It is with great sadness that Matzav.com reports the petirah of Rabbi Moshe Yehuda Kotlarsky zt”l, Vice Chairman of Merkos L’Inyonei Chinuch, the educational arm of the Chabad-Lubavitch movement which oversees over 5,000 Chabad centers and educational institutions worldwide.
He was 74, just a few days shy of his 75th birthday on Rosh Chodesh Sivan.
He was born in 5709 (1949) in the Crown Heights section of Brooklyn, home to Lubavitch World Headquarters – 770 Eastern Parkway, where he would be spending most of his time between traveling the world on missions. His parents were Rabbi Hershel and Golda Kotlarsky (nee Schimmelman).
His father, a native of Otwosk, Poland, was a student of the Yeshiva Chachmei Lublin and Tomchei Tmimim in Poland. He lost most of his family in the Holocaust but miraculously survived. He was one of the 9 Shluchim who built Chabad in Montreal before moving to New York to serve in the administration of the Central Yeshiva Tomchei Temimim of Chabad.
In his youth, Rabbi Moshe learned in the Chabad Yeshivos in Crown Heights. He married Rivka Kazen, daughter of Rabbi Zalman and Shula Kazen, while they ran a girls’ school in France and later moved to Cleveland, Ohio.
After his marriage, Rabbi Moshe and Rivka Kotlarsky settled in the Crown Heights section of Brooklyn, where they raised nine children.
Shortly after his marriage, Rabbi Kotlarsky began working for Merkos, one of the 3 central organizations of the Chabad-Lubavitch movement operating under the direction of the Rebbe and his chief of staff, Rabbi Chaim Mordechai Hodakov.
A dedicated chossid, master networker and skilled fundraiser, Rabbi Kotlarsky was sent to travel to outlying Jewish communities in 1968 – identifying their needs and working with local community leaders to plan future Chabad centers.
Over the years, he became intimately involved in the happenings of many communities. He played a vital role in the revival of the dimed Jewish infrastructure in the former Soviet Union countries following decades of oppression, as well as other underserved areas.
To achieve this, he enlisted the financial support of significant tycoons and philanthropists. Among them were Sami Rohr, his son George and Pamela Rohr, Lev and Olga Leviev, Moise Safra, Moris and Lillian Tabacinic, Gennadiy Bogolyubov, David Slager and others.
Most famously, Rabbi Kotlarsky presided over the International Kinus Hashluchim, the annual convention of Chabad Rabbis, and the Kinus Hashluchos of Chabad Rebbetzins. Thousands of Shluchim participate in the convention, drawing strength and inspiration before returning to their communities and responsibilities.
Under the leadership of Rabbi Kotlarsky and his brother Rabbi Mendel Kotlarsky, the concluding gala banquet of the Kinus became a public showcase of the immense growth of Chabad and the Rebbe’s vision. The New York Times called it the largest sit-down dinner in New York’s history. At the banquet, Rabbi Kotlarsky would lead a “roll call” of the number of Shluchim worldwide, which is currently over 6,000.
To the remote areas where a full-time Chabad presence was not possible, Rabbi Kotlarsky ran the Merkos Shlichus program that would send out Yeshiva bochurim, rabbis in training. These young outreach activities would visit homes and organize programs for the High Holidays, Pesach and in the summer months.
For years, Rabbi Kotlarsky served as the Rebbe’s globetrotting ambassador. In later years, he served as Vice Chairman of Merkos and chairman of many institutions, such as Chabad on Campus International Foundation, which is active on over 230 campuses worldwide, and the Rohr Jewish Learning Institute (JLI), the largest provider of adult Jewish education.
He was also the founder and chairman of Merkos 302, a division of Merkos that provides resources and franchise organizations to Chabad centers such as CTeens, CKids, Chabad Young Professionals, Chabad on Call, Chabad Tomorrow, and Mitzvah Society.
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He is survived by his wife Mrs. Rivka Kotlarsky – Crown Heights, their children Mrs. Chanie Wolowik – Five Towns, New York; R’ Mayer Kotlarsky – Boca Raton, Florida; Mrs. Sarah Benjaminson – Glenview, Illinois; Mrs. Nechama Greenberg – Vista, California; Rabbi Mendy Kotlarsky – Crown Heights; Rabbi Sruly Kotlarsky – Lafayette Hill, Pennsylvania; Rabbi Levi Kotlarsky – East Flatbush, New York; Rabbi Dovid Kotlarsky – Chicago, Illinois; Mrs. Goldie Perlstein – Gainesville, Virginia; grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
He is survived by his siblings, Mrs. Chumi Hershkop – Kingston, Pennsylvania; Mrs. Esti Wilschanki – Morristown, New Jersey; Mrs. Suri Perlman – Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania; Rabbi Mendel Kotlarsky – Crown Heights; Mrs. Fradel Hershkowitz – Crown Heights; Mrs. Chanie Shemtov – Tucson, Arizona; nieces and nephews.
He was predeceased by his older brother Yaakov Dovid Kotlarsky, who passed away in his youth.
The Levaya will take place tomorrow, Wednesday, passing by 770 at approximately 1:00 pm. Shiva will be at 398 Crown Street.
{Matzav.com}