New Chief Rabbi of Moldova Takes Office - Menachem Mendel Axelrod

On August 12, a ceremony was held in Chisinau for the inauguration of the new Chief Rabbi of Moldova, Menachem Mendel Axelrod. The event gathered over 150 guests, including Israel's Chief Ashkenazi Rabbi Kalman Ber and other religious leaders. The appointment carries symbolic significance: Axelrod is married to the granddaughter of the previous Chief Rabbi, Zalman Abelsky.

On August 12, a solemn ceremony took place in Chisinau for the inauguration of the new Chief Rabbi of Moldova. He is Menachem Mendel Axelrod. The ceremony gathered over 150 guests — representatives of Jewish communities, religious and public organizations. Among those present were Israel's Chief Ashkenazi Rabbi Kalman Ber, Chairman of the Federation of Jewish Communities of Ukraine Meir Stambler, Chief Rabbi of Southern Ukraine Avraham Wolf, Israeli Ambassador to Moldova Yoram Elron, and Chairman of the Jewish community Chabad-Lubavitch Simcha Buzhur. An important role in the ceremony was played by Rabbi Zushe Abelsky — the son of the legendary Chief Rabbi of Moldova Zalman Abelsky, who was sent to Moldova after the start of perestroika in the USSR and led the religious life of the country's Jewish community for 24 years. Rabbi Menachem Mendel Axelrod was personally acquainted with Zalman Abelsky and is now married to his granddaughter. Thus, the appointment of the new Chief Rabbi acquired not only religious but also deep symbolic significance, connecting the new generation of Jewish leadership in Moldova with the legacy of one of the most renowned rabbis in the community's history. Congratulations to the Jewish community of Moldova were also sent by former presidents of the country, Vladimir Voronin and Igor Dodon.