Berel Lazar

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Rabbi Berel Lazar (born 1964) is an Orthodox rabbi affiliated with the Chabad-Lubavitch Hasidic movement. He presently serves as the Chief Rabbi of Russia, and is the chairman of the rabbinical alliance of the CIS.

1 Education
2 Career
3 Awards
4 References
5 External link

[edit] Education

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.^[1]

[edit] Career

In 1992, he was appointed chairman of the Rabbinical Alliance of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS). In 1997 he helped establish the Federation of Jewish Communities of CIS (FJC) representing 15 FSU countries. In 2000, he was elected chief rabbi of Russia and appointed to Russia's Council for Coordination of Religious Associations. In 2002, Lazar was elected Chairman of the Rabbinical Council of the World Congress of Russian Jewry. According to both the Russian government and the Federation of Jewish Communities of CIS he is the Chief Rabbi of Russia.^[2]

[edit] Awards

In 2004, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed an edict to honor him with the Order of Friendship. This award is being presented for the contribution made by Rabbi Lazar to developing culture and strengthening friendship between nations within Russia.^[3] ^[4]

In December of 2004, he was honored with a national public award, the 'Minin and Pozharsky' Order "for his great personal contribution to strengthening the moral and cultural fabric of the Russian State and for reviving spiritual life and religious freedom in the country".^[5]

In June of 2005, he was awarded the Medal "60 Years of the Victory in the Great Patriotic War 1941-1945". He received the medal during the 19th session of the Russian 'Pobeda' (Victory) Organizational Committee.^[6]

In September of 2005, he received the 'Peter the Great' First Class Order. The diploma attached to the Order explains that the Chief Rabbi was honored with this award "considering his activities in advancing inter-ethnic and inter-religious relations, and his great contribution to the spiritual rebirth of Russia’s Jewish community and to strengthening Russian state".^[7]