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{{short description|'''Chabad-Lubavitch in Laos: a Chabad House for Israeli post-army travellers in Luang Prabang, opened in 2016–17 as Chabad's 92nd country'''}}

{{Infobox organization
| name = Chabad Lubavitch of Laos
| type = Chabad-Lubavitch emissary operation
| founded = Late 2016 (Luang Prabang); earlier posting 2006–08
| founder = [[Sholom Glitzenstein]]; [[Tamar Glitzenstein]]
| headquarters = Chabad of Luang Prabang, Ban Visoun, Oupparath Xiengkong Road, Luang Prabang
| key_people = [[Moshe Zeev Belinow]]; [[Chaya Mushka Belinow]] (from 2026)
| area_served = Laos
| affiliations = [[Chabad Lubavitch of Thailand]]
}}

'''Chabad-Lubavitch in Laos''' is a [[Chabad-Lubavitch movement|Chabad-Lubavitch]] house in Luang Prabang, "300 kilometers north of the country's capital, Vientiane", which serves mainly Israeli post-army travellers.<ref name="CO2017" /> Rabbi [[Sholom Glitzenstein]] and [[Tamar Glitzenstein]] arrived shortly before Hanukkah 2016. In May 2017 Chabad called Laos "the 92nd country to have a permanent Chabad presence".<ref name="CO2017" /><ref name="JTA2017" /> In January 2026 Chabad.org announced Rabbi [[Moshe Zeev Belinow]] and [[Chaya Mushka Belinow]] as "the newest Chabad emissaries to Luang Prabang".<ref name="CO2026" />

== Emissaries and centre ==
* '''Earlier posting.''' A couple, Rabbi [[Shalom Ber Marzel]] and [[Tehila Marzel]], "had been stationed there between 2006 and 2008". Roving rabbinical students had visited for decades before that.<ref name="CO2017" />
* '''Glitzensteins, 2016–.''' The couple ran a two-storey villa near the night market and the guesthouses used by Israelis. It had a dining room, synagogue, lounges and a kosher restaurant. Friday-night meals drew up to 50 young Israelis.<ref name="CO2017" /> [[Sholom Glitzenstein]] had interned at the Bangkok Chabad House. His wife's uncle is [[Nechemya Wilhelm]], who heads Chabad's tourist work in Thailand.<ref name="CO2017" /> Lubavitch.com now lists a [[Sholom Dovber Glitzenstein]] and [[Tamar Temerl Glitzenstein]] at Chabad of Phuket.<ref name="LubTH" />
:''Editor's note: that the Laos and Phuket Glitzensteins are the same couple is inferred from the matching names and has not been confirmed by a source.''
* '''Current listing.''' Lubavitch.com lists Chabad of Luang Prabang at Ban Visoun, Oupparath Xiengkong Road, with no named emissaries and a link to Chabad of Thailand's Laos page.<ref name="LubLA" />
* '''Belinows, 2026.''' [[Moshe Zeev Belinow]] and [[Chaya Mushka Belinow]] were announced in January 2026.<ref name="CO2026" />

== Relations with the community ==
The minyan described by Chabad.org in 2017 was made up of the rabbi, a British expatriate and Israeli backpackers. Chabad.org described the backpackers' "extended post-military tours" as "de rigueur in recent decades".<ref name="CO2017" />

== Relations with the state, business and Israel ==
:''Editor's note: no sourced information was found on dealings with the Lao state or with Israeli diplomats.''

== Funding ==
In 2017 the Glitzensteins said they relied on their colleagues in Thailand for financial backing and other support, including help from Rabbi [[Chaim Eliezer Ashkenazi]] with kosher supplies and paperwork.<ref name="CO2017" /> (Chabad-side.)

== Controversies ==
None found in the sources consulted.

== Timeline ==
{| class="wikitable"
! Year !! Event
|-
| 2006–08 || [[Shalom Ber Marzel]] and [[Tehila Marzel]] stationed in Laos
|-
| Dec 2016 || [[Sholom Glitzenstein]] and [[Tamar Glitzenstein]] arrive in Luang Prabang
|-
| May 2017 || Chabad counts Laos as its 92nd country
|-
| Jan 2026 || [[Moshe Zeev Belinow]] and [[Chaya Mushka Belinow]] announced as new emissaries
|}

== See also ==
* [[Hummus Trail]]
* [[Jewish, Zionist and Israeli connections to Laos]]
* [[Chabad Lubavitch of Thailand]]
* [[Chabad Lubavitch of Cambodia]]
* [[Chabad Lubavitch of Vietnam]]

== References ==
<references>
<ref name="CO2017">Menachem Posner, [https://www.chabad.org/news/article_cdo/aid/3690539/jewish/Laos-the-Latest-Far-Flung-Country-Chabad-Calls-Home.htm "Laos the Latest Far-Flung Country Chabad Calls Home"], Chabad.org, 28 May 2017. Chabad-side.</ref>
<ref name="JTA2017">[https://www.jta.org/2017/05/30/global/chabad-opens-in-laos-its-92nd-country "Chabad opens in Laos, its 92nd country"], ''Jewish Telegraphic Agency'', 30 May 2017. Press.</ref>
<ref name="CO2026">[https://www.chabad.org/news/article_cdo/aid/7226446/jewish/New-Chabad-Center-in-the-Land-of-a-Million-Elephants.htm "New Chabad Center in the Land of a Million Elephants"], Chabad.org, 28 January 2026. Chabad-side.</ref>
<ref name="LubLA">Lubavitch.com centres directory, [https://www.lubavitch.com/centers/asia/laos/luang-prabang/ Luang Prabang, Laos], accessed October 2026. Chabad-side.</ref>
<ref name="LubTH">Lubavitch.com centres directory, [https://www.lubavitch.com/centers/asia/thailand/phuket/ Phuket, Thailand], accessed October 2026. Chabad-side.</ref>
</references>

[[Category:Chabad-Lubavitch|Laos]]

@@ Line 5: / Line 5: @@
 | name = Chabad Lubavitch of Laos
 | type = Chabad-Lubavitch emissary operation
-| founded = Late 2016 (Luang Prabang); earlier posting 2006–08
+| founded = {{Start date|2016}} (Luang Prabang, late 2016); earlier posting 2006–08
 | founder = [[Sholom Glitzenstein]]; [[Tamar Glitzenstein]]
 | headquarters = Chabad of Luang Prabang, Ban Visoun, Oupparath Xiengkong Road, Luang Prabang

@@ Line 10: / Line 10: @@
 | key_people = [[Moshe Zeev Belinow]]; [[Chaya Mushka Belinow]] (from 2026)
 | area_served = Laos
-| affiliations = [[Chabad Lubavitch of Thailand]]
+| remarks = Affiliations: [[Chabad Lubavitch of Thailand]].
 }}

Chabad Lubavitch of Laos - Revision history

Chabad Bot: Infobox: founded date in Start date format (text kept)

Chabad Bot: v2 format conformity: infobox dates to {{Start date}}, infobox parameters renamed to v2 (no content change)

Chabad Bot: New Chabad country profile (Asia and Australia series)