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Rabbi Moshe Hauer, OU leader admired across Jewish world, is dead at 60
American Jewry is reeling following the sudden death of Rabbi Moshe Hauer, the executive vice president of the Orthodox Union who was widely known and admired across denominations.
Hauer, the O.U.’s public face since 2020, died of a heart attack at his Baltimore home on Tuesday, the holiday of Shemini Atzeret. He was 60. His death was not announced until Wednesday night, the end of the Simchat Torah holiday.
“Rabbi Hauer was a true talmid chacham, a master teacher and communicator, the voice of Torah to the Orthodox community and the voice of Orthodoxy to the world,” the Orthodox Union said in a statement announcing his death. “He personified what it means to be a Torah Jew and took nothing more seriously than his role of sharing the joy of Jewish life with our community and beyond.”
A levaya, or funeral service, took place Thursday morning at Bnai Jacob Shaarei Zion Congregation, the Orthodox congregation Hauer led for 26 years before taking the O.U. position five years ago.
“You taught us with such clarity, you taught us with such force, with such conviction, you taught us who you want us to be,” said Rabbi Daniel Rose, Hauer’s successor at the synagogue, in a speech he said was short because Hauer’s body and family were due on a flight to Israel for his burial. Pausing to cry, he went on, “I can’t ask you anymore. I think you taught us well enough that we don’t need to ask you.”
Hauer was an exemplar of Modern Orthodoxy’s historical blend of religious and secular expertise. After being ordained at Ner Israel, an Orthodox yeshiva in Baltimore, he earned a master’s degree in engineering from Johns Hopkins University. He was the founding editor of Klal Perspectives, an online journal elevating Orthodox perspectives on contemporary issues.
In 2023, Hauer testified about antisemitism on American college campuses at a hearing of the House Committee on Education and the Workforce. The hearing prompted investigations of several universities for allegedly failing to protect students from antisemitic harassment.
Sen. Josh Hawley, the Missouri Republican who in 2023 worked with the O.U. to pass a Senate resolution condemning Hamas and campus antisemitism, issued a statement saying he was “deeply grieved by the death of my friend.”
Hawley said: “His sudden death is a tremendous loss to America and to friends of Israel everywhere. Rabbi Moshe was a man of remarkable integrity and kindness, and also foresighted leadership. He was a true and dear friend to me.”
Hauer also sometimes was required to speak hard truths to his community. In 2020, he met with Anthony Fauci, then director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, in forming the O.U.’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Hauer then urged congregations to exceed the government’s reopening guidelines. In 2023, he denounced a rampage by Jewish settlers in the West Bank, saying, “We cannot understand or accept this.”
A wide array of Jewish voices mourned Hauer and expressed shock at his sudden death.
“We just spoke this past Friday and texted on Monday, when he was overflowing with joy at the miracle of the hostages’ freedom and the unmistakable hand of Hashem in it,” tweeted William Daroff, president of the Council of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations. “Rabbi Hauer was a trusted advisor, cherished colleague, and wise counselor to me, a bridge-builder whose faith, humility, and moral clarity inspired all who knew him. His loss leaves a deep void for all who loved and learned from him.”
Rabbi Shlomo Peles of the Jewish Relief Network Ukraine, a Chabad organization, praised Hauer’s willingness to work with his movement.
“Rabbi Hauer constantly mobilized on behalf of the Rebbe’s Shluchim [emissaries], and especially for those in Ukraine,” Peles said in a statement. “Rabbi Hauer acted with genuine care, a broad heart, and a shining countenance.”
“Klal Yisroel has lost a leader who was universally respected as a talmid chochom of stature, a man of integrity, humility, vision, wisdom and depth,” Agudath Israel, an advocacy group representing haredi, or ultra-Orthodox, Jews, said in a statement. “Rabbi Hauer created Kiddush Hashem in all of his encounters with the outside world, and he leaves behind an impressive list of significant accomplishments. The loss to our community is incalculable.”
“The Jewish people has lost a sage,” said Rabbi Rick Jacobs, president of the Union for Reform Judaism, in a Facebook post that included a photograph of himself sitting with Hauer in the official residence of Israeli President Isaac Herzog during a communal mission in July.
Jacobs recalled that Herzog had noted with some surprise that the president of the Reform movement was sitting next to a leader of the Orthodox Union. “I told President Herzog that it was completely natural for me to sit next to my friend and cherished colleague,” he wrote. “Yes, we disagreed on so many issues but shared a profound respect and love for one another. …. Rabbi Hauer’s humble leadership helped point the way for a more respectful and mutually responsible future for the Jewish people grounded in Torah.”
Rabbi Moshe Hauer, left, meets with Israeli President Isaac Herzog at Herzog’s official residence in Jerusalem, Jan. 22, 2025. (Orthodox Union)
When he was tapped as its new executive vice president in 2020, succeeding Allen Fagin, Hauer pledged to address the rising costs of the Orthodox lifestyle — the O.U. supports federal “school choice” policies in order to offset the high costs of day school tuition — and expressed his commitment to Modern Orthodoxy, which in contrast to haredi Judaism seeks to balance a strict adherence to Jewish law, or halacha, with a deeper engagement with modernity.
“Our community expresses this commitment by engaging with the world around us, as well as with all members of Klal Yisrael and by addressing every modern issue and contemporary challenge from within the value system of Torah,” he told the New York Jewish Week at the time. “We undertake all of these responsibilities while also completely dedicating ourselves to a growing engagement in Torah study, prayer and halachic observance.”
To that point, he added, the O.U. “is completely committed to maximizing — within the framework of halacha — the engagement of Jewish women in every aspect of Jewish life. This is an organizational and communal priority.”
Sheila Katz, CEO of the National Council of Jewish Women, wrote in a Facebook post on Wednesday night that she had been so shocked to hear of her friend’s death that she texted him hoping that it was not true. She said she had just spoken to him last week, in the latest installment of an ongoing conversation that transcended their differences.
“Our very different realities came up over and over again. I loved learning how he lived his life, and he seemed to love learning how I lived mine. Difference, but mutual respect, was at the core of our deep friendship,” Katz wrote.
In the Jewish Week interview, Hauer pledged to improve “relationships beyond the confines of our community.”
That was also the message of one of his last public statements, shared on Oct. 3. In it he described the upcoming Sukkot holiday as an opportunity for connection among Jews from “ideologically diverse places.”
“Even those who usually live separately must seize opportunities for contact and connection,” he said.
Hauer’s survivors include his mother, Miriam Hauer; his wife, Mindi Hauer; their sons Yissachar, Yehuda Leib and Shalom; daughters Devorah Walfish, Batsheva Neuberger, Chana Schneiweiss and Rachel Hauer, and their spouses and numerous grandchildren.
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France’s Culture Minister Welcomes Israel’s Philharmonic Orchestra for Concert Amid Criticism
A side view of the Eiffel Tower in Paris. Photo: Wikimedia Commons
France’s Minister of Culture Rachida Dati expressed support for the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra (IPO) visiting Paris for a concert on Thursday after a French union criticized the upcoming performance because of what it called Israel’s “crimes” in the Gaza Strip.
“Welcome to Israel’s national orchestra,” Dati wrote Tuesday in a post on X. “Nothing justifies a boycott call for this moment of culture, sharing and communication. Freedom of creation and programming is a value of our republic. [There is] no pretext for antisemitism.”
The IPO, led by conductor Lahav Shani, is scheduled to perform a sold-out concert at the Paris Philharmonic Hall on Thursday. The venue is a public institution under supervision of the Ministry of Culture and the city of Paris.
The Paris Philharmonic Hall said in a statement on Monday to Radio France that it hopes Thursday’s concert will take place “in the best possible conditions” and the venue welcomes “both Israeli and Palestinian artists.” It added that it never demands visiting artists to take “a position … on the subject of ongoing conflicts or sensitive political issues, which could sometimes have significant repercussions for them in their country of origin.” Musicians “cannot be held responsible for the actions of their government by simple association,” the institution insisted.
In late October, the French union CGT Spectacle – which represents workers in the entertainment industry including cinema and the performing arts – claimed the Nov. 6 concert is “an attempt at normalization by the State of Israel,” which they claimed is “responsible for a genocide against the Palestinian people.” The union said the concert should only take place if the audience is informed about the “serious accusations” against the Israeli government.
“The Paris Philharmonic Hall cannot host the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra without reminding the audience of the extremely serious accusations against the leaders of that country [Israel] and the nature of the crime committed in Gaza,” the union stated. “If culture is meant to be a vehicle for peace among peoples, no progress in this area can be expected without speaking the truth at every opportunity.”
Shani has previously been boycotted for being Israeli.
In September, organizers of the Flanders Festival Ghent canceled a scheduled performance by the Munich Philharmonic due to concerns regarding Shani and his “attitude to the genocidal regime in Tel Aviv.” Shani, the chief conductor of the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra, will take over as chief conductor of the Munich orchestra for the 2026/27 season.
After the festival rescinded its invitation, Belgium’s Prime Minister Bart De Wever attended a concert by the Munich Philharmonic Orchestra in a sign of solidarity.
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Freed Israeli Hostage Elizabeth Tsurkov Describes Torture, Sexual Assault by Iran-Backed Terror Group in Iraq
Princeton researcher Elizabeth Tsurkov, 2017. Photo: Facebook
Freed Israeli hostage Elizabeth Tsurkov, who was released after two and a half years in captivity, recounted being beaten, tortured, electrocuted, and sexually assaulted by the Kataib Hezbollah terrorist group in Iraq, describing the abuse in an interview published on Wednesday.
In her first appearance since being freed in September, Tsurkov told The New York Times that her Iran-aligned captors “basically used [her] as a punching bag”— especially during the first months after her abduction.
Tsurkov, a dual Israeli-Russian national and Princeton University student, was kidnapped in March 2023 after agreeing to meet a woman who had reached out to her on WhatsApp, claiming she needed help researching the Iran-backed Islamist group.
After showing up to the alleged meeting at a Baghdad coffee shop, Tsurkov was forced into an SUV by several men, who repeatedly beat and sexually assaulted her.
“I genuinely believe I would have died,” she said, noting the Trump administration’s “incredible determination” in negotiating and ultimately securing her release.
Tsurkov expressed her gratitude to US President Donald Trump, the administration officials who helped secure her release, and Gal Hirsch, Israel’s coordinator for hostages and missing persons, praising their efforts and unwavering support throughout her captivity.
Over the course of more than two years, Tsurkov was held in confinement by Kataib Hezbollah, an Iran-backed terrorist group that has never explicitly admitted to abducting her, enduring conditions similar to those faced by hostages held by the Palestinian terrorist group Hamas in Gaza.
Eight months after her abduction, Tsurkov was seen on Iraqi TV for the first time, providing proof she was still alive while being forced to admit she worked as an Israeli and US spy.
During her two years in solitary confinement, Tsurkov said she initially kept her Israeli identity a secret. However, her abductors eventually discovered evidence on her phone and accused her of being a spy.
Even after she tried to demonstrate her pro-Palestinian stance by showing some of her online posts to them, her captors’ treatment of her grew even more brutal.
When she refused to confess to being a spy, Tsurkov said she was “strung up and tortured.”
In her interview, she described one of her captors, referred to as “the colonel,” as “very filthy and very obsessed with sex,” saying he repeatedly threatened her with rape and grabbed a tattoo on her thigh.
In September, Tsurkov was handed over to the Iraqi government, where female doctors examined her weakened physical state, marking her first contact with women since her abduction.
During such a traumatic experience, she recalled that seeing people, including one of her sisters on TV, advocate for her release gave her a sense of hope and helped sustain her strength.
Tsurkov is now in Israel, undergoing rehabilitation for the severe injuries she endured during her captivity. She spends most of her days lying on her back, as sitting or standing remains too painful.
Due to the relentless beatings, she also revealed that she is missing a tooth and continues to suffer constant pain.
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Jewish Groups Vow to Hold Mamdani ‘Fully Accountable’ After Mayoral Victory to Ensure Safety of New York Jews
Democratic candidate for New York City mayor, Zohran Mamdani, delivers remarks while campaigning at the Hanson Place Seventh-Day Adventist Church in the Brooklyn borough of New York City, US, Nov. 1, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Ryan Murphy
Major Jewish organizations were quick to respond to far-left democratic socialist and anti-Zionist Zohran Mamdani being elected as the new mayor of New York City on Tuesday night.
Mamdani, 34, a fierce critic of Israel who has been widely accused of antisemitism, defeated former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo by a margin of 50.4 percent to 41.6 percent, while Republican candidate Curtis Sliwa received 7.1 percent of the votes.
The Democratic state assemblymember — who has repeatedly accused Israel of “apartheid” and “genocide,” refused to recognize its right to exist as a Jewish state, and supported boycotts of all Israeli-linked entities — will be the city’s youngest mayor in over a century and the first Muslim to hold the office.
Mamdani is a member of the controversial Democratic Socialist of America (DSA) organization and has refused to explicitly condemn the phrase “globalize the intifada,” which has been associated with calls for violence against Jews and Israelis worldwide.
Following Tuesday’s election, the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) announced the launch of an initiative to track and monitor policies and personnel appointments of the incoming Mamdani administration in order to help protect Jewish New Yorkers. As part of the new initiative, the ADL is establishing a citywide tipline for New Yorkers to report antisemitic incidents.
New York City has experienced a surge in anti-Jewish hate crimes over the past two years, following Hamas’s Oct. 7, 2023, terrorist attacks in southern Israel, and many Jewish leaders have expressed concerns that the trend will continue and even intensify with Mamdani in office.
“Mayor-elect Mamdani has promoted antisemitic narratives, associated with individuals who have a history of antisemitism, and demonstrated intense animosity toward the Jewish state that is counter to the views of the overwhelming majority of Jewish New Yorkers. We are deeply concerned that those individuals and principles will influence his administration at a time when we are tracking a brazen surge of harassment, vandalism and violence targeting Jewish residents and institutions in recent years,” Jonathan Greenblatt, CEO of the ADL, said in a statement.
“We expect the mayor of the city with the largest Jewish population in the world to stand unequivocally against antisemitism in all its varied forms and support all of its Jewish residents just as he would all other constituents,” Greenblatt added. “In the months ahead, we will hold the Mamdani administration to this basic standard, and ADL will be relentless and unyielding in our work to ensure the safety and security of all Jewish New Yorkers.”
The United Jewish Appeal-Federation of New York, Jewish Community Relations Council of New York, ADL New York/New Jersey, American Jewish Committee of New York, and New York Board of Rabbis said in a joint statement they “cannot ignore that the mayor-elect holds core beliefs fundamentally at odds with our community’s deepest convictions and most cherished values.” They called on Mamdani and all elected officials to “govern with humility, inclusivity, and a deep respect for the diversity of views and experiences that define our city.”
“As we have done for over a century, we will continue to work across every level of government to ensure that our city remains a place where our Jewish community, and all communities, feel safe and respected,” they added. “Our agenda remains clear. We will hold all elected officials, including Mayor-elect Mamdani, fully accountable for ensuring that New York remains a place where Jewish life and support for Israel are protected and can thrive. We will continue to confront, without hesitation, the alarming rise in antisemitism and hate crimes, and loudly call out any rhetoric or actions that delegitimize Israel or excuse antisemitism.”
Rabbi Dr. Josh Joseph, executive vice president and COO of the Orthodox Union, said he urges the mayor-elect to “embrace the responsibility of governing for all, protecting the vulnerable, rejecting divisive rhetoric, and ensuring that safety, dignity, and respect are guaranteed to every New Yorker, including Jewish New Yorkers.” The OU is the largest umbrella organization for Orthodox Jews in the US.
Joseph said the OU “is more determined than ever to continue advocating for the needs of the Jewish People and transforming our collective strength into lasting impact at City Hall and beyond.”
New York has the largest Jewish community outside the State of Israel. The ADL’s Center on Extremism recorded 976 antisemitic incidents in New York City in 2024, which is the highest in any US city since the ADL began monitoring such incidents. The New York City Police Department (NYPD) revealed that last year, 54 percent of all hate crimes in New York City targeted Jewish New Yorkers.