Rabbi Moshe Hauer, Executive Vice President of the Orthodox Union, issued a weekly Shabbos message for last week that was quite remarkable for its candor.
The message begins by referring to the fact that that he received a “horribly anguished” call from an acquaintance. She had just seen recently released October 7 footage of several bloodied female soldiers in the hands of the monstrous Hamas terrorists. She wondered why the Jewish world was not doing everything to get them out. “Why were we not going to Congress with every rabbi, every shul, and every Jew, and demanding their release?” To that, Rabbi Hauer wrote, “She has a point.”
Rabbi Hauer went on to show that the OU was doing a lot through its advocacy for the hostages, and she was “off script,” correctly calling this out as the insanity that it is, wondering what we could possibly be thinking (Rabbi Hauer’s words).
From there, Rabbi Hauer went on to describe the inherent hypocrisy of politicians, who have no internalized values.
Although I know Rabbi Hauer through the OU, I also now reside in his hometown of Baltimore. Interestingly, I have never met Rabbi Hauer in Baltimore; we live in different parts of town. I can tell you that he is spoken of in the highest terms as an articulate spokesman and respected Torah scholar.
Nonetheless, over the years, I have differed with Rabbi Hauer and the OU’s lay leadership regarding its lack of taking a lead role in Jewish and Torah issues. It came to the point that the previous president of the OU refused to acknowledge me, claiming that I badgered him “in 52 emails.” It was nowhere near 52 emails. And if I was persistent, it was because I had to email him several times until I received some type of dismissive response.
I have a letter in my files – a letter to Rabbi Hauer that I never sent – dated October 16, 2023. I did not send it because I felt the times were very raw for Jews then – as they still are – and I did not want to bring up any divisive issues.
Now that Rabbi Hauer has gone public with his confession that organized Orthodoxy has not done enough, I feel I can express some of my feelings stated in my unsent letter.
My list of grievances was quite extensive. But among them were that the OU did not take a public stand at that time against college anti-Semitism, especially at CUNY. The OU stood silent, as well, during the BLM anti-Zionist and anti-Semitic rampages. The OU chose to remain silent when Yeshiva University was going through its crisis with the LGBTQ clubs on campus issue. Our CJV, and even the Agudah, lent very clear and vocal support to YU. Aside from publicly condemning the handful of Jewish avengers against the PLA town of Hawara for Arab atrocities committed against Israeli citizens, the OU said nothing about the missiles constantly being lobbed into Israel by Hamas. The president of the OU said in an interview that the OU prefers quiet diplomacy behind the scenes rather than public action.
Most importantly, as I have written in these pages numerous times, the Modern Orthodox organized world has had no messaging for its grassroots. They no longer are a movement. There is no reason why both the OU and the NCYI (National Council of Young Israel) can’t flex their muscles and mobilize the membership of their associated synagogues to rally for all the just Jewish causes.
There is a good reason that the Modern Orthodox organizations can no longer attract people to attend an annual convention. Yet the Agudah attracts nearly 1,500 every year. Like it or not, the Agudah has a hashkafah, a message, that reaches their constituents. Think about that.
Some of the leadership in the OU took my writings as a personal attack on them. That is absolutely not the case. I remain a faithful employee of the OU, as I have been since 1984. I can tell you that much of their work for the Orthodox community is unparalleled. What the OU has done for kashrus alone is a gamechanger for Jews around the globe. Last week, I had the privilege of attending an OU Kashrus conference held in Woodbridge, New Jersey. A certain very well respected rosh ha’yeshivah addressed the gathering and started by saying, “We must be truthful and say clearly that every Jew who observes kashrus relies on the OU.” And OU Kashrus is only one division (albeit major) within the organization.
Rabbi Hauer, in his letter last week, refers to Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai, who rejected “the cover” in dealing with the Roman occupiers. Rabbi Hauer implored us to likewise learn that “We who refuse to coat ourselves in the falsehood of diplomatic appeasement need to raise our voices louder…”
I could not agree with you more, Rabbi Hauer.
Rabbi Yoel Schonfeld is the Rabbi Emeritus of the Young Israel of Kew Gardens Hills, President of the Coalition for Jewish Values, former President of the Vaad Harabonim of Queens, and the Rabbinic Consultant for the Queens Jewish Link.
