Chabad Jewish Center of St. Charles County

The Chabad Jewish Center of St. Charles County is guided by the idea that there should be a place whose doors are open to every Jew, regardless of background or affiliation. Our hope is that our programs serve as gates through which a person can meet new people, make meaningful connections and be inspired to do more good.

Rabbi Chaim and Bassy Landa were married in New York in 2016, and have four children; Chaya, Mussia, Cherna and Mendel . They are a dynamic couple who have been involved in Jewish education and outreach most of their adult lives. In 2019 they co-founded the Chabad Jewish Center of St. Charles County and today serve as the organization's directors. The Landas were the recipients of the 2024 Visionary Award by JProSTL, the Jewish Federation of St. Louis' professional association and Rabbi Chaim received the 2024 Visionary of the Year Award by Vision St. Charles County.

Rabbi Chaim was born and raised in St. Louis, Missouri, where his parents, Rabbi Yosef and Shiffy Landa founded Chabad of Greater St. Louis in 1981. He studied at yeshivot in Toronto, Los Angeles, New York and Israel, before receiving his rabbinic ordination at the Rabbinical College of America from Rabbi Israel Meir Lau, former chief rabbi of Israel and the chairman of Yad Vashem. Rabbi Chaim has also received training in mediation from the New York Peace Institute and is certified in Adult Mental Health First Aid by the National Council of Behavioral Health.

His experience in family programming and Jewish outreach has brought him to Belgium and Ukraine, and, closer to home, in McAllen, Texas, and Springfield, Missouri. Before making the permanent move to St. Charles, he was the associate director of media relations at Chabad-Lubavitch Headquarters in New York where he served as a resource for journalists around the world and developed innovative programs to educate the greater public about Jews and Judaism, including the holiday TV cooking segment initiative which continues to reach millions of people each holiday season. Today, Rabbi Chaim serves as the rabbi and spiritual leader for the County's nearly 6,000 Jews, and tends to the needs of the greater community, including as a volunteer chaplain for multiple area police departments and as a support and recourse for area hospitals. In February 2026, Chabad of Greater St. Louis named him as associate director , formalizing a regional leadership role he had been carrying for a number of years.

From JewishStCharles.org