Letter: My Memories of Reb Hershel Backman

Studying at the University of Vermont, Rabbi Fishel Jacobs, who had not yet become observant, met R’ Hershel Backman, OBM, during the holiday of Sukkos. He writes about this meeting, which led to a Jewish revival in the town, which has one of the oldest synagogues in the United States.

by Rabbi Fishel Jacobs

A few minutes ago, I was informed that R’ Hershel Backman, of Crown Heights, passed away on Yom Kippur.

Please excuse the shortness and informality of this writing, as the holidays are upon us.

But, I thought it would only be fitting to, at least, share a few thoughts.

R’ Hershel z”l was, as anyone who knew him could easily attest, a modest and unassuming man. It was my great fortune to have met him many years back.

It was 1976, I was a sophomore at the University of Vermont, in Burlington. R’ Hershel had business roots in Vermont, and one day he entered my dorm suite accompanied with the gabai of the local orthodox synagogue.

They were holding some vegetation. R’ Hershel asked me if I’m Jewish. After affirming that I was, he said, “Get all the Jewish kids in the dorm together. We want to make a blessing on the lulav and esrog.”

Growing up in Vermont, I had never seen that before. But, R’ Hershel’s sincere demeanor got me to comply. (Uh, well…, he actually hadn’t ‘asked me’ if I wanted to, it was like understood that I would.)

“Hey, everyone,” I went yelling throughout the dorms. “There are some Rabbis here. And they want all the Jewish kids to come down.”

R’ Hershel got us seated. There were fifteen of us and he proceeded to give us a little talk about the holiday: the sukah, the four species etc. It became clear, very quickly, that none of the kids had ever seen that before (which made me feel much comfortable).

My distinct impression, at the time, was that R’ Hershel was not repeating text which he had memorized. Rather it had that distinct ’from the heart,’ or, for lack of a better term, ‘ad-libbed’ refreshing tone.

He described how important it was to make the blessings on these four species. I remember the lulav being likened to Hashem’s arm, and how holding it dearly and making a blessing on it was like our embracing the Almighty, and vice-versa. Only years later did I realize that in his ever loving manner, R’ Hershel was describing something straight from the end of the fourth chapter of Tanya.

We all, without an exception, made the proper blessings on the four species.

I stayed on for a few years to graduate, and R’ Hershel’s life, too went on. What stayed constant, however, was that Divine Providence, with that meeting, had given me a life-time mentor and friend.

With time, R’ Hershel was critically instrumental in bringing a Rabbi to the only – and still functioning – orthodox synagogue in town. That was Rabbi Shmuel Hecht, who also for all practical purposes acted as the Shliach in Burlington. To the best of my recollection, R’ Hershel secured the salary and the position. (Years later, to today, our Shliach would be my dear friend Rabbi Y. Raskin shli”ta.)

Bringing Rabbi Hecht was a huge thing in those days. It made an enormous difference for the existing Jewish community, as well as for students and faculty.

That wasn’t enough, R’ Hershel was very influential in getting myself, as well as many others, to actually go to Shul and to the Shliach’s home on Friday night.

Were it not for his continued contact during my undergraduate years, my personal life would have turned out much differently.

After graduation, it was my time to go on to yeshiva in Kfar Chabad. I did so with the Rebbe’s personal directions. Tragically, on Wednesday, February 8, 1978, Rabbi Hecht z”l, passed away leaving a dear wife and two young children.

Over the years, I stayed in touch with R’ Hershel z”l. Sometimes at his home in Crown Heights, often in 770 where he loved to spend long hours, carefully and deliberately davening for many hours.

He was a very pious man. Even amongst the many other G-d fearing Chassidim who I’ve met over the years, clearly R’ Hershel shined brightly.

He was a pure neshama, who loved to say Tehilim. During his own travels and years on earth, he consistently gathered people’s names and the names of their parents in order to add them all to his daily Tehillim schedule.

I remember once visiting R’ Hershel with my then new wife, Miriam, on one of our trips from Eretz Yisroel to 770. We had the delight and honor to visit him and his wonderful wife and family on Crown Street. Miriam is from Jerusalem, and grew up amongst talmidie chochomim, such as her own father.

Yet, upon leaving R’ Hershel’s home, I believe we had lunch there, I remember vividly her remarks. She talked about the beauty of the family. “Fishel,” she then said. “That man has such depth and warmth in his eyes, such as I’ve never seen before. He is a holy man.”

The Chabad custom is not to ‘eulogize,’ per-se. And, it would be a far call for me to believe that I am at all up to such a mighty task. What I can do, with an absolute certainty, is verify the above comments.

R’ Hershel did, indeed, have a unique depth and warmth in his eyes and soul. He was a holy man and chosid. We as a People, and the Rebbe’s beloved neighborhood, are all at a great loss.

With deep condolences to the dear family. And with prayer that his soul rests peacefully in heaven, and with certainty the he will intercede for us all Above.