Rabbis of LA | Rabbi Moshe Greenwald: Serving Jews Downtown Through all the Ups and Downs

When Rabbi Moshe Greenwald was 17 years old, he went to the annual Chabad kinus (gathering) of all the Chabad shluchim (emissaries) from around the world. Though he grew up as the son of shluchim in Long Beach, California, it was at that conference that he knew he wanted to become one, too.

“The decision was very clear to me,” he said. “I was hit very hard by the energy in the room and the sense of mission, purpose and passion for what they do. These were people that collectively were doing something incredibly great, and I wanted to be apart of it.”

Greenwald, who met the Lubavitcher Rebbe Menachem Mendel Schneerson before his death in 1994, wanted to carry on the Rebbe’s legacy. The quick meeting he had with the Rebbe still impacts him to this day. 

“I received dollars and wine from him,” said Greenwald. “I had a short encounter, but I still remember that I felt a deep sense of connection. The Rebbe looked at me in the eyes and I felt like I was the only person he was focusing on right then. It was a very real experience.” 

After Greenwald got married in 2005, he and his wife Rivky were looking for places where they could become shluchim. They decided to open up their Chabad House of Downtown Los Angeles, and since 2007, they’ve been serving that community. 

While they were building momentum – sometimes hosting hundreds of people at their parties for Jewish holidays or Shabbat dinners – COVID set everything back.

“We had a grand opening in our new building in Purim of 2020,” Greenwald said. “And then we were forced to close for over a year.”

During the pandemic, the homeless and drug problem downtown got worse. The riots in the summer of 2020 didn’t help. Many people, including the Chabad congregants, moved out of downtown or LA altogether. 

Today, Greenwald and his wife are hosting less people. But, he has used this time to turn to his spirituality and focus on his personal growth.

“It hasn’t been the easiest journey, but it’s one where I can honestly say I’ve come to accept because I know Hashem is running the world,” he said. “I’m not leaving or running away or giving up.” 

The work is just too meaningful for Greenwald to turn away from. There have been so many people who come to his Chabad house who know nothing about their Judaism. Overtime, they become more involved and eventually start to observe more of the traditions. 

Some people who came to the Chabad house didn’t see the value in carrying on the Jewish tradition. But after a while, they started to change their minds.

“I’ve done weddings for people who didn’t care about having a Jewish wedding three or four years prior,” he said. “Then, I was under the chuppah with them. I don’t take it for granted. There is something miraculous about that.”  

The rabbi has also been at the bedside of people who were in the hospital and needed a chaplain – he’s the unofficial chaplain in a few hospitals downtown. 

“There is something deeply spiritual about saying the Shema with them and their families, holding their hand as their neshama (soul) leaves them,” Greenwald said. “It’s very profound. It alters me every time for the better.”

There are no other shuls or rabbis in the downtown area aside from the Chabad house. Though it has been harder to serve the community over the past few years, Greenwald keeps the classic Jewish teaching of “Everything God does is for the best,” which Rabbi Akiva said, in mind. 

“It’s fine and dandy to be an optimist when it’s all sunshine and rainbows,” Greenwald said. “When the going gets tough, we have to dig deep. ‘Everything God does is for the best’ is something I tell myself daily.” 

It’s all part of human experience. And, it doesn’t detract Greenwald from his life’s mission.

“I want to live authentically,” he said. “I want to be the best version of myself – the best husband, father, rabbi, shaliach, Jew and human being I can be.”

Fast Takes with Moshe Greenwald

Jewish Journal: What’s your favorite Jewish food?

Moshe Greenwald: I like the weird stuff like pickled herring and p’tcha. I go for all of it.

JJ: What superpower would you like to have?

MG: I’d want to fly. I love traveling. I was able to travel to many countries when I was younger. Obviously, Israel is a special place, and every time I go there it’s deeply nourishing. In Israel itself, I love the Old City. There’s nothing like it. 

JJ: Whom would you want to meet from Jewish history?

MG: Rabbi Akiva. I’m a huge fan of his on so many levels. He had complete humility and was so perseverant. Nothing held him back.