Chabad Lubavitch of Moldova
Chabad-Lubavitch in Moldova: the Chișinău mission founded by Rabbi Zalman Abelsky in 1989–90, the Abelsky–Axelrod family's leadership and the 2026 inauguration of Rabbi Menachem Mendel Axelrod as Chief Rabbi of Moldova, aid to refugees from Ukraine in 2022, and Chabad's centre in Bender and Tiraspol in Transnistria
| Chabad Lubavitch of Moldova
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| Type | Jewish religious organisation (Chabad-Lubavitch) |
| Founded | 1989 or 1990 (sources differ) |
| Founder(s) | Zalman and Leah Abelsky |
| Headquarters | Chișinău |
| Location | Chișinău, Bălți, Bender and Tiraspol, with outreach to 18 communities |
| Area served | Moldova, including Transnistria |
| Key people | Zushe Abelsky (head emissary); Menachem Mendel Axelrod (Chief Rabbi of Moldova from 2026); Mendel Gotsel (Bender and Tiraspol) |
| Website | https://chabad.md |
| Remarks | Known as Chabad Moldova; also uses the name Chabad Kishinev |
Chabad Lubavitch of Moldova (Chabad Moldova) is the Chabad-Lubavitch network in Moldova. It was founded by Rabbi Zalman Abelsky, whom the Lubavitcher Rebbe sent to Chișinău (Kishinev) at the end of the Soviet period.[1][2] Abelsky's family has led it since: his son Zushe Abelsky is the head emissary, and his grandson Menachem Mendel Axelrod was formally inaugurated as Chief Rabbi of Moldova in August 2026.[3][2]
Chabad Moldova says five families of emissaries serve 18 communities across the country, including Bender and Tiraspol in Transnistria.[3] During the war in Ukraine in 2022 it ran a large relief operation for Jewish refugees crossing into Moldova.[4]
History
Zalman Abelsky (1989–2014)
According to kishinev.org, one of Chabad Moldova's websites, Zalman Abelsky was born in Moscow in 1927 and studied in underground Chabad yeshivas in the Soviet Union. After leaving, he worked for Chabad in Romania and then in Israel, where he was among the early families of Kfar Chabad and later led Chabad's work in Kiryat Gat. The same account says the Rebbe sent him to Kishinev in 1989, at the age of 62, and that he served as Chief Rabbi of Moldova for 25 years. During that time he opened synagogues, kindergartens, schools, a yeshiva and a ritual bath (mikveh), and published a Jewish newspaper. He died in Kishinev on 27 June 2014 and was buried on the Mount of Olives in Jerusalem.[1] The Federation of Jewish Communities of the CIS also gives 1989 for his arrival, but Chabad Moldova's "About" page gives 1990, as does the kishinev.org page heading (1990–2014).[2][3][1]
Leadership since 2014
Chabad Moldova says that after Zalman Abelsky's death his son, Rabbi Zushe Abelsky, "continued leading and developing" the network.[3] kishinev.org instead says that he was succeeded as Chief Rabbi by his son, Rabbi Yosef Yitzchak Abelsky.[1] The Federation of Jewish Communities of the CIS (FJC) describes Zushe Abelsky as "Chief Chabad Emissary to Moldova".[2]
According to the FJC, Menachem Mendel Axelrod, who was born and raised in Atlit, Israel, came to Moldova after his grandfather's death and had in recent years served "in practice" as the country's chief rabbi. On 3 May 2026 representatives and rabbis of Moldova's Jewish communities, meeting in Chișinău, elected him by a majority as Chief Rabbi of the Jewish Community of the Republic of Moldova. He was formally inaugurated in August 2026 at the Chișinău synagogue. Israel's Chief Rabbi, Kalman Ber, gave the keynote address, and President Maia Sandu sent a letter of congratulations. Alexander Bilinkis, president of the Jewish Community of the Republic of Moldova, spoke at the ceremony.[2]
Centres
Chabad Moldova lists five families of emissaries:[3]
- Zushe and Chaya Abelsky;
- Menachem Mendel and Chaya Mushka Axelrod;
- Shmuel and Chaya Zalmanov;
- Mendel and Leah Gotsel, in Bender and Tiraspol;
- Shneur Zalman and Chana Tifenbrun, who serve communities throughout Moldova.
It says it is active in Kishinev, Bender, Tiraspol and Bălți, and reaches smaller communities such as Cahul, Rîbnița and Dubăsari.[3] Its main synagogue is in Chișinău, postcode district MD-2012.[5] A 2010 report for the United States Commission for the Preservation of America's Heritage Abroad describes the building on Chabad Lubavitch Street as the Glaziers' Synagogue, opened in 1888 and the only synagogue in Chișinău that stayed open in the Soviet period.[6]
Transnistria
Transnistria, east of the Dniester, is recognised internationally as part of Moldova but is run by a breakaway authority, the Pridnestrovian Moldovan Republic.[6] The same 2010 report lists a Chabad synagogue in Bender (Bendery) among the town's Jewish sites.[6]
Chabad's centre for the region, Chabad Bender – Tiraspol, is part of Chabad Moldova. It is based in Bender and also serves Tiraspol. Chabad Moldova says it is led by Rabbi Mendel and Leah Gotsel, who work with Mark Finkelzon, chairman of the local Jewish community. It offers Shabbat and holiday services, adult classes, kosher food, cemetery services and guided tours.[7] kishinev.org describes Gotsel as "chief rabbi of Bender, Tiraspol, and the surrounding Jewish communities".[8]
Hanukkah menorah incident (2009)
Incident
On 13 December 2009 about 200 Orthodox Christians, led by a priest, took down a public Hanukkah menorah in central Chișinău and put up a wooden cross in its place. JTA reported that the menorah had been put up by the city's Jewish community; it did not say which Jewish body had installed it. The justice minister, Alexandru Tănase, condemned the incident.[9]
Zalman Abelsky told Ynet that the incident was a political provocation linked to tensions after that year's elections. He said antisemitism was not common in Moldova.[10]
Administrative case
According to the Euro-Asian Jewish Congress, the priest who organised the removal, Anatol Cibric, was fined 600 lei (about US$50) for hooliganism. He then challenged the fine in court and won.[11]
Refugees from Ukraine (2022)
Chabad.org, the movement's news site, reported in March 2022 that Chabad of Moldova, under Zushe Abelsky, had 40 staff working at the Ukrainian border. It said Chabad Moldova was running a campsite outside Kishinev and had taken over four hotels and dozens of homes, providing 650 beds and 3,500 portions of food a day, and had helped 10,000 refugees.[4] Chabad Moldova says Moldova has since become a transit and support centre for Jewish refugees and travellers, and that it has helped tens of thousands of people.[3] At the 2026 inauguration Zushe Abelsky spoke about the community's aid to displaced Jewish families.[2]
See also
- Chabad-Lubavitch
- Chabad Lubavitch of Ukraine
- Chabad Lubavitch of Hungary
- Chabad Lubavitch of Poland
- Chabad Lubavitch of Belarus
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 "Rabbi Zalman Abelsky z"l (1990-2014)", kishinev.org, accessed 23 October 2026.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 "History in Moldova: New Chief Rabbi Formally Inaugurated", Federation of Jewish Communities of the CIS, 16 August 2026.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 3.6 Chabad Moldova, "About Chabad Moldova", accessed 23 October 2026.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Mendel Super, "22,000 Jewish Refugees on Both Sides of Ukrainian Border Aided by Chabad", Chabad.org, 9 March 2022.
- ↑ Chabad Moldova, "Contact Us", accessed 23 October 2026.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 United States Commission for the Preservation of America's Heritage Abroad, Jewish Heritage Sites and Monuments in Moldova, 2010.
- ↑ Chabad Moldova, "Chabad Bender & Tiraspol", accessed 23 October 2026.
- ↑ "Rabbi Mendel Gotzel", kishinev.org, accessed 23 October 2026.
- ↑ Ruth Ellen Gruber, "Moldovan Christians tear down public menorah", JTA, 14 December 2009.
- ↑ Anat Shalev, "Moldovan Jews undeterred by smashed menorah", Ynetnews, 15 December 2009, reproduced on kishinev.org, accessed 23 October 2026.
- ↑ Euro-Asian Jewish Congress, "Anti-Semitism in Moldova (2009–2012)", eajc.org, archived by the Institute for Jewish Policy Research.