Rabbi Moshe Herson, 90, Built Chabad of New Jersey From the Ground Up

by Tzali Reicher – chabad.org

Rabbi Moshe Herson, the regional director of Chabad-Lubavitch of New Jersey, passed away on Thursday, Jan. 23, 2025, after a lengthy illness. He was 90 years old. His passing follows that of his wife, Pearl, who passed away last month at 85.

Herson transformed New Jersey’s Jewish landscape over six decades of leadership and was a pioneering force in establishing Chabad-Lubavitch’s large presence across the Garden State. As dean of the Rabbinical College of America in Morristown, N.J., Herson built what is now one of the Jewish world’s flagship educational institutions, ordaining dozens of rabbis each year while overseeing the growth of more than 70 Chabad centers throughout New Jersey.

A trusted and devoted emissary of the Rebbe, Rabbi Menachem M. Schneerson, of righteous memory, Herson was appointed by the Rebbe to serve on the board of Agudas Chassidei Chabad—the umbrella organization of the Chabad-Lubavitch movement—and played a pivotal role in advancing the Rebbe’s vision of Jewish outreach.

Though he spoke with a distinctive accent that betrayed his Brazilian origins, Herson became one of American Judaism’s most effective institution builders in the second half of the 20th century. He was respected by students and supporters alike, and even in his final years, despite serious health challenges, he continued working until the end.

‘A Doctor of Divinity’

Moshe Herson was born to Asher and Hinda Herson in 1934 in Rio De Janeiro, Brazil, the youngest of four siblings. The Hersons were a traditional, non-Chassidic Jewish family. Asher passed away in 1939, leaving behind his young family.

As a boy, Herson harbored dreams of becoming a doctor. That was until he met Chabad-Lubavitch’s “Globetrotting Ambassador” Rabbi Yosef Wineberg, who visited Brazil to raise funds for Chabad. After visiting his school class, Wineberg struck up a relationship with the young man and encouraged him to go attend a yeshivah. Too polite to decline a rabbi, Herson accepted Wineberg’s offer to help with the paperwork to apply for a student visa to the U.S.

Although initially reluctant, Herson became drawn to the idea of leaving home for yeshivah, and after finally receiving his mother’s blessing, he made the trip in 1950, arriving to study at the Central Chabad Yeshiva at 770 Eastern Parkway, just months after the passing of the Sixth Rebbe.

At first, Herson was a fish out of water. The 15 year old didn’t speak Hebrew or Yiddish well and found the learning difficult. But despite the challenges, Herson quickly began to love the environment. He was deeply impacted by the short glimpses he had of the Rebbe in that year; particularly inspired by how the Rebbe prayed. When he was battling homesickness, he sought the counsel of the Rebbe, who gave him advice and a listening ear.

“I came to become a doctor, but instead I became a doctor of divinity,” he loved to joke about what was supposed to be a short trip that became a lifetime of devotion.

Herson was in 770 Eastern Parkway in 1951 when the Rebbe accepted the mantle of leadership for the Chabad-Lubavitch movement, charging his audience with the mission to share Judaism with the world and hasten the coming of Moshiach. The Rebbe’s secretariat charged Herson, when he was just 19, with the responsibility of translating the many Portuguese and Spanish language letters the Rebbe received from South and Central America, a sensitive role that showed the Rebbe had a high degree of trust for Herson’s effectiveness and discretion.

In 1960, while still a student in 770, Herson was recruited to join the staff of the Chabad yeshivah in Newark, N.J., along with Rabbi Yisroel Friedman. Friedman would teach the Talmud classes and Herson would teach Chassidic texts. After the first year, Herson noticed the need for increased focus on securing funding for the yeshivah and planned to vacate his teaching position to do so. When the Rebbe heard of this, he told him that he should direct “both the material aspects as well as the spiritual.”

Two years later, Herson was introduced to Pearl Glotzer. The couple married the day after Purim, settling in Newark to continue growing the school.

From Newark Outwards

Although already involved in the community for a few years, it wasn’t until 1965 when Herson officially assumed the role as the Rebbe’s emissary to New Jersey. As each new establishment opened in the state under his leadership, Herson would worry about it personally, think about and was deeply involved with.

“The Rebbe didn’t see the difference between if the person he was speaking to was a scion of a Chabad family or a ‘fresh’ Chassid,” Herson said in an interview with the Kfar Chabad magazine in 2020. “He cared what the person was accomplishing. Any other matter was secondary, irrelevant.”

“I am a good example of this,” he continued. “I did not grow up in a Chabad home. I have no familial connection to Chabad. … Regardless, the Rebbe ‘took’ me and turned me into a shliach of his. The Rebbe literally ‘built’ me, shaped my personality.”

After a number of years, it was clear that the yeshivah had outgrown its home in Newark and needed to relocate. By then, Herson had cultivated warm relationships with leading community members and had set up a board to support Chabad of New Jersey’s activities.

On a Sunday in 1970, the board gathered in 770 for a special meeting with the Rebbe. The Rebbe was encouraged by their proposal to move the yeshivah, noting that young people need space to breathe and move around, and perhaps even have access to a swimming pool. Originally thinking of upgrading the school from a one-bedroom property to a slightly larger six-family unit, the board understood that the Rebbe was encouraging them to think bigger.

After looking at a repurposed bank in West Orange, they found an old monastery located on a large 14-acre property, complete with sports facilities, outside of Morristown. In 1971, the yeshivah moved and has been there to this day. In March of 2024, Herson was there to see the unveiling of a $9 million expansion to the campus.

Giving a blessing ahead of the grand opening, the Rebbe wrote to Herson: “Hashem should grant you abundant success in this institution, and in the institutions which you have begun building around it.” Herson understood that the yeshiva was to be the beacon around which the other Chabad institutions in New Jersey were to rise to make Judaism accessible in the state.

It was time for Chabad-Lubavitch to begin building in New Jersey.

Building Chabad of New Jersey

Recognizing the vast number of underserved Jewish people throughout the state, Herson began building Chabad outposts to serve them. He began in Bergen County, recognizing the burgeoning Jewish population in the area, and recruited dedicated emissaries to serve as the heart of each community. These emissaries—inspired by the Rebbe’s unwavering mission and Jewish outreach and Herson’s dedication to that goal—eagerly embraced the challenge of building vibrant Jewish lives in their respective locales.

From Bergen County—recognizing the unique needs of the growing Jewish student population at Rutgers University—emissaries were sent to the campus, creating a warm and welcoming haven for Jewish students seeking a sense of community, religious observance, and meaningful Jewish experiences, and from there, to the entire state.

Herson’s unwavering leadership and strategic planning led to the establishment of dozens Chabad centers throughout the vast expanse of New Jersey, reaching even the most remote corners of the state. He was always a guiding light and pillar of support for the emissaries under his purview, providing them with resources, mentorship and encouragement to thrive in their respective communities and fulfill their vital mission of bringing Judaism to life for every Jew in New Jersey.

Running the Rabbinical College of America and Chabad of New Jersey necessitated a significant amount of fundraising, and major Jewish philanthropists, including the Wilf, Kushner and Lauder families, became supporters of Chabad of New Jersey. There was something about this magnetic rabbi with the funny accent that attracted these donors to the authenticity of his mission. He was direct—yet unfailingly genteel—and completely sincere when he asked for their support. Perhaps it was his obvious sense of purpose and devotion to the mission entrusted to him by the Rebbe that drew people towards him.

David Chase was Herson’s most significant partner in building the Rabbinical College of America and served on its board, eventually developing an unusually warm and personal relationship with the Rebbe. He was at the initial meeting when the Rebbe suggested that they look for a place with significant space for the students and enthusiastically declared the Rebbe had removed all limitations, allowing them to think far beyond their original plans for growth. Based in Connecticut, Chase met Herson in the 1960s when the yeshivah was still located in Newark, where his in-laws lived. Herson was looking for financial support, and impressed by his selflessness, Chase began assisting him, developing a lifelong bond that Herson described as brotherhood.

As part of his mission of outreach and growth, Herson built warm relationships with the leaders and state representatives from New Jersey, beginning with Sen. Frank Lautenberg, who represented New Jersey in the Senate for five terms, and more recently, had a close relationship with Gov. Phil Murphy, the current governor of the state. His state connections came in handy during the battles over public menorahs in the 1980s, when a friend in the state senate advocated for their approval due to his friendship with the magnetic and persuasive rabbi. As part of his work representing the Chabad movement, Herson also met with all the presidents from President Gerald Ford through President Donald Trump.

Today, there are 72 Chabad centres in New Jersey. The Rabbinical College of America in Morristown serves as the headquarters for Chabad of New Jersey and maintains a thriving campus. Its educational ecosystem includes rabbinical students pursuing ordination, the main Tomchei Temimim Yeshiva, Yeshivas Tiferes Bachurim for those newer to religious study, and more than 250 elementary- and middle-school students. Thousands have passed through since it opened its doors, and gone on to serve communities throughout the world.

During the summer, hundreds of young students flock to the campus for the Yeshiva Summer Program (YSP). Herson was also proud of a recent groundbreaking mental health initiative launched by Chabad of New Jersey.

In recent years, although Herson battled a series of health challenges, he remained remarkably sharp and alert, coming to work in his office to direct Chabad of New Jersey and the Rabbinical College of America until two weeks before his passing. At a moving celebration marking his 90th birthday in the summer of 2024, he was recognized by his latest generation of students for his years of dedication and remarkable service, and a new edition of the Tanya was printed in his honor.

Predeceased by his wife, Pearl, a little more than three weeks ago, Herson is survived by their children: Rabbi Asher Herson (Rockaway, N.J.); Sara Brafman (Morristown, N.J.); Rabbi Mendy Herson (Basking Ridge, N.J.); and many grandchildren and great-grandchildren.