The Jewish world suffered a major loss with the untimely passing of Rabbi Moshe Hauer, the Executive Director of the Orthodox Union, this Shemini Atzeret. His sudden departure left the Baltimore Community, where he served as a Rabbi for 26 years, in absolute shock. But his loss was felt not only in Baltimore but throughout Jewish communities the world over. So vast and prodigious were his accomplishments that his absence will be felt for long after his petira.

While I was a member of the Baltimore community during much of Rabbi Hauer’s tenure there, I was deeply involved in Congregation Shomrei Emunah and only rarely did I attend services in Congregation Bnei Jacob Shaarei Zion where Rabbi Hauer occupied the pulpit. Notwithstanding that fact, I was aware of his immense influence and outstanding Rabbinic leadership. He was a key Rabbi in the city and had great positive effect on Jewish life in Baltimore.

When he was lured away from his congregation to serve the OU, there was a true sense of a letdown in the quality of Rabbinic leadership in the community. Sensing that his departure would be adversely felt by his congregants, Rabbi Hauer insisted on maintaining his residence in Baltimore, despite the fact that his office was in New York City. He did this in order that he could continue to mentor members and others in the community that might seek him out for guidance in personal issues. He also continued, his schedule for the OU permitting, to give Torah classes in his former Shul, where he served as Rabbi emeritus. Thus, despite his heavy workload for the OU, he remained connected to his beloved members.

In order to not only keep his memory alive, but also to enable his life to be a lesson and model for us all to emulate, I thought to pen this eulogy and try and encapsulate those remarkable qualities that made him outstanding and unique.

A True Manhig (leader) – What became known to the OU leadership was Rabbi Hauer’s leadership qualities. They chose him because they sensed that we would emerge as an articulate, effective spokesman who could and did speak to and on behalf of Am Yisrael. He addressed community issues as well as national and international issues that drew the attention of the mass media, and it was often that he would be quoted for the Torah perspective on a variety of subjects. But he did not just wait for the press to contact him, he submitted Op-Ed articles and brought the Torah point of view to the forefront. He was a Torah scholar who communicated G-d’s ways, mores and ethics to the masses. Rabbi Hauer garnered respect for Orthodoxy in the public forum where all too often some of our sages and rabbis are denigrated for their extreme and shrill views. He was a considered, erudite, uncompromising proponent of the Torah’s stance; a manhig in the finest sense of the word.

A Talmid Chacham (a Torah Scholar) – One of the foremost talmidim of Rav Yaakov Weinberg TZ”L, Rabbi Hauer was steeped in Torah knowledge. He adopted many of the traits of his great Rebbi. He was passionate in his learning and was committed to his Torah studies, as well as to his students. He never left the walls of the Beit Medrash. No matter how jammed packed his schedule, learning Torah remained foremost in his daily life. He shared his knowledge and gave classes on a wide range of classical Jewish texts, including, but not limited to, Chumash and Talmud. He was facile in the works of the Maharal and the Ramchal and fascinated his students by the way he communicated and taught the works of these authors. His delivery, while impassioned, was soft and non-abrasive. He mesmerized his listeners with his brilliance and vast knowledge. But above all, he remained humble. He taught with a degree of modesty and convinced his students that he too was along for the ride through the holy works. He knew that Chazal compared Torah to water and like the latter that always flows to the low point, Torah vests in the modest and unpretentious. Unlike most eminent Talmidei Chachamim, there are few Torah scholars who are active on the world Jewish scene. Rabbi Hauer bucked this trend. He spent many hours working for the betterment of our people and the State of Israel. He was active in a major way as a foremost spokesman for Klal Yisrael. The Torah informed Rabbi Hauer’s personality and he integrated its lessons into action. He ingested its moral and ethical precepts and it fashioned his sterling character.

Meurav im Habriyot – מעורב אם הבריות: His self-effacement and refusal to seek honor endeared him to all that knew him. His was distinguished by these traits and was welcome in all forums, across a broad spectrum. He moved with ease through crowds in many different venues, i.e., the Ashkenazi Torah world, the world of Chassidut, the Dati Leumi world, and even among the unaffiliated. He was never awkward or at a loss for an appropriate comment in any situation. Although soft spoken, his voiced carried and those within listening distance fell under the spell of his wisdom. Rabbi Moshe Hauer was an immaculate dresser and had a dignified, royal bearing that commanded respect without any demand therefore by him. He found polite discourse even with those holding opposing opinions, always checking and controlling his temperament. He never raised his voice in arguments and gained the reluctant respect even of his opponents. He was a sought-after speaker as he always provided a thoughtful and profound message almost always predicated on Torah values and sources.

People Person: Rabbi Moshe Hauer championed the downtrodden and disadvantaged. He reached out and comforted widows, orphans, divorcees, aging singles, the young at risk and the poor. He would visit, call and maintain contact with those members of Am Yisrael who were less fortunate and needed someone to show empathy for their plight. He showed them that they were not forgotten or overlooked. He carried and shared the burden of their sorrow and undertook to uplift their spirits and alleviate their predicament to the best of his abilities. He had an open-door policy and was available oft times at late hours. He was a champion of the disadvantaged and assured their inclusion in synagogue functions. He was never too busy or occupied to lend an ear, to provide support, to comfort a troubled soul.

A Zionist: Rabbi Hauer was an unabashed Zionist and proudly declared his support for Eretz Yisrael and Medinat Yisrael. Countless times he led groups on trips to the Holy Land. His tours not only hit the familiar venerable sights, but he made sure to visit new settlements, border communities and places that suffered from terrorist attacks. He wanted to bolster their efforts and indicate his esteem and respect for their sacrifice. Unfortunately, he never realized his dream to make Aliyah and settle permanently in Medinat Yisrael. His Rebbi told him: as an Eved Hashem, your primary task is not to concentrate on improving your own spiritual lot, but rather to serve Hashem and enhance Klal Yisrael’s spiritual station. Stay as the spiritual leader of your congregation, contribute to the growing Orthodox community in Baltimore, which is how you best serve your Creator. Following up his stint as a congregational rabbi, he became Executive Vice President of the Orthodox Union and from that lofty position became the voice of Orthodoxy to the world. Throughout he never took his eye off Israel and planned to settle here as he grew into retirement. G-d, however, had other mysterious plans and summoned him to shamayim at the young age of 60. We are left to mourn his loss and scramble to find an alternative in his place. Like Rabbi Jonathan Sacks, TZ”L before him, he may be irreplaceable.

Family: I do not know the family in any special manner and feel inadequate to comment on the Rabbi’s special relationship with his dear Rebbetzin and children. His oldest son, Yissachar, who spoke at the funeral in Baltimore, said that his father always made time for his mother and siblings, racing back from wherever he was to be by their side during special moments. He tried to be home for each Shabbat no matter where he was in the world. It was evident from listening to Yisacher’s hesped for his father, and to his other sons who spoke at the funeral in Yerushalayim, the apples did not fall far from the tree; and they were all the beneficiaries of Rav Moshe’s special warmth and guidance.

Indefatigable: Rav Moshe Hauer was a dynamo. Never pausing, he cris crossed, not only the United States, but the world on behalf of the OU. As its chief spokesman, his voice was heard in the halls of power, the US Congress and other world forums, eloquently expressing Orthodoxy’s viewpoint on the issues of the day. He would fall exhausted at the end of each week and used the Shabbat rest to rejuvenate. Alas, his over taxing schedule, unbeknownst to him or his family, must have taken a toll on his heart and health. It was easy to see that the strenuous pace and its effect would be overlooked because he was the picture of good health. Tall and trim, majestic and handsome, Hashem sought his return to the heavenly court and took him lovingly on,שמיני עצרת  כ”ב תשרי תשפ”ו, October 14, 2025.

As we read in the haftorah on that very day: ‘וימת שם משה עבד ה’

Yehi Zichro Baruch.

Written by Avrum M Kowalsky