EXCLUSIVE TO DIN
Written by AK
Reb
Moshe Tzvi Reicher z"l, a devout Chasid of Bobov, succumbed to illness, this morning, surrounded
by his children in Greenwich Hospital, in Greenwich Connecticut. He was 66
years old.
 |
| Professor Harry Reicher, Professor University of Pennsylvania |
Reb Moshe Tzvi Reicher z"l, born in Prague moved to Melbourne Australia in the 1950's where he grew up and
subsequently became one of Australia's leading experts on International law and
taxation..
Reb Moshe Tvi, studied at the Rabbinical College of Australia and New Zealand, The Melbourne Yeshiva Gedola and Yeshivas Kol Torah in Yerushalyim.
Reb Moshe Tvi, studied at the Rabbinical College of Australia and New Zealand, The Melbourne Yeshiva Gedola and Yeshivas Kol Torah in Yerushalyim.
He graduated with
honors from the University of Melbourne and from Harvard Law School.
Reb Moshe Tzvi, was a
gifted orator, speaking often in fluent Yiddish and then switching to the
Queen's English in perfect harmony. He was a Talmud Chachom of note, giving a
weekly Shiur at Kahal Yeshuois Chaim in Flatbush in the deep mystical secrets of
Chassidus. With sparks of humor and a small dose of his sheer brilliance,
he kept the people at the Shiur in total awe.
 |
| Professor Reicher with President Bush after his appointment to the Holocaust Memorial Counsel |
In the world of
academia, he was known as "Professor Harry Reicher," teaching in law schools
including Melbourne University. Recently he was Adjunct Professor of
Law at the University of Pennsylvania, and Professor of Law at Touro College
Jacob D. Fuchsberg Law Center.
Reb Moshe Tvi was a
walking Kiddush Hashem blending his Yirei Shemayim and his total dedication to
Torah Umitzvois with the secular world; a feat not easily accomplished. He was
able to skillfully dance in both worlds with grace and in perfect step. Never
forgetting where he came from and what he stands for. He never compromised
his ideals, morals or faith. He was a true "Chusid" in every
respect.
He was also a much loved
respected Professor, with one student commenting: "To be in his class was
a treat."
He was a humble spirit
but had a generous heart, and was always available to those seeking his
help.
His dedication to Klall
Yisroel in general, and to his community in particular, was his precious
legacy.
His sterling character
and warm nature, his humility, sense of humor and his acts of kindness were his
hallmarks.
His Torah values and
pride in Chassidus was what he transmitted to his family.
Some of his
accomplishments"
- Reb Moshe Tzvi, created a precedent in the Australian legal system requiring that an infant passing away from SIDS not be subjected to an autopsy for faith based reasons.
- He served from 1995-2004 as the representative to the United Nations for Agudath Israel World Organization, working closely with Rabbi Moshe Sherer Z"L, whom he considered his mentor. In this capacity, he worked, at the legal and diplomatic levels, on promotion of international human rights, particularly freedom of religion. In particular, he was heavily involved in the protection and preservation of Jewish cemeteries in Eastern Europe; to protect Jewish schools there threatened with closure; and in a range of other areas.
- In 2004, US President George W Bush appointed him to the US Holocaust Memorial Counsel.
- Professor Reicher was centrally responsible for the first legislation in Australia, and only the second in the world after New York, granting relatives of a deceased person a statutory right to object to the performance of an autopsy, and then to challenge the Coroner’s decision in the courts.
- He was recently awarded the prestigious fellowship to research at the Shoah Center USC.
- Led a team of lawyers who researched and publicized a solution, within the framework of the Australian Family Law Act, to the problem of agunos.
But his goal, was his
total dedication to the Jewish people. He was able to receive huge
compensation and reparations from Germany on behalf of Holocaust Survivors and Mosdos
HaTorah, from the "Claims Conference."
He dedicated his life to
bringing to light, the atrocities of the Nazi Government perpetrated on the
Jewish people, based on the German corrupted legal system. He was at the tail
end of completing a College Textbook on the Holocaust to be published by Oxford Press.
Some lessons that he
felt legal professionals should learn from the Nazis use of law was:
(1) Democracy is fragile
and will not survive without constant vigilance, and to
(2) Learn to take
tyrants at their word.
He authored the
following publications:
- "Columbia Journal of Transnational Law"
- "Australian International law: Cases and
Materials."
- "Holocaust Law"
He contributed to the
following publications:
The Nuremberg Trials: International Criminal
Law Since 1945: Published as Chapter IV The Jurists’ Trial and Lessons for the
Rule of Law, K.G. Saur (2006)
"The Interface of Halakha and the Secular
Legal System: The Australian Experience" published as Chapter 14 in Jewish
Law Association Studies VII: The Paris Conference Volume, Scholars Press (1994)
He is survived by his
wife: Mrs. Chanie Reicher, Brooklyn New York
His son: Reb Chaim
Reicher, Melbourne Australia
His Daughter: Mrs.
Elisheva Engel, Melbourne Australia
His Daughter: Mrs.
Nechama Haskelevich, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
His Son: Habocher Ahron
Reicher, Brooklyn, New York
His sister: Mrs. Susie
Engel, Har Nof, Yerushalyim, Israel
He left countless
friends in his wake, and he will be missed, he made the world alot better place
because of his very existence.
Yehee Zichro Boruch!
Levaye will take place in front of Bobov, 1362 49th Street, Brooklyn at 10:30 AM followed by burial on Har Hazeism in Eretz Yisroel.
Levaye will take place in front of Bobov, 1362 49th Street, Brooklyn at 10:30 AM followed by burial on Har Hazeism in Eretz Yisroel.
PHOTOS
FROM BURIAL IN HAR -HAZEISIM
