A new chapter has begun this week for the Morristown Chabad community as Congregation Levi Yitzchak of Morristown celebrated the Hachtara — the formal installation — of Rabbi Chaim Schapiro as Rav of Congregation Levi Yitzchak and the Morristown anash community.

This announcement formally recognizes Rabbi Schapiro, who has long been a part of the Morristown community and the shul, serving as Menahel of Yeshiva Tomchei Temimim and heading the Rabbinical College of America’s renowned Semicha program, which under his leadership had become one of the most respected rabbinical ordination programs in Lubavitch.

During a packed Kiddush held in the recently renovated Berger Auditorium, Rabbi Schapiro shared a theme that would come to define the moment. Referencing Parshas Terumah, he spoke about the Adanim — the foundation sockets that supported the pillars of the Mishkan. While the visible structure of the Mishkan captured attention, its stability depended entirely on these hidden bases. Rabbi Schapiro identified the three foundations upon which he stands as he assumes this role.

The first and supreme foundation is the Rebbe himself. Morristown’s Chabad community was not merely established by the Rebbe — it was shaped by his direct vision and involvement. The Yeshiva, the kehilla, and Congregation Levi Yitzchak itself all trace their roots to the Rebbe’s guidance. The very name of the shul reflects this: the Rebbe gave his bracha to name it after his own father with certain conditions, among them that it be a Beis HaKnesses and a Beis HaMedrash — not merely a place for tefillah, but a living center of Torah. The Rebbe is the Yesod upon which everything in Morristown stands.

The second foundation is the legacy of leadership that translated the Rebbe’s vision into living reality — embodied first by Rabbi Moshe Herson obm, Head Shliach to New Jersey, who built a Chabad presence felt throughout the entire state and beyond, and now carried forward by his son Rabbi Mendy Herson, Dean of the Rabbinical College of America and Head Shliach of New Jersey. With Rabbi Mendy Herson in attendance, that continuity was deeply felt — a son extending his father’s mission, just as his father had extended the Rebbe’s.

The third foundation is the kehilla of Congregation Levi Yitzchak itself — built and nurtured for decades by Rabbi Shneur Zalman Wilschanski obm. Rabbi Wilschanski shepherded the shul with warmth, wisdom, and unwavering dedication until his passing in 2024. Rabbi Schapiro reflected emotionally that he had spent more years learning under Rabbi Wilschanski than even under his own father, underscoring the profound personal influence his predecessor had on him. He also acknowledged the contributions of other Torah leaders who helped shape the kehilla, including Rabbi Melech Zwiebel obm, and many of the Rabbinic leadership that make up the kehilla of Morristown and the hanholla of various institutions including but not limited to Tomchei Temimim, Tiferes Bochurim and Cheder Lubavitch. Last but not least, Rabbi Sholom Spalter, who spearheaded the Hachtara and was a signatory to the shtar hachtara along with the Vaad of the Shul, Rabbi Yosef Zeidman, Rabbi Mendy Herson and Rabbi Leibel Schapiro.

These three Adanim — the Rebbe’s vision, the Herson legacy of shlichus, and the kehilla built by Rabbi Wilschanski — form the foundation upon which Rabbi Schapiro now assumes the mantle of leadership, Rabbi Schapiro said.

Rabbi Schapiro also paid tribute to his own father, Rabbi Leibel Schapiro, who was among the honored guests in attendance. Rabbi Leibel Schapiro, Rosh Yeshiva of the Yeshiva Gedola Rabbinical College of Greater Miami and a prominent Chabad Talmudic scholar, represents not only Torah scholarship but generational continuity. His presence at the Hachtara embodied the transmission of mesorah from father to son — a living chain of Torah leadership.

He emphasized that the goal is not only to create a place for tefillah, but a living center of Torah learning, where every member finds themselves connected to regular study. With numerous shiurim already thriving and many more planned, the vision is clear: growth in Torah alongside growth in community.

“The undercurrent of the celebration was unmistakable — Morristown continues to flourish as a vibrant and growing Chassidishe community,” said a community member. “May Rabbi Schapiro’s leadership bring bracha and hatzlacha to the entire community.”