Most people will not know the name Rabbi Chaskel Besser, but his passing has brought sadness to the many who knew this wonderful man who touched the lives of thousands of people.

For the facts of his life, which includes the upheaval of the Holocaust and the rebuilding of the Jewish nation in the aftermath of that tragedy, you can get a glimpse here and we heartily recommend his biography,  The Rabbi of 84th Street: The Extraordinary Life of Haskel Besser written by our good friend Warren Kozak.

If you do a Google search for Rabbi Chaskel Besser you will find an out pouring of platitudes for this great man.

While the world rightfully praises Rabbi Besser for his public accomplishments, we want to share a few private reflections on a man who we had the good fortune of knowing.

Rabbi Besser was a man with a smile. Rabbi Besser treated everyone with respect. If you spoke, he always listened. He felt he had something to learn from everyone he met.

In his quiet unassuming way Rabbi Besser played a lead role (with the Ronald S. Lauder Foundation) in reintroducing Judaism among the ashes of Nazism and Communism in Eastern Europe. He met Presidents and Prime Ministers but you would not know that from him. Because Rabbi Besser left self-promotion for others.

Over the years we spoke some politics and discussed some classical music. When you entered his office you would be struck by the number of books that lined his walls and piled up on his desk. And you would invariably be treated to some classical music. He loved his classical music and he knew his composers.

While the world is poorer by his passing it is richer for having had his presence for nearly 90 years.  May his memory be a blessing.