Chabad Rabbi Menachem Mendel Axelrod Inaugurated as Chief Rabbi of Moldova

Chabad Rabbi Menachem Mendel Axelrod was installed Wednesday as the new Chief Rabbi of Moldova in the historic Glazers’ Synagogue in Chișinău. Rabbi Axelrod has served the Jewish community in the country for more than a decade. In his new position, Axelrod followed in the footsteps of his illustrious grandfather, Rabbi Zalman Abelsky, who founded Chabad in Moldova and served as the country’s Chief Rabbi. Axelrod’s appointment came after a majority of the rabbis from across the country elected him. His appointment was welcomed with enthusiasm by fellow senior rabbis and leaders from across Europe and beyond.  

Rabbi Kalman Ber — Chief Rabbi of Israel and President of the Chief Rabbinate Council — attended the ceremony and spoke about the Jewish renaissance Chabad has ignited in the country in recent decades. “After the darkness comes a great light,” he said. “That is exactly what is happening here. After years of cruelty — pogroms, Nazis, communists — the light of Judaism is shining again.”

Moldova’s President Maia Sandu offered greetings and congratulations in honor of the appointment. “Taking on this high mission is a joy for the Jewish Community in our country, but also for the entire society,” the President wrote. “The history of the Republic of Moldova is inextricably linked to the history of the Jewish community. For centuries, Jews have contributed to the cultural, economic, scientific and spiritual development … the Jewish Community occupies a natural place in the European future for which we work together.”

“I wish you much success, wisdom and strength in fulfilling the mission entrusted to you,” Sandu concluded.

Chief rabbis and senior leaders of countries across Europe sent congratulations, and many were in attendance as the Tallit was ceremonially placed on the shoulders of the new Chief Rabbi, as he assumed the mantle of leadership for the country’s Jewish community. 

Gary Torgow, Chair of the Jewish Federations of North America, recognised “with gratitude the devoted leadership provided by Rabbi Zushe Abelsky and the Abelsky family, whose unwavering commitment has helped sustain and nurture Jewish life in Moldova.” The inauguration, he wrote, “reflects both the honoring of that remarkable legacy and the promise of a vibrant future.”