21 Oct REMEMBERING ORTHODOX UNION (OU) EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT RABBI MOSHE HAUER ZT”L An Exclusive Interview with Rabbi Moshe Elefant
Last week, on Shemini Atzeres, Rabbi Moshe Hauer was niftar suddenly at his home in Baltimore from a heart attack. He was 60 years old.
Rabbi Moshe Elefant is the Chief Operating Officer and Executive Rabbinic Coordinator of OU Kosher, as well as a weekly columnist for The Jewish Vues. Rabbi Elefant was a close friend and colleague of Rabbi Hauer. This past Thursday, The Jewish Vues’ Ari Hirsch spoke with Rabbi Elefant about his memories of Rabbi Hauer.
Please tell everyone a little bit about Rabbi Moshe Hauer zt”l.
Rabbi Hauer was a truly unique individual. He gave up being the Rav of a very prominent shul in Baltimore, where he was extremely successful and where his family lives, just to come to the OU, so that he could do more for Klal Yisrael. That was what drove him: an incredible desire to serve Klal Yisrael.
He was a man of great integrity and deep conviction, but above all, he constantly thought about Klal Yisrael, all parts of it, all types of Jews. He deeply wanted to see unity among Jews and genuinely felt the pain of every Jew. You could see it on his face during these last two years, he was hurting because Klal Yisrael was hurting. That’s who he was: a true Klal Yisrael person.
Unfortunately, there are so few like him, and we certainly could not afford to lose someone like Rabbi Hauer, especially when he was in the prime of his life.
How did you meet Rabbi Hauer?
I met Rabbi Hauer quite a few years ago. We once had a meeting, he, Rabbi Genack, and I, about an issue that I would describe as an
achdus issue. We saw a situation where there was some discord, and he wanted to see if he could help make peace.
Later, when he was about to be hired by the OU, the president at that time, Moishe Bane, asked me to meet with him. I was immediately impressed. We developed a very good relationship. I think the last time we spoke was on Erev Rosh Hashana, but even afterward, he texted me with kashrus questions. We worked on many things together. It was a very special relationship.
Can you share one story about your time together?
We once traveled to Europe together. We were celebrating a siyum on Maseches Yevamos, and we went to London and Manchester for the occasion. It was such a pleasure to spend time with him. He was a truly kind person, always respectful of others. Despite his important position, he never acted superior. He treated everyone as an equal, with tremendous respect.
We spent a few days together in England, and I really got to know him then. There were many other times we worked together on various projects, but the common denominator was always either Limud HaTorah or Achdus. Those were the causes that mattered most to him.
In light of recent events, many are asking: How do we keep the achdus going?
We keep achdus going by realizing what happens when we don’t have it. I’m convinced that our enemies, like Hamas, saw the terrible discord in Israel and viewed it as an opportunity to take advantage. If we don’t learn from that, who knows what could happen again, chas v’shalom. We must remember what a lack of unity can bring.
Who will take over Rabbi Hauer’s position at the OU? Is there a plan in place?
The structure at the OU, with two Executive Vice Presidents, was a new experiment. Traditionally, the OU always had just one. Rabbi Hauer and Dr. Joseph worked together wonderfully, sharing this position for the first time ever. At this point, I don’t know what tomorrow will bring.
Is there anything else you would like to share about Rabbi Hauer?
It’s hard to think right now; it’s such a sad time. But one thing that stands out is that even though he was a true Talmid Chacham, he always showed incredible respect for other Talmidei Chachamim. That’s something we should all try to emulate and that will be the greatest zechus for his neshama.