Rebbe Responsa presents a glimpse into Mrs. Susan (Chana) Shuster’s decades-long correspondence with the Rebbe—a remarkable record of guidance, transformation, and the ripple effect of one Jewish home on an entire community.

Mrs. Susan (Chana) Shuster (1939–2026) passed away on 18 Tammuz, 5786. Susan grew up in a distinguished and affluent, yet largely secular, Jewish home, receiving almost no Jewish education. She later trained as a nurse and married Dr. Marvin Shuster, a plastic surgeon like her father. The couple settled in Hollywood, Florida, where they raised their family and became prominent members of the local social scene.

The Shusters’ journey toward Jewish observance began through their son Kenny. While attending the local Hebrew Academy, he was approached by a Chabad student from the Landow Yeshiva, who offered to help him put on tefillin. Kenny soon began spending more and more time at the yeshiva, where he became known by his Jewish name, Yitzchak. He began wearing a kippah and tzitzis and eventually told his parents that he could no longer eat at home because their kitchen was not kosher.

At first, his parents strongly resisted these changes, imagining their son being drawn into a cult. One Friday, after Kenny had once again gone to the yeshiva instead of his regular school, Marvin and Susan had enough; they traveled to the yeshiva, intending to bring him home. They were directed to Rabbi Sholom Ber Lipskar, then a teacher at the Lubavitch day school and later the founder of The Shul of Bal Harbour. Rabbi Lipskar arranged to visit the Shusters the following evening and explain what had drawn their son to Chabad.

Sholom Ber and his wife Chani spent several hours speaking with the Shusters that Saturday night. By the following morning, Susan had made her decision: their home would become kosher. When Rabbi Lipskar informed the Rebbe, the Rebbe responded enthusiastically and suggested that the kashering be marked with a large public event.

Going Kosher In Style
The Shusters embraced the undertaking wholeheartedly. Their kitchen contained fine china and many valuable pieces accumulated over the years, yet anything that could not be kashered was given away. Invitations were sent to their friends and acquaintances, including the mayor of Hollywood. The event drew members of the Shusters’ social circle together with Chabad rabbis and yeshiva students.

The celebration was held on a grand scale. A lavish meal was served beside the pool, while the yeshiva students danced with the guests, filling the Shuster home with the warmth and joy of Jewish life. Photographs of the event were later sent to the Rebbe and are preserved in the Library of Agudas Chassidei Chabad.

In a letter to the Shusters concerning their progress in Torah observance, and particularly their commitment to kashrus, the Rebbe emphasized that their growth extended far beyond their own lives:
…persons of your standing have an impact on the community, for people look up to you and try to emulate you. Thus, your going from strength to strength in matters of Torah and Mitzvoth is greatly multiplied through those who are inspired by your example, not to mention the direct impact on children and through them on their children in an everlasting chain reaction.

While this applied to every area of Torah and mitzvos, the Rebbe explained that it assumed particular significance with regard to kashrus. Addressing Dr. Shuster as a physician, he began with modern science’s recognition of the profound effect of food on physical and mental health before turning to the deeper implications of this truth for a Jew’s physical and spiritual life.

The laws of kashrus were given in the Torah, which reveals the absolute unity of G-d—a truth that the Jewish people have carried throughout history. That unity must also be reflected in the life of each individual Jew: Yiddishkeit cannot be confined to the home or reserved for particular occasions while compromises are made in other areas of life:
The Jew brings unity and harmony into this, the physical, world, eliminating any departmentalization in the daily life, or having occasional practices; or, as some misguided and misconceived individuals might think, that they can practice Judaism at home, but must make concessions and compromises outside their home. All such differentiations are contrary to true unity, pure monotheism. For the concept of pure monotheism is not confined to One G-d, but at the same time it requires unity in the personal life of each and every Jew, who is a member of the One People, of which it is said that it is “One People on earth.” According to the explanation of the Alter Rebbe, founder of Chabad, “One People on earth” means that they bring oneness and unity also in earthly things, and it is only in this way that the individual can achieve complete personal harmony and unity of the body and soul, at all times, whether in the synagogue, at home, or in the office.

Returning to kashrus, the Rebbe explained that this principle assumes particular force in relation to food:

Thus, it is obvious how important Kashrus is for a Jew, since the food and beverages that he consumes become blood and tissue and energy, and food that is not suitable (Kosher) for a Jew can only alienate him from matters of Yiddishkeit, and only the right and Kosher food can nourish him physically, mentally and spiritually. As already mentioned, there is no need to elaborate on this to you, a physician, although your specialty is not directly in the field of nutrition.”

Concluding the letter, the Rebbe writes:
The most desirable blessing that can be expressed in this case is that you should indeed serve as a living and inspiring example for others to emulate, and that through your inspiration many others will go from strength to strength in matters of Torah and Mitzvoth in the daily life.
The kashering of their home marked only the beginning of a transformation that would extend far beyond their own family.

The Driving Force

It was during the Shusters’ first yechidus that the message of the Rebbe’s letter fully resonated with Mrs. Shuster. During the audience, Mrs. Shuster told the Rebbe that, despite the couple’s active social life, she felt an emptiness within. She later recalled: “He looked at me and said, ‘But you are Jewish. You have your religion.’ And I understood that I should become more involved in Judaism—that this was what had been lacking in my life. I had not realized it myself until the Rebbe pointed it out to me.”

After that first audience, the Shusters returned to see the Rebbe repeatedly as they became more deeply involved in Jewish life. During a subsequent audience, the Rebbe told Mrs. Shuster: “Your husband is a plastic surgeon; he makes people beautiful on the outside. It should be your mission to make people beautiful on the inside.”

“I took these words to heart and,” Mrs. Shuster recalled, “from that point on, I began inviting people to our home for Shabbat meals in an effort to help them find spiritual meaning in their lives. I took great pains in preparing these meals and in making the table very beautiful, so that it reflected the inner beauty of Judaism.”

Changing the Landscape

As the Shusters grew in their observance and embraced an increasingly religious way of life, Dr. Shuster began a weekly Shabbos minyan, converting their guest house into the neighborhood’s first Orthodox shul. As the congregation developed, the Shusters brought Rabbi Raphael and Goldie Tennenhaus to South Broward to serve as its shluchim and lead the growing community.

When the minyan outgrew the guesthouse, the Shusters purchased a house in nearby Hallandale to serve as its permanent home. Around the time of the move, in 5741, the Rebbe approved changing the congregation’s name from Beis Hakneses Shomrei-Hadas–Chabad to Congregation Levi Yitzchok–Lubavitch, after the Rebbe’s father.

Soon after establishing the new shul, the Shusters held a hachnasas Sefer Torah celebration, welcoming the Torah with a parade through the streets. In a letter to the Rebbe, they enclosed photographs of the celebration capturing Jews dancing publicly with a Sefer Torah in what was most probably the neighborhood’s first event of its kind. The Rebbe responded:

I was pleased to receive your letter of Feb. 27th, enclosing photographs taken of the recent Torah welcoming parade that you had in Hallandale near your new synagogue, etc.

It was gratifying to read about it and especially to see the photographs, since a picture tells a great deal more than many words.

Even the congregation’s stationery became an opportunity for the Rebbe to emphasize its broader mission and potential influence. After reviewing its newly designed letterhead, the Rebbe wrote:

…this is my first opportunity to acknowledge receipt of your letter and design of the stationery of the newly founded Congregation Levi Yitzchok. The design makes a very good impression. As for suggestions in this connection, I would only like to suggest that you add “U.S.A.” in the address, inasmuch as, in accordance with the slogan of “Uforatzto” on the stationery, the Congregation will, hopefully, establish contact also with Jews coming from other countries.

In additional letters, the Rebbe guided and encouraged the Shusters as they confronted the challenges facing the newly established shul and defined its broader mission.

Impact

The neighborhood’s first Orthodox congregation was met with enthusiasm by many, but some residents responded with apprehension and, in one instance, harassment. In response to the Shusters’ report, the Rebbe wrote:

With reference to the matter of harassment which the new Congregation has experienced, as you mention in your letter, you are, of course, right that it should be reported to the police. However, there is no room for apprehension. Indeed, it is a sign that the influence of the new Congregation has already made an impact, and, as it happened with similar situations in various other places, the original resistance gradually subsides. Needless to say, you and all who are active in promoting this Congregation will surely continue to do so, and even more energetically. This will also answer your question what is to be done. For, having introduced Orthodoxy to your neighborhood is only the first step in the direction of making the whole neighborhood permeated with Torah and mitzvos, to the extent that Hashem will be able to say “I will dwell in their midst.” In other words, the Congregation should become a lighthouse, illuminating the homes of all its members, and through them neighbors and friends, with the light and vitality of the Torah and Mitzvoth. All the more so since Greater Miami Beach attracts Jews from different cities and countries, and thus has an opportunity to extend its influence far and wide.

In a subsequent letter, the Rebbe writes:

This is in reply to your letter of Oct. 12th, in which you write about the zoning problem of your congregation, due to the opposition of neighbors.

First of all, you are surely in consultation with a competent attorney, who is familiar with the rules and regulations governing such matters. In general, however, experience has shown that taking a firm stand eventually brings the desired results.

Needless to say, that the stronger the congregation becomes in terms of membership, the easier will be its way in overcoming difficulties and developing. In this, you and your family and friends can best assess the situation and act accordingly.

At the conclusion of the letter, the Rebbe referred warmly to the members of the Shuster family whom he had seen during Tishrei and blessed them to proceed with confidence in their convictions:

I take this opportunity to express again my satisfaction at having been able to meet you and the members of your family during Yom Tov and Simchas Torah. And, having been enriched and fortified by all the religious experiences of the festivals of Tishrei, culminating with Simches Torah, you and all yours, in the midst of all our Jewish people, can proceed with complete confidence on the way of Torah and Mitzvoth in the year ahead, with joy and gladness of heart.

Light Unto Her Street

The Shusters continued to grow in Yiddishkeit and to broaden their influence beyond their own home and congregation. On 22 Kislev, 5751 (December 9, 1990), they passed before the Rebbe to receive a dollar for charity and his blessing. The Rebbe explained to Mrs. Shuster that the message of the upcoming festival Chanukah is that its light must shine outward as well, and encouraged her to place a menorah by the entrance to her home in a manner that would illuminate the entire street. Mrs. Shuster replied that she needed such light in her neighborhood.

When Mrs. Shuster returned to Florida, she found a large Menorah waiting for her at her home. Lighting it each Chanukah thereafter became a family tradition.

A few months later, Mrs. Shuster addressed the first International Conference of Chabad Shluchos. After the convention, she wrote to the Rebbe about the experience:

Dear Rebbe,

I am writing to inform you that I spoke to approximately five hundred people, at the Jewish Center in Brooklyn last Motzoi Shabbos, at the first International Conference of Shluchos. It was an honor and a thrill for me! Sixteen years ago I would never have thought this could be possible. I understand that this convention was in honor of the Shluchos who are devoting their lives to the spreading of Torah and Chassidus, and therefore the conventions must have had the blessings of both Hashem, and yourself. Therefore I was not surprised that my speech was a success, and that I was so well received.

As you remember when I visited you at Chanukah, you told me to light a large Menorah in order to light-up my street. Not only did I follow your request, of which I have enclosed a photograph, but your request further served as the momentum for the delivering of my speech, because the title was “Lamplighting and Setting Souls Afire.”

I hope that my speech in some small way has served as a small token of my appreciation [in her letter, the Rebbe erased the word “small” and replaced it with “good”] for all of the blessings the Rebbe has bestowed upon myself, my parents, and my family .

When I was finished with my speech that took approximately fifteen minutes I received a standing ovation, and women were crying and lining up to ask me if I would speak for them in their communities.

In reaction to the requests she received, the Rebbe marked the words “I would speak for them in their communities” and wrote (free translation from Hebrew):

You will be successful, and the merit of spreading Judaism will surely assist you.

To explore more of Mrs. Shuster’s correspondence with the Rebbe, as well as thousands of additional English letters of the Rebbe, visit the Rebbe Responsa. The Rebbe Responsa app is available for download on the App Store and Google Play.

Sources: Rebbe Responsa Archives; Dovid Margolin, “The Life and Mission of Sholom Lipskar, the Miami Rabbi Who Never Stopped Working”; “Beautiful on the Inside,” interview with Susan Shuster, Jewish Educational Media; Living Torah, Program 482; Likkut Maanos Kodesh, Miluim 5, pp. 18, 624.