Since he was a teenager, Rabbi Shmuel Lewis knew he wanted to be a rabbi.
Born and raised in London, Lewis grew up studying and practicing the Chabad-Lubavitch movement of Judaism, a major movement within the Jewish tradition that developed out of 18th-century Russia.
The practice puts focus on intense study of the Torah. Many Chabad teachers and religious officials have studied the Torah since their youth.
“The way to ignite the heart is through the brain,” Lewis said. “Through understanding these things, the heart is open.”
In 1993, Lewis came to New Jersey to study at the Rabbinical College of America in Morristown. His studies also included a trip to Melbourne, Australia. 
Lewis started a synagogue, which is a place for Jewish worship, in Sparta in 2002 in his garage. In 2006, Lewis and his wife, Toby, began leasing space on Woodport Road and the Chabad Synagogue was formed.
About 10 residents attend the Sparta synagogue regularly, Lewis said. During the holidays, that number swells to 100, when the organization welcomes visitors to partake in a menorah lighting ceremony and Passover dinner.
Lewis officiates all of the synagogue’s ceremonies including weddings, funerals and bar and bat mitzvahs, a special coming-of-age ceremony that signifies the point when a young man or woman becomes solely responsible for adhering to their religious faith.
Lewis also oversees and organizes the synagogue’s fundraising and marketing efforts.
Some people may have the misconception that Chabad is strict because of the conservative clothing they wear and certain practices, such as requiring men and women to sit on opposite sides of the synagogue during worship, but Lewis said that’s a rumor he’d like to dispel.
Jews of the Chabad-Lubavitch movement are accepting of others and do not proselytize.
“We are taught that we should reach out to everyone and we are encouraged to do it, but it’s not necessary,” Lewis said. “It’s just part of our value system, not just to care about yourself but others.”
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