member of the Public Chamber of Russia.
A native of Milan, Italy, Rabbi Lazar was born in 1964 to parents who were among the first emissaries of Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson. Until the age of 15, he studied in Milan’s Merkaz Jewish Day School. Afterwards, he went on to study in New York and pursued a Bachelor of Arts degree in religious studies at the Rabbinical College of America in Morristown, New Jersey. At the age of 23, he was ordained at the Central Lubavitch Yeshiva in New York City.
Since 1990 Berel Lazar has been Rabbi of the synagogue in Maryina Roshcha District of Moscow.
In 1992 Lazar became acquainted with Israeli diamantaire Lev Leviev, who introduced him to Russian businessmen Boris Berezovsky and Roman Abramovich. The latter became the major benefactor of the synagogue in Maryina Roshcha.
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Wikipedia