Samuel Lew (rabbi)
American-born Chabad-Lubavitch rabbi in London, principal of the Lubavitch Senior Girls' School and a director of Lubavitch (UK) Limited
| Samuel (Shmuel) Lew
| |
|---|---|
| Born | February 1940 Williamsburg, Brooklyn, New York |
| Nationality | American |
| Residence | London, England |
| Occupation | Rabbi; principal of the Lubavitch Senior Girls' School |
| Known for | Director of Lubavitch (UK) Limited; Chabad-Lubavitch student outreach in Britain from the 1960s |
Samuel Lew (Hebrew: שמואל לו; usually known as Rabbi Shmuel Lew) is an American-born Chabad-Lubavitch rabbi based in London, principal of the Lubavitch Senior Girls' School at Lubavitch House, Stamford Hill, and since 6 February 2024 a director of Lubavitch (UK) Limited.[1][2] The Companies House register records Samuel Lew as American, born in February 1940 and resident in England, with a correspondence address at 107-115 Stamford Hill, London, N16 5RP, the address of Lubavitch House.[1]
Chabad.org has described him as "a senior Chabad emissary in London" who led Jewish student outreach on English university campuses in the 1960s, including at Cambridge, where he formed a close relationship with Jonathan Sacks.[3]
Early life
In an interview with the Chabad magazine A Chassidisher Derher in 2015, Lew said he was born in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, in the Hebrew year 5700 (1939–40), to a religious family; his father was a lawyer "from a Litvishe background".[4] He told the magazine that his connection with Lubavitch began at the Agudah summer camp in 5715 (1955), that he had studied at the Torah Vodaas yeshiva in New York, and that he then spent four years at the Lubavitch yeshiva in Montreal.[4] A photograph caption in the same interview states that Menachem Mendel Schneerson officiated at the wedding of Rabbi and Mrs Lew on 15 Tammuz 5723 (1963).[4]
Career
Student outreach
According to Chabad.org, Lew led Jewish student outreach on English university campuses, including Cambridge University, where Jonathan Sacks was a Jewish student group leader; Sacks first met the Rebbe in the summer of 1968.[3] Lew told A Chassidisher Derher that Sacks "was one of the students who I learned with in my first years in England, and we had a shiur in his room for many years."[4]
Lubavitch Senior Girls' School
The Lubavitch Senior Girls' School, at Lubavitch House, 107-115 Stamford Hill, London, lists "Principal: Rabbi Shmuel Lew" on its contact page.[2] Chabad.org described him in 2020 as "the director of the Lubavitch Senior Girls School".[3]
Public statements
In June 2018 Kikar HaShabbat reported on pressure from the Department for Education on Haredi schools in Britain and quoted Lew, whom it described as "a senior Chabad rabbi in the United Kingdom" (בכיר רבני חב"ד בממלכה המאוחדת), as saying "there is a trend here to open up education". Asked what would happen if institutions were forced to close, he said: "We pray that we will not have to reach that situation. We are working with the authorities to satisfy them with the existing education system. I run an educational institution, and we had a three-day process during which they checked all the staff of the institutions and we filled in many forms."[5]
Company appointments
Companies House lists six appointments for Samuel Lew (born February 1940, American).[1]
| Company | Number | Status | Role | Appointed | Ended | Correspondence address (register) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lubavitch (UK) Limited | 02932344 | Active | Director | 6 February 2024 | – | 107-115 Stamford Hill, London, N16 5RP |
| Vista Education and Training Limited | 05041479 | Active | Director and secretary | 11 February 2004 | – | 19-20 Bourne Court, Southend Road, Woodford Green, Essex, IG8 8HD |
| Vista Interactive Training Limited | 03903749 | Dissolved 27 April 2021 | Director | 10 January 2000 | – | 19-20 Bourne Court, Southend Road, Woodford Green, Essex, IG8 8HD |
| Chabad Trustees Limited | 03441671 | Dissolved 13 March 2012 | Director | 29 September 1997 | – | 48 Firsby Road, London, N16 6QA |
| D945 Limited (formerly Drugsline-Chabad Limited, then Drugsline Limited) | 03388541 | Dissolved 7 December 2015 | Secretary | 18 June 1997 | 19 June 2011 | 48 Firsby Road, London, N16 6QA |
- Lubavitch (UK) Limited is a private company limited by guarantee incorporated on 24 May 1994, with its registered office at 107-115 Stamford Hill, London, N16 5RP.[6] The Charity Commission lists it as the sole trustee of the charity Chabad Lubavitch UK (charity number 227638).[7]
- Vista Education and Training Limited is a private company limited by guarantee incorporated on 11 February 2004 (SIC 85320, technical and vocational secondary education).[8]
- Vista Interactive Training Limited, incorporated on 10 January 2000 (SIC 85590, other education), had its registered office at 107-115 Stamford Hill and was dissolved on 27 April 2021.[9]
- Chabad Trustees Limited, a company limited by guarantee incorporated on 29 September 1997, was dissolved on 13 March 2012.[10]
- D945 Limited, incorporated on 18 June 1997 as Drugsline-Chabad Limited and renamed Drugsline Limited in August 2011 (SIC 88100, social work activities), was dissolved on 7 December 2015.[11]
See also
Notes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Companies House, Samuel LEW – personal appointments Companies House, accessed 26 October 2026.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Lubavitch Senior Girls' School, Contact Us Lubavitch Senior Girls' School, accessed 26 October 2026.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Tzemach Feller, Chief Rabbis Honor Rabbi Jonathan Sacks by Teaching His Work on the Rebbe's Talks Chabad.org, 24 December 2020, archived by the Wayback Machine on 17 November 2025 at this address, accessed 26 October 2026.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 A Chassidisher Derher, An Interview A Chassidisher Derher, Cheshvan 5776 (2015), pp. 12 ff., accessed 26 October 2026.
- ↑ Yochanan Bleich, מוסדות החינוך החרדיים בבריטניה – בסכנה (Haredi educational institutions in Britain – in danger) Kikar HaShabbat, 6 June 2018, accessed 26 October 2026.
- ↑ Companies House, LUBAVITCH (UK) LIMITED – company number 02932344 Companies House, accessed 26 October 2026.
- ↑ Charity Commission for England and Wales, CHABAD LUBAVITCH UK – Trustees Register of Charities, accessed 26 October 2026.
- ↑ Companies House, VISTA EDUCATION AND TRAINING LIMITED – company number 05041479 Companies House, accessed 26 October 2026.
- ↑ Companies House, VISTA INTERACTIVE TRAINING LIMITED – company number 03903749 Companies House, accessed 26 October 2026.
- ↑ Companies House, CHABAD TRUSTEES LIMITED – company number 03441671 Companies House, accessed 26 October 2026.
- ↑ Companies House, D945 LIMITED – company number 03388541 Companies House, accessed 26 October 2026.