Double Celebration Marks 35 Years of Shlichus in Russia

35 years after he arrived at Marina Roscha shul in Moscow, Russia, then a small wooden shack, Rabbi Berel Lazar celebrated the milestone together with supporters of the shul, now a large, modern community center. The event was combined with a sheva brachos for his daughter.

By Anash.org reporter

35 years after he arrived at Marina Roscha shul in Moscow, Russia, then a small wooden shack, Rabbi Berel Lazar celebrated the milestone together with supporters of the shul, now a large, modern community center.

The celebration was held on Sunday night, the 15^th of Teves, at the historical Metropol Hotel near Moscow’s Red Square. The annual tribute for friends and supporters of the Marina Roscha Shul took on a special meaning this year, marking 35 years since Rabbi Lazar was sent on shlichus to Moscow. In the decades since, he turned the small wooden shack that was Marina Roscha into a large impressive building full of Torah, Tefilla and Chessed, a beacon of light for all of Russian Jewry.

Currently, the shul serves hundreds and thousands throughout the year with tefilos around the clock, Torah and Chassidus classes from top-notch teachers and lecturers, chavrusa learning, simchas, and a plethora of activities available for all. Guests who come from far and wide are always greeted with a smile.

The shul’s many projects and programs are available thanks to the constant support of supporters and friends, those who see from up-close how full of life the shul is, and how the dedicated gabbais do not stop for a minute, constantly thinking up new programs and events, taking care of every detail with each yom tov to make them special and to create a Kiddush Hashem.

Rabbi Mordechai Weisberg, Director of Moscow’s Jewish Communities, called up each of the supporters to thank them publicly and presented them with a certificate of appreciation and a new sefer. Special thanks were expressed to the President of the Federation of Jewish Communities in Russia, Rabbi Alexander Boroda for his constant support.

The event was combined with an exquisite sheva brachos in honor of Rabbi Lazar’s daughter Sara Lazar and her chosson Rabbi Naftoli Wilhelm, son of Rabbi Yitzchok Wilhelm, librarian of the Rebbe’s library in 770. The wedding, which took place last Wednesday made a big Kiddush Hashem with many hundreds in attendance, including government representatives for whom it was their first time seeing a chuppa and a traditional Jewish wedding.

Live music and spirit dancing accompanied the evening, led by singers and musicians Moshe Dovid Weismandel and Menachem Mendel Sofer, making the evening a truly joyous occasion. 

Photography: Levi Nazarov