I was very excited to finally be hosting Rabbi Sholom Dovber Lipskar from Miami, Bal Harbour, I have wanted for a long time to have him on Real Talk.

Sholom Dovber Lipskar (born 1946) is a Chabad rabbi who was the principal of the Landow Yeshiva in Miami Beach in 1969. He founded The Shul of Bal Harbour in Surfside, Florida, and the Aleph Institute in 1981.

Born in Tashkent, Uzbek Soviet Socialist Republic in 1946, Lipskar was smuggled as a baby through the Soviet border to a Displaced person (DP) camp in Germany. On his passport, his country of birth is listed as Germany as this was where he was registered. Arriving in North America in the early 1950s, Lipskar's family settled in Ontario, Canada. Lipskar was ordained as a Rabbi from the Lubavitch Yeshiva in Brooklyn in 1968.

In 1982, Lipskar founded The Shul of Bal Harbour in Surfside, Florida, and is its head.

He also founded the Aleph Institute, a non-profit national humanitarian organization dedicated to improving the quality of life for both prisoners and military personnel and their families.

Rabbi Lipskar has charm and a strong personality, he talks calmly and often smiles, a sweet smile, but he makes his point very clear when he talks and looks you directly in the eyes. Lipskar with his wife Chani is one of the most powerful Chabad emissaries in the world. The Shul which has become a major center in all of Miami directs so many activities and projects and the whole community follows them blindly. The Rabbi is a true leader, he is close to all members of the community for the good times and in moments of need, like the Surfside attack. The rabbi with his family was right there 24/7 assisting and helping those families hit by the tragedy. His center "The Shul" turned into a massive hangar where people found a place where to shelter, food was distributed, and clothes. He also dedicates a lot of his time to learning and he is known for the amazing shiurim he gives in the center and all over the world through zoom. Rabbi Lipskar had been hit very hard with Covid and risked his life, he is forever thankful to have come out of it and he feels stronger and even more devoted to Hashem and the Rebbe.

Rabbi Lispkar has come a long way from the beginnings when they were sent to Miami as a young couple by the rebbe in Shlichut. Miami was not like it was now in the early 70s, it had only one kosher store that had hardly any kosher food and he still remembers how Jews were not welcomed in the neighborhood where he lives now. It is mostly thanks to the courage of this couple and the vision of the Rebbe, and a lot of hard work from both of them that today Miami is now called a second Jerusalem, a safe haven for Jews who every day decide to move and establish themselves there.

Thank you, Rabbi and Mrs. Chani Lipskar for all you have done.

Hope you enjoy this interview.