Shortly after Rabbi Hauer zt”l’s passing, I received a cryptic message from Rabbi Moshe Benovitz, managing director of International NCSY and the director of NCSY Kollel, telling me that the eulogy I gave at Rabbi Hauer’s funeral was the second he heard me give. I was puzzled. A few seconds later he explained that he heard me speak about Kol Echad at a recent OU retreat, and that presentation was the first. In his words, “The Kol Echad mission is a tribute to Rabbi Hauer of the highest order.”
He was right. Kol Echad was born out of Rabbi Hauer’s passion and prioritization of the Kol Echad community. And not only Kol Echad. I have the honor of being the rabbi of Ner Tamid, a shul in Baltimore, Maryland. It is a shul that prides itself on ensuring that every member of the community feels welcome. Despite living in a suburban area, a full third of our shul is single, divorced, or widowed, and they are not second-class citizens as many of them play important roles in our shul leadership. We boast a program that ensures that every member who is single gets invited to a meal every Shabbos and Yom Tov. All this and more, and it is all a tribute to Rabbi Hauer’s vision of what a Jewish community should be – a place where every Jew belongs.
In this issue of Kol Echad, you will find a number of articles that focus on this particular aspect of Rabbi Hauer’s legacy, some by people who knew him well and others by complete strangers. It is our hope that you, the reader, will be inspired to help see his vison become a universal reality.
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