Rabbi Mendy Herson Announced as Head Shliach of New Jersey

By COLlive reporter
Photos: Shraga Charytan

This past Thursday, family, friends, and students gathered at the Rabbinical College of America in Morristown to mark the shloshim of the devoted shliach to New Jersey and longtime dean of the yeshiva, Rabbi Moshe Herson a”h, who passed away on 23 Teves at the age of 90.

Rabbi Mendel Dubov, shliach to Sussex County, NJ, opened the event by highlighting the significance of the date of the Shloshim, 22 Shevat. He noted that the Rebbe emphasized this day as a time when “the living should take to heart,” encouraging people to learn from the life and legacy of the Rebbetzin. Rabbi Dubov explained that this was the purpose of the evening—to draw inspiration from the life and dedication of Rabbi Moshe Herson.

Rabbi Dubov then introduced his father-in-law, Rabbi Asher Herson, regional director of Chabad of Northwest NJ, to share a few words and make the siyum on Mishnayos, which was followed by Kaddish.

“If there’s one word that defines my father, one characteristic that stands above all, it’s ‘hismasrus’—total dedication,” Rabbi Herson said. “His unwavering commitment to the Rebbe meant that at times, there was no money to fix the gaping hole in our car, yet he never missed paying anyone else, of course.”

Mendy Brafman, a grandson of Rabbi Herson, shared a brief account of his grandfather’s journey—from his early years in Rio de Janeiro, where he lost his father at a young age and dreamed of becoming a doctor, to his meeting the Rebbe and becoming a full fledged chassid.

“Zeidy was a general who marched to his strength, but he was also a grandfather who was soft and gentle,” he said.

Mendy shared a story about how, at the age of eighty, his grandfather traveled to Delaware—the only time he went without any papers to work on. He didn’t bring any paperwork because he spent the next seven hours reciting Tehillim while sitting by the bedside of his grandson, who was undergoing surgery.

Rabbi Mendy Herson spoke next and told a previously unknown story how the Rebbe once remarked to Rabbi Gershon Ber Jacobson regarding Rabbi Herson’s work: “Bichlal, I am very happy with Reb Moshe Herson, er macht gut – he does well.”

Rabbi Mendy Herson concluded by saying that, naturally, his father was a quiet and unassuming person who kept to himself. However, the Rebbe saw in him a general, and he surrendered himself to the Rebbe, who molded him into one.

Rabbi Chaim Brafman, the son-in-law of Rabbi Herson and Rosh Kollel at Tiferes Bochurim, a yeshiva established by Rabbi Herson for ba’alei teshuva, spoke about the immense dedication Rabbi Herson had to the Rebbe and the shlichus he was entrusted with. He emphasized that at times, Rabbi Herson was called upon to make tough and challenging decisions, always hoping to meet the Rebbe’s expectations of him.

Rabbi Sholom Spalter, a teacher and the longest-standing member at the Yeshiva in Morristown, shared how deeply he was inspired by Rabbi Herson, particularly in the last few years of his life, when his health was not at its best.

“He was always striving for greater heights. He never tired or believed he had done enough; he just kept pushing forward,” he said.

Mr. Miles Berger, a longtime supporter of Lubavitch institutions in New Jersey, was then called upon to represent the board of directors of the Yeshiva.

Mr. Berger expressed his profound gratitude to Rabbi Herson for “saving his life” by introducing him to true Yiddishkeit. He reminisced about the Yeshiva’s humble beginnings in a two-story house in Newark, and how it grew into the expansive campus it is today.

“This is the house that Moshe built,” Berger called out to the many bochurim in the crowd. “When you come back here in thirty years, remember where it began.”

The crowd then turned their attention to the screens for a brief video featuring the many encounters Rabbi Herson had with the Rebbe.

The final speaker of the night was Rabbi Shmuel Kaplan, the Head shliach to the state of Maryland, who, speaking on the behalf of Merkos L’nyonei Chinuch, officially appointed Rabbi Mendy Herson to step into his father’s shoes and manage the Lubavitch institutions of New Jersey with the support of the ‘vaad’.

Rabbi Kaplan also shared some early memories of his time in Yeshiva under Rabbi Herson. He recalled how, once, he and a few friends ran off to 770 right before Shabbos, thinking there would be a farbrengen. Rabbi Herson called him into his office and suspended him from the yeshiva for a few days. “Just before I left the room, I turned back to look at him, and he gave me the biggest smile ever. That was all I needed to see.”

The crowd left the evening feeling deeply inspired and motivated to learn from and carry on the legacy of the legendary shliach, Rabbi Moshe Herson a”h.

VIDEO: Full Replay