Lubavitch Chabad of Illinois has established its newest branch, Chabad of Bloomington/Normal, under the direction of Rabbi Chaim Moshe and Rochel Telsner. The Telsners will serve Illinois State University.

Normal, which sits 130 perfectly flat miles from Chicago, will now be the fourth city in central and southern Illinois to have a Chabad House, following Champaign (University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign), Peoria (Bradly University), and Carbondale (Southern Illinois University).

According to Regional Director Rabbi Meir Moscowitz, the appointment coincides with the 40th anniversary of the opening of the first Chabad House in Illinois. In the four decades since, Chabad has opened nearly 50 centers throughout the state including 10 at local college campuses.