Viznitz Rebbe Mordechai Hager: 5 things to know

Rebbe Mordechai Hager, spiritual leader of the Viznitz Hasidim in Monsey, died today at the age of 95. 

Hager led a group of about 5,000 Orthodox Jews, but his impact was felt beyond the confines of Rockland County. 

Here are five things you should know about Hager and his death, the Viznitz sect he led and some funeral traditions specific to Orthodox communities.

HAGER: Viznitz Grand Rebbe Mordechai Hager of Monsey dies at 95

1. He will be buried the same day as his death

In accordance with Jewish tradition, Hager will be buried the same day as his death. As he was a prominent rabbi, that leaves the many thousands of mourners a very short time to prepare.

But Hager planned ahead. His oldest son died after surgery in 2015, and Hager planned to be buried in the same spot, which he designated years ago.

A video tweeted Friday morning showed a group of Orthodox Jewish men digging Hager’s grave in the pre-arranged location.

Also in accordance with Orthodox Jewish tradition, women will not be allowed to attend the graveside service.

2. Hager was descended from rabbis, and related to rabbis

Born in Poland in 1922, Hager and his family were smuggled out of Nazi-occupied Eastern Europe. 

He settled in New York, first in Brooklyn and then in Monsey. His father, Rebbe Chaim Meir Hager, led the Viznitz sect after the Holocaust, dying in 1972. 

After the elder Hager’s death, Rebbe Mordechai Hager became rebbe in New York and his older brother, Rebbe Yehoshua Hager, became rebbe in Bnei Brak in Israel.

Hager's wife, Simi Mirel Hager, who died in 2005, was the sister of Grand Rebbe David Twersky of New Square, and daughter to the previous New Square grand rebbe.

3. Hager organized succession before his death

The leadership of a large Orthodox Jewish sect can become a contentious issue after the death of a prominent rabbi, but Hager managed issues of succession in advance.

His oldest son passed away in 2015, but Hager’s other sons will take over at various Viznitz courts, including Monsey, Brooklyn and London, among other locations.

4. He was known as austere and quiet

Hager was known to be an austere and thoughtful rabbi, who eschewed media coverage of any kind.

According to Yosef Rapaport, a media consultant with Agudath Israel of America, Hager and his followers worked to keep his face out of photographs. 

“He was the most powerful grand rebbe in Rockland County and still the fact that you don’t know about him was an achievement of his will,” Rapaport said.

That attitude helped Hager become a well-known figure among Orthodox Jews. 

“He had a revered reputation across many lines that usually divide the Orthodox community,” Rapaport said. 

5. The cemetery will become a ‘place of pilgrimage’

Rapaport said other prominent rabbis have been buried at the Monsey cemetery in which Hager will be laid to rest, and with Hager’s interment it will only become more so.

The cemetery, which Rapaport called “a place of pilgrimage,” is usually crowded on the eve of Shabbat — and the eve of a new month on the Jewish calendar. 

“There are people there day and night,” Rapaport said. 

Staff writer Gabriel Rom contributed to this report.