Boruch Dayan Hoemes: Rabbi Yosef Loschak, 62, OBM

With great sadness and deep pain we inform you of the untimely passing of Rabbi Yosef Yehuda Loschak OBM, a Shliach in S. Barbra, California. He was 62 years old.

The Loschak’s went out on Shlichus to S. Barbara in Southern California over 30 years ago and have since expanded into the University of California, Santa Barbara and established a Campus Chabad house.

Recently Rabbi Loschak was diagnosed with an illness and calls for Tehillim were circulated amongst Lubavitchers worldwide.

On Gimmel Tammuz, on the heels of a call for tehillim at the Central Gimmel Tammuz Farbrengen in Crown Heights, Rabbi Loschak passed away.

He is survived by his wife Devorah and their children Mendel (S. Barbara, CA), Shterna Kudan (S. Barbara, CA), Ella Potash (Redwood City, CA) Nechama Dena Dinerman (Crown Heights), Ahrele (Crown Heights), Hersh (Glassboro, NJ), Mushky Rabin (Crown Heights), Yochi Lipinski (Crown Heights), Estee Steinmetz (Crown Heights), Avi, Miri and Chaim. As well as many grandchildren.

The levaya will be taking place in S. Barbara on Wednesday, 1:00pm, and then passing by Yeshivas Ohr Elchonon-Chabad at 6:00pm.

The Levaya in New York will be on Thursday, leaving shomrei hadas at 12:00pm and passing by 770 at 12:30pm.

Shiva will begin after the levaya at the Yarmak home, 1584 Carroll St. [between Troy and Schenectady Aves.] in Crown Heights – only until Thursday night. Mincha – 7:30pm. Maariv – Tzeis.

Shiva will continue in S. Barbara on Friday until Wednesday morning. Davening times in S. Barbara:

Sunday: Shachris – 7:30, 8:00, 8:30am; Mincha/maariv – 8:00pm.
Monday/Tuesday: Shachris – 7:00, 7:30, 8:00am; Mincha/maariv 8:00pm.
Wednesday: Shachris – 7:00, 7:30, 8:00am.

Boruch Dayan Hoemes

Update: The family is in need of five minyanim for shacharis in Crown Heights on Friday morning at 4:00am. If you are able to participate, please text Rabbi Mordechai Dinerman at 917-806-2539.

To donate to the Rabbi Loschak Memorial fund in support of the continued growth of Chabad of S. Barbara, please visit www.sbchabad.org/memorial.

17 Comments

  • Great Dane

    To the Loschak family:

    ברוך דיין האמת. המקום ינחם אתכם בתוך שאר אבלי ציון וירושלים
    Aaron Hurwitz

  • Shalom & Yehudit Halevy

    To the family and S Barbara community

    המקום ינחם אתכם בתוך שאר אבלי ציון וירושלים

    Rabbi Loschak was a true Torah loving shaliach who impacted the life of many

    Yehi Zechro Baruch

  • esther(Benarroch)Michael

    bde he was an amazing person who always had a smile on his face. He will be sorely missed. May we only share in simchas for now on.

  • BDE

    I will always remember his simchos hachayim and his hearty laugh!
    Everything was always fine! There was never a problem, and always ready to help and have a good time.
    An old councelor

  • Aharon

    I learned with him in YG in Melbourne in 1972. Because of his “chayas” and personality, he was mekarev me, and I am a chassidisheh yid today.

  • Hamokom Yinachem Eschem

    Hamokom Yinachem Eschem B’Soch Shaar Aveili Tzion VYerushalaim.
    I wish there were words to express – my heart is there with you. We lost my father at the age of 61, and there seem to be other similarities between our families. The most important thing I found was that we supported each other and our mother – and she us. The image that comes to my mind is of us lifting our mother like a kallah in a chair – while at the same time she is pulling us up and helping us go on.
    May Hashem Bentch you to have on more tzoros and have the strength to go on in a positive way. May his neshama have the highest aliya of all – neshama b’guf.

  • YMSP

    Terrible, A really good man. Boruch Dayan Emes. Hope the Rebbe’s words will be of comfort – http://www.beverlyhillschabad.com/jewish-stories/text/rebbe-next-world.pdf. Heard from R’ Aron Sirota Sh”Y something else that is of comfort – the reason we comfort with “HaMokom” is because He is here with us and at the same time He is right there with them – and connects us both.
    HaMokom Yenachem Eschem BSoich Shaar Aveilei Tzion Virushalayim. May you know no more tzaar.

  • Udkoff Family

    With great sadness we express our heartfelt condolences to our dear friends, Devorah & the entire Loschak family on this great loss. Our thoughts are with you at this difficult time. May the memories of this special soul give you comfort and strength during this painful time of distress and in the years to come, and may the anguish you feel be lifted by the immediate Redemption, and the coming of Moschiach, now!

  • Lynne Allen Schwartz

    Boruch Dayan Emet
    Before they went to Santa Barbara, Rabbi Loschak ran the Chabad House at the University of Texas in Austin and because of him, and Devorah, many lives were saved.

    המקום ינחם אתכם בתוך שאר אבלי ציון וירושלים

  • An askmoses beneficiary

    I never had the honor of meeting Rabbi Loschak in person, however I used to go on the website askmoses quite a bit in order to ask questions of the Rabbis there. Rabbi Loschak was a scholar on askmoses, and after communicating with him several times through that website, I knew that whenever he was On-line as the supervising Rabbi there, I could be assured of an answer given with great care, kindness and patience. And i had alot of questions! Although we never met face-to-face you really do get at least a very small sense of the character of a person through chatting with them on the internet, especially if it is on many occassions. So I’d just like to take this opprotunity to thank Rabbi Loschak for his gentle guidance in helping me with my many varied questions, and in furthering my Jewish observance. I was so impressed by his care, that I even once told him so in the chat! My condolences go out to his family. His impact was surely felt, and he will be missed.

    • To #14

      I totally relate to how you feel. I gained a very close connection to Rabbi Loschak which also started through many conversations on ask mo. He was an amazing person and had great wisdom.
      I will miss him greatly.

  • Askmoses Visitor

    I never met Rabbi Loschak in person but he helped me a lot through askmoses.com. He chatted with me very frequently, sometimes daily, for years from the time I was a young teenager well into young adulthood. There were times I felt lonely and far away from a sense a belonging in the frum world, despite being raised in a frum home. Rabbi Loschak held me close and showed me warmth and compassion that saved and transformed my life. He encouraged me to focus on the good in myself and always keep moving forward. He made a huge impact on my life. He taught me to have compassion for others and think positively. No matter how trivial my questions to him were, he always took me seriously and treated me with respect and kindness. That’s a legacy of his I intend to carry with me forever. Today I am doing mitzvos in his memory and merit.