Boruch Dayan Ha’emes: Vizhnitzer Rebbe OBM

Rabbi Moshe Yehoshua Hager, the fifth Vishnitzer Rebbe in Bnei Brak has passed away this evening at the age of 96.

R’ Hager was the oldest son of the previous Vishnitzer Rebbe, R’ Chaim Meir Hager, also known as the Imrei Chaim, and succeeded his father upon his death in 1972. The Rebbe’s health had been failing over recent years and the with the exception of holidays and the occasional tish, the Rebbe rarely appeared in public.

R’ Hager was born in 1916 and was appointed by his father to serve as the Rov of the Hungarian town of Vilchovitz at the age of eighteen. When World War II spread into Hungary in 1944, the Hager family, with the help of local residents and askanim, made the arduous six month trek by foot, rail and boat from Hungary to Israel, where they were welcomed by joyous Vishnitzer chasidim in Haifa.

Upon arriving in Eretz Yisroel, R’ Hager was appointed by his uncle, R’ Eliezer Hager, also known as the Damesek Eliezer, to be the Rosh Yeshiva of Yeshivas Beis Yisroel V’Damesek Eliezer, originally located in Tel Aviv but later moved to Bnei Brak after the establishment of Kiryas Vishnitz. R’ Hager was also named by his father as the Rov and Av Beis Din of Kiryas Vishnitz, where he created the “Tzirei Vishnitz” youth movement in both elementary and high schools, to keep young Hungarian and Romanian Vishnitzer refugees close to the chasidus of their families. R’ Hager served in these positions until the death of his father, whereupon he took over his father’s position as the Admor of Vishnitz.

R’ Hager was renowned for both his great skills as a lamdan and his extreme vigilance in shemiras eynayim and was instrumental in the establishment of Mehadrin bus lines in Eretz Yisroel. R’ Hager served as the president of the Moetzes Gedolei Hatorah of Agudath Israel and under his tutelage, many Vishnitzer schools were established, serving over 10,000 children. Both his davening and his tishes, which were held until R’ Hager’s health began failing, were known to be events of great enthusiasm and joy.

A massive celebration was held last year in Binyanei Hauma in Yerushalayim to commemorate the R’ Hager’s creation of the Vishnitzer yeshivos in Eretz Yisroel seventy years ago. R’ Hager is credited for stressing the importance of serious learning and proper education among his followers, which number approximately 5,000 families in Israel, second only in size to the Gerrer chasidim.

R’ Hager, who suffered from Alzheimers, had been in poor health for the last several years and had been in very serious condition for the last several weeks. He is survived by his second wife, Sheindel, his sons, R’ Yisroel and R’ Menachem Mendel and his four daughters, Rebbetzin Chana Chaya Twersky, wife of the Skverer Rebbe, Rebbetzin Sosha Teitelbaum, wife of R’ Aaron Teitelbaum, the Satmar Rebbe, Rebbetzin Sara Rokeach, wife of R’ Yisochor Dov Rokeach, the Belzer Rebbe of Yerushalayim and Rebbetzin Hinda Ernster, wife of the Rosh Yeshiva of the Vishnitzer Yeshiva in Bnei Brak.