The Stamford Hill community lost a precious member, on the first day of Selichos, with the sudden passing of Reb Moshe Ezra Hochhauser at the age of 77.
Reb Moshe Ezra was the much-loved proprietor of the first dedicated seforim shop in Stamford Hill, The Hebrew Book and Gift Centre, known to many simply as Hochhauser’s bookshop, which for many years was an iconic landmark at 18 Cazenove Road and later moved to Amhurst Park.
Reb Moshe Ezra Hochhauser was born to Yochanan and Esther Hochhauser (née Eisenberg) in Leeds, as the thirteenth of seventeen children, in the year 1941. The family was evacuated from London to Leeds during the Blitz. His parents had arrived from Berlin at the onset of World War Two and settled in London with the assistance of Rabbi Dr Solomon Schönfeld and the active support of Rebbetzin Devorah Sternbuch towards whom they felt tremendous hakoras hatov their entire lives.
Reb Moshe Ezra learnt in the Avigdor School, whence he continued onto Letchworth to attend the Yeshivah Ketana that was started by the late Rabbi Sassoon and Rabbi Yitzchok Aussenberg and later travelled to Bnei Brak where he learnt in the Viznitz Yeshiva. He became very attached to the Imrei Chaim of Viznitz and always spoke about the greatness of his Rebbe. He married his eishes chayil, the daughter of Rav Moshe Zev Reitzer of Schulen in Belgium and they settled in London. After his marriage he became a regular mispallel at the Viznitz shul and later, when the Viznitz-Monsey shul opened, he became one of their first members. When the present Rebbe arrived in London, he was his Chavrusa, his driver and eventually his ardent Chossid, basking in his presence during the Tefillos, the Tisch and during a Simchah – like the Sheva Brochos that he made just a week prior to his passing, when the Rebbe graced the head table. One could discern the immense Simchah that permeated his every fibre at being the recipient of such honour: to have the Rebbe at his granddaughter’s Simchah.
His father, Mr Yochanan Hochhauser, ran a seforim store from his home, first on Brick Lane in the East End and later in Lordship Park, Stamford Hill. In 1967, Reb Moshe Ezra decided to follow in his father’s footsteps and became a bookseller, setting the standard for Mochrey Seforim for years to come. His shop at 18 Cazenove Road was the first proper Hebrew book store in Stamford Hill and presented a great addition to the neighbourhood, attracting customers from near and far. Everyone who remembers the store will agree that the shop’s main attraction was not only the fact that it was a dedicated shop instead of being located in a room of a private house, but mainly that it belonged to Reb Moshe Ezra Hochhauser. When you entered the shop, you could breathe Seforim, smell them and sometimes even hear them talk; such was the aura that enveloped the Hebrew Book and Gift Centre.
Mr Hochhauser was the quintessential mechabed es habriyos, treating every person with utmost respect and he maintained a close relationship with many of his customers, because of the pleasant way he related to them. He was never heard raising his voice and spoke calmly and pleasantly, not responding loudly to some argumentative clients – even if it meant losing a sale.
Mr Hochhauser knew his customers well and he knew what interested them. Since he knew his seforim even better, he was able to know what sefer or book to suggest to best suit each of his customer’s needs. His honesty was also impeccable, and he was scrupulous in his every business dealing to ensure that he never shortchanged a customer.
Some who came into Mr Hochhauser’s shop were lonely souls who were looking for companionship and a listening ear. They found this and so much more in Mr Hochhauser who regarded each one with utmost respect and never looked down at them. If they were still there when it was time to close the shop, he wouldn’t send them away, but invited them to his home, where his eishes chayil served them a warm meal, while he continued listening and validating their pain.
He greeted every person on the street with his characteristic, regal nod and a big smile adorning his radiant face. Although he had a tight daily schedule, he managed to maintain the paradox of being calm while still rushing to utilize every minute to the maximum.
As one of his children said: “My father was a gentleman, but he was also a very gentle man.” Outstanding in kibbud eim, the only time anyone heard him speak in a loud voice was to protest against a lack of respect that a taxi driver had shown his mother.
Mr Hochhauser’s elderly mother lived with the family for several years. Knowing how much nachas she derived from watching her sons learning Torah together, he organised a learning session every week in his house for all his brothers, while his mother watched with an other-worldly pleasure of seeing her sons engaged in Torah-learning.
He himself inherited his mother’s ahavas Torah. After closing his shop, he spent many hours learning in his upstairs seforim room in his home on Linthorpe Road.
In more recent years, after retiring from business, Reb Moshe Ezra spent the whole day learning and listening to shiurim. After Rabbi Shimon Hirschler’s Daf Yomi shiur which started at six o’clock in the morning, he continued learning after Shacharis by listening to Rav Yisroel Reisman’s Parsha recording. He then went on to the kollel baalei battim where he also prepared all the seforim before the shiurim and returned them after the learning was over. The early afternoon Daf Yomi shiur by Rav Alexander Heller was followed by a chavrusa in Chumash-Rashi with his brother and then there was the early evening Daf Yomi shiur by his nephew Rabbi Hershel Reitzer.
So consistent was he with keeping to his shiurim that when his daughter married off a child recently, he still insisted on attending his shiur at eight o’clock that evening.
He never missed the Alim LiTerufah Torah leaflet published in Antwerp, which, as trivial as it may sound, highlights the consistency of searching for meaningful ways to fill even his spare time, whether at home or when out and about.
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His great appreciation for Torah meant that he felt and showed a lot of respect for talmidei chachomim. He would talk with awe about every talmid chochom and when he read something about the life of a talmid chochom he would clip out the article and file it, for future revision.
His davening was an example of an eved Hashem, and esAmidah, he was oblivious to anything going on around him.
pecially during the
As Rav Shloime Taussig, Rosh Kollel ba'alei batim said at the levayeh, his veritable awe of the Shechina’s presence can be seen from the fact that Reb Moshe Ezra was very careful not to converse in shul. Generally, his power of speech was such that, although when needed, he said what he felt had to be said, yet most importantly he knew when to remain silent.
Mr Hochhauser had a close relationship with all his grandchildren and all of them felt his deep love and concern for their wellbeing.
Reb Moshe Ezra leaves behind his wife who was a devoted partner in everything he accomplished in life, two sons and five daughters and many grandchildren and great-grandchildren who are erlich and G-d fearing Yieden, and continue in the path that he has laid out before them.
Yehi zichro boruch.
Published in The Jewish Tribune 5/9/18 - כ"ה אלול ה'תשע"ט
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