The “rabbi of Capitol Hill,” Rabbi Levi Shemtov stays busy serving the Jewish community of Washington, D.C., and the governmental and diplomatic needs of the international Chabad-Lubavitch movement.
Shemtov receives dozens of daily emails and calls from community members and fellow Jewish leaders around the world as the executive vice president of American Friends of Lubavitch (Chabad).
At the time of this interview, Shemtov, who is the most senior rabbi in the nation’s capital, had interacted with Chabad representatives in Connecticut, Florida, Kentucky, Utah, Brazil, Australia, Austria, South Africa, Singapore, Turkey, the United Arab Emirates and Israel in the past 24 hours.
“Each one was something else,” he said. “One needed advice on a challenging community matter regarding their prime minister. Another one was bringing a delegation [to D.C.] and needed some support. A third one wanted an introduction to a prominent person in their community whom I knew. … Another wanted to know the appropriate Jewish practice in a particularly sticky family situation.”
The interview was interrupted three times within less than an hour as Shemtov attended to important community issues. How does Shemtov manage the near constant stream of communication? “I try the best I can and ask God for his help.”
Faith has long played a central role in Shemtov’s life. The fifth of six children, the rabbi grew up attending Jewish day school in Philadelphia and watching his father, Rabbi Abraham Shemtov, lead as a Chabad emissary.
The young boy was sent off to a yeshiva in Los Angeles at the age of 12: “My parents wanted me to get the type of education that only a yeshiva could offer to me.”
He enjoyed studying Torah “tremendously,” knowing that this skill could be of use in a future career.
“I always like to find new things,” Shemtov said. “I had a feeling that one day I might be a teacher of Torah on some level, so I tried to soak in as much as I could, with a little bit of a tilt to the more practical than academic, because I knew that I’d probably be bringing Torah to an environment where people knew too little, and I would have to be able to convey, project and teach on a basic level.”
This desire to pursue education came from Shemtov’s mother, a “highly regarded” teacher of nearly five decades with thousands of students across the world.
“I obviously enjoyed the very deep learning, but that was for myself,” he said. “I sensed very young that I would have to teach more than learn.”
As a teenager, Shemtov sometimes traveled with his father to D.C. to help with his work: “The intersection of Jewish life and the public square fascinated me.”
He began doing Jewish outreach around the world, spanning Europe, Australia, Asia and South America. This work was “very unique and interesting” for Shemtov.
“Being involved with all these countries introduced me to some cultural things that were very unique,” he said, intrigued by the bowing etiquette in Asia, the “quiet demeanor” of Europe and the “simpatico warmth” of South America.
He’s always been interested in serving as a Chabad emissary.
“When I was young, I thought that’s where my life [would] lead,” Shemtov said. “I just didn’t know how. But there’s no doubt that my father’s work and watching it and being fortunate to be a part of it made a very big impact.”
Shemtov continues his parents’ legacy to this day. He relocated to D.C., assuming the role of executive vice president of American Friends of Lubavitch (Chabad), after guidance from the late Lubavitcher Rebbe, Rabbi Menachem M. Schneerson.
“The Rebbe said I should move to Washington because, in his spiritual perspective, [he] perceived that was better for me and my soul and whatever impact I might have on Jewish life and the world,” he said. “He gave me a blessing to do so.”
Shemtov is one of the last emissaries appointed by the Rebbe before Schneerson’s death in 1994.
“It’s our responsibility to bring the opportunities for Jewish life to those working on Capitol Hill, the [presidential] administration and the international, as well as local, communities,” Shemtov explained.
Part of his role includes organizing and sponsoring traditional Jewish events at the White House, the Pentagon and international financial institutions. While many attendees of these events are Jewish, some aren’t and want to learn more about Judaism. Shemtov strives to share with them the “why” behind Jewish traditions.
One program he leads is the annual national menorah lighting in D.C., part of the Rebbe’s campaign to publicly celebrate Chanukah. This undertaking is significant not just due to the thousands of attendees, but because the menorah symbolizes so much more for Shemtov.
“If you look at the menorah in the Temple, branches branch out in different, opposite directions, but the wicks face back towards the middle,” he said. “The middle candle faced upward because the center is where the divinity is. It’s the metaphor of my life. It’s my guiding principle, and Maimonides always says that’s how you should live — not extreme, but moderate, because the future ultimately belongs to the moderates.”
Shemtov has worked with politicians from across the aisle as the founder and spiritual leader of TheSHUL of the Nation’s Capital, an Orthodox synagogue attended by elite political figures.
Chabad is successful due to its nonpartisan stance in the ever-polarized District. Shemtov said he particularly enjoys uniting people from “opposite ends of the spectrum” at events.
“I like when people come together and find a common purpose,” he said.
In the early 1990s, when Shemtov began in his role, Chabad operated out of a small townhouse on Capitol Hill. The organization now has six branches across D.C., including TheSHUL of the Nation’s Capital and four D.C. college campuses: American University, Georgetown University, Georgetown University Law Center and George Washington University.
“On a given week, we might have 500, 600 people joining together for Shabbat at the various locations, in addition to periodic events such as Mega Shabbat at GW and Friday Night Live,” Shemtov said.
He feels a sense of fulfillment when so many Jewish students or young adults are gathered under one roof: “Another bulb in the chandelier of Jewish life is burning bright.”
Holding such events for young Jews is increasingly important for Shemtov during a changing time for the Jewish world.
“The community structure has changed,” he noted. “People don’t [feel they] need to belong to clubs and organizations; they do their own thing, which is a good thing on one hand, but on the other hand, cohesion becomes difficult. So, [during] this age of cutting-edge technology, social media and AI, we have to [present] Judaism [in a way] that brings individualistic people to want to be together.”
He described the need to counter the current age of instant gratification and egocentricity.
“A little larger idea of Judaism is to live in something which is larger than yourself,” Shemtov said. “Culture has fueled an attitude of self-centeredness and lack of responsibility to a greater good and transmission of heritage, which has left many younger Jews, especially, to relinquish responsibilities in terms of Jewish continuity.”
He aims to meet Jewish youth where they are by “making the richness of our Jewish traditions available to them in a more meaningful and more immediate and public way.”
Why is Shemtov taking on this task? He credits his dedication to honoring the Rebbe, a man he described as “completely selfless in his service of his people.”
“I’m a shaliach of the Rebbe and want to emulate his mission, like thousands of my colleagues around the world,” Shemtov said. “A Rebbe doesn’t rest until every Jew in his community has everything he needs, and that’s an example we try and follow. … I got into my office at 8 o’clock this morning after morning services, and I’ll probably be here till midnight, and I’ll wake up the next morning and do the same thing again. As long as God breathes life into me, I’m able to bring Jewish people closer with our heritage and closer to each other.”
Shemtov feels fortunate for all that he’s been able to accomplish thus far. D.C. is a fitting match for the rabbi who serves as spiritual leader, counselor, teacher, diplomat, peace broker and event planner.
“The level of intelligence and academic achievement in the Washington Jewish community is extraordinary,” he said.
The father of seven and grandfather is now in the process of expanding Chabad programs in D.C. and interviewing potential new personnel.
“It’s had its ups and downs, but I’ve never not felt privileged to be in this role,” he said of his 33-year career.
