Special Tribute Edition of Jewish Action: Rabbi Moshe Hauer, zt”l—Vision, Leadership & Legacy
The news of Rabbi Moshe Hauer’s sudden and premature passing on Shemini Atzeret 5786 (October 14, 2025) hit the American Jewish community in general, and the OU in particular, unimaginably hard. One moment he was leading, inspiring and urging us forward. The next, the very center of gravity had shifted. Inside the OU, the grief was immediate and intimate. We lost more than an executive vice president; we lost the steady figure who walked our hallways, the voice who inspired us to think bigger and reach further, the man whose presence infused sanctity and purpose into a room. And the sense of loss echoed sharply across the Jewish world. Communities, shuls and a large number of individuals felt the absence of a public Torah voice that had become essential: principled, supportive and deeply caring.
To work with Rabbi Hauer was to experience leadership that elevated. He spoke constantly about Torah values, because he lived and embodied those values. His convictions infused everything he did, from the “Torah framing” with which he guided a meeting to the humility with which he greeted every person. He related to staff as his partners in avodat hakodesh, each of us entrusted with a piece of the work that mattered to him so deeply. His principled, unyielding demands revealed strengths we did not know we possessed, pushing us forward and lifting us up at every step. To spend time with him was to feel simultaneously steadied and stretched.
This special tribute edition, released in honor of his first yahrtzeit, is our attempt to express what Rabbi Hauer left us. The edition begins with a biographical essay based on interviews, focusing on Rabbi Hauer’s years at the OU. The essay features tributes that are expressions of grief and also of gratitude: for his example, his integrity, his unwavering belief in the Jewish future, his love for Torah and for Klal Yisrael. Finally, four additional essays provide deep dives into Rabbi Hauer’s thought and vision, accompanied by some of his own writings on those topics.
The charge now rests with us to carry his work forward. Even as the ache of loss remains sharp, the path he charted is unmistakable, and his voice continues to guide us in serving Klal Yisrael.
Mitchel R. Aeder, President of the Orthodox Union
Rabbi Josh Joseph, Ed.D., Chief Executive Officer of the Orthodox Union
Rabbi Gil Student, OU Director of Jewish Media, Publications and Editorial Communications
Limited copies of the special tribute edition are available for purchase for $20 each at https://www.ou.org/tribute-issue/.