Rabbi A rabbi () is a spiritual leader or religious teacher in Judaism. One becomes a rabbi by being ordained by another rabbi – known as '' semikha'' – following a course of study of Jewish history and texts such as the Talmud. The basic form o ...

Shimon Lazaroff is the current Texas Regional Director for Texas Friends of Chabad Lubavitch, Inc. (a.k.a. Head

Shliach In Jewish law, a shaliaḥ ( he, שָלִיחַ, ; pl. , ''sheliḥim'' or ''sheliah'', literally "emissary" or "messenger") is a legal agent. In practice, "the shaliaḥ for a person is as this person himself." Accordingly, a shaliaḥ performs ...

for Chabad Lubavitch of Texas) and member of the board and executive committee of Agudas Chasidei Chabad. With the direction of the Lubavitcher Rebbe, Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson, he established Chabad Lubavitch in Texas upon his arrival with his family in 1972.

Early life

Lazaroff was born in the former Soviet Union where his grandfather, Shimon Lazaroff, was the

Hasidic Hasidism, sometimes spelled Chassidism, and also known as Hasidic Judaism (Ashkenazi Hebrew: חסידות ''Ḥăsīdus'', ; originally, "piety"), is a Jewish religious group that arose as a spiritual revival movement in the territory of contem ...

Chief Rabbi Chief Rabbi ( he, רב ראשי ''Rav Rashi'') is a title given in several countries to the recognized religious leader of that country's Jewish community, or to a rabbinic leader appointed by the local secular authorities. Since 1911, through a ...

of Leningrad. Rabbi Lazaroff received his early education in Paris, France. He later studied at the Chabad Talmudical Academy in

Lod Lod ( he, לוד, or fully vocalized ; ar, اللد, al-Lidd or ), also known as Lydda ( grc, Λύδδα), is a city southeast of Tel Aviv and northwest of Jerusalem in the Central District of Israel. It is situated between the lower Shephe ...

, Israel. While in Israel, he began to be active in Youth Leadership work. Arriving in this country in 1958, he attended the Central Lubavitcher Yeshiva Tomchei Temimim at 770 Eastern Parkway in New York City. During the summer seasons he traveled as a special delegate of the Lubavitch Youth Organizations to all parts of the United States doing missionary work, including Missouri and Washington State. In 1962 he was chosen as emissary to Europe to encourage orthodox Judaism in Jewish communities and on college campuses. This work took him to various parts of France, Scandinavia and England. He received his ordination from the Central Lubavitcher Yeshiva, after performing well in Talmudic studies, Rabbinical literature and Chabad Chassidic

philosophy Philosophy (from , ) is the systematized study of general and fundamental questions, such as those about existence, reason, knowledge, values, mind, and language. Such questions are often posed as problems to be studied or resolved. Some ...

. Following two years of post-graduate work, he was ordained as Rabbinical judge. He was active, prior to his arrival in Texas, in religious outreach on many college campuses as part of the Lubavitch Youth Organization's College and University Council's activity for Jewish college youth, and occupied administrative posts in Lubavitch run youth groups and camps. From 1967-1972, he resided in Detroit, Michigan, where he was spiritual leader and executive director of the

Gan Israel Camping Network The Gan Israel Camping Network (, 'Garden of Israel') is a group of Chabad-Lubavitch summer camps. The network claims a total enrolment of over 100,000 children. History The first Chabad-affiliated summer camp was a girls' overnight camp, Camp E ...

for the Midwestern United States.

Texas life

Arriving in Houston, Texas, in 1972, Rabbi Shimon Lazaroff and Rebbetzin Chiena Lazaroff (née Schapiro), have facilitated expansive growth of Chabad branches and activities in Texas. In Houston since Rabbi Lazaroff’s arrival, in particular, there has been an increase in the number of orthodox and Hassidic Jewish families. Outreach to non-

Orthodox Jews Orthodox Judaism is the collective term for the traditionalist and theologically conservative branches of contemporary Judaism. Jewish theology, Theologically, it is chiefly defined by regarding the Torah, both Torah, Written and Oral Torah, Or ...

continues as a core part of the Lubavitch philosophy. Rabbi Lazaroff is director of the Chabad Lubavitch Center in Houston, the central campus of Texas Lubavitch activities. Chabad Lubavitch Center includes a

synagogue A synagogue, ', 'house of assembly', or ', "house of prayer"; Yiddish: ''shul'', Ladino: or ' (from synagogue); or ', "community". sometimes referred to as shul, and interchangeably used with the word temple, is a Jewish house of worshi ...

, Torah Day School of Houston,

Camp Gan Israel The Gan Israel Camping Network (, 'Garden of Israel') is a group of Chabad-Lubavitch summer camps. The network claims a total enrolment of over 100,000 children. History The first Chabad-affiliated summer camp was a girls' overnight camp, Camp ...

, Chabad Hebrew School, Community Collel and

Mikveh Mikveh or mikvah (, ''mikva'ot'', ''mikvoth'', ''mikvot'', or (Yiddish) ''mikves'', lit., "a collection") is a bath used for the purpose of ritual immersion in Judaism to achieve ritual purity. Most forms of ritual impurity can be purif ...

Taharas Yisroel. At the Thirtieth Anniversary Founders' Dinner, Lazaroff announced a plan to expand the facility with a significant building renovation project. Lazaroff is Rav Hamachsir o
Mehadrin Kashrus of Texas
created for local community members and out-of-town visitors who seek adherence to a Hassidic standard of adherence to kosher laws in local

kosher (also or , ) is a set of dietary laws dealing with the foods that Jewish people are permitted to eat and how those foods must be prepared according to Jewish law. Food that may be consumed is deemed kosher ( in English, yi, כּשר), fro ...

establishments. To date he has supervised the establishment of Chabad Houses in Houston, Arlington,

College Station College station or College Station may refer to: Transportation *College station (MetroLink), a St. Louis light rail station in Saint Clair County, Illinois, United States *College station (PNR), a Philippine National Railways station in Los Baño ...

, Dallas-Fort Worth, El Paso, Pearland, Plano, San Antonio and

Austin Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of Texas, as well as the seat and largest city of Travis County, with portions extending into Hays and Williamson counties. Incorporated on December 27, 1839, it is the 11th-most-populous city ...

. These centers provide the Jewish communities with Jewish Day Schools,

Jewish education Jewish education ( he, חינוך, ''Chinuch'') is the transmission of the tenets, principles, and religious laws of Judaism. Known as the "people of the book", Jews value education, and the value of education is strongly embedded in Jewish cul ...

al resources, holiday awareness,

Hebrew school Hebrew school is Jewish education focusing on topics of Jewish history, learning the Hebrew language, and finally learning their Torah Portion, in preparation for the ceremony in Judaism of entering adulthood, known as a Bar or Bat Mitzvah. Hebr ...

s, day camps,

mikveh Mikveh or mikvah (, ''mikva'ot'', ''mikvoth'', ''mikvot'', or (Yiddish) ''mikves'', lit., "a collection") is a bath used for the purpose of ritual immersion in Judaism to achieve ritual purity. Most forms of ritual impurity can be purif ...

s and prison

chaplain A chaplain is, traditionally, a cleric (such as a Minister (Christianity), minister, priest, pastor, rabbi, purohit, or imam), or a laity, lay representative of a religious tradition, attached to a secularity, secular institution (such as a hosp ...

cy programs for outreach to prisoners.

References

Presents Menorah to Gov. Rick Perry

AP report of meeting with Governor Perry

Notes

External links

Chabad International general website

Chabad Lubavitch of Texas website

Torah Day School of Houston website

Camp Gan Israel of Houston website

Chabad Hebrew School of Houston website

Mehadrin Kashrus of Texas website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lazaroff, Shimon Lazaroff, Rabbi Shimon American Hasidic rabbis Lazaroff, Rabbi Shimon Living people Year of birth missing (living people)