It was with shattered hearts that the American community received the shocking news of the passing of Rabbi Moshe Ehrlich, z”l, from Yerushalayim, after an excruciating battle with liver cancer that overtook him a mere month ago.

He was the son of the legendary composer and Yiddish singer, Reb Yom Tov Ehrlich from Williamsburg and Yerushalayim, who inspired so many hearts and minds of young and old alike. The home of Reb Yom Tov was one filled with Yiras Shamayim, simcha and Avodas Hashem. As the Satmar Rebbe Reb Yoel zy”a once said of Reb Yom Tov, “wherever he goes it is Yom Tov, what he spreads is Simcha and whatever he does is Ehrlich [honest].” For Reb Yontel (as he was affectionately known), it was much more than inspiring neginah, these melodies and beautiful words were a vehicle with which he imparted the pure unadulterated values that he saw back home in David-Horodok, Poland.

Like his father, Reb Moshe possessed that same heart and sensitivity that endeared him so to all who knew him. A paradigm of emes with a tremendous Ahavas haTorah, he constantly strove for excellence in character and taught his children the same. Reb Moshe was not content with doing things out of rote. When he sat down to learn, he immersed himself fully and could not be disturbed. He did everything without compromise, he took no short cuts. This was how he did everything, how he was as a husband and how he was as a father.

Reb Moshe would always try to find out the right way to do things and would not rest until he did. He loved to share his knowledge of the way things were in the “old days”; his phenomenal memory kept his audiences spellbound.

To hear Reb Moshe serve as ba’al tefillah or sing a niggun was a mesmerizing experience. It was as if it were being played by instrument, so perfect were his vocal abilities. It was in this melodious way that he would pour out his heart to the Creator, sweeping the crowd along with him in sublime service of Hashem.

It was this sense of emunah that he spread to those around him, that was all he left his children—departing the world in suffering, exhorting his children to be strong in the face of loss.

This is by far not the first brush with tragedy for this family. For the three years they shuttled back and forth to the United States with their mother, Mrs. Liba Ehrlich, a”h, a daughter of, lbl”ch, Reb Shimon Weinberg Shlit”a, one of the prominent Chassidim of Slonim, as she battled her own prolonged, painful battle with cancer—until her tragic passing about 18 months ago. Throughout this terrible time, it was the rock-solid faith of Reb Moshe that kept his family strong. It is noteworthy to mention that in the short time since his wife’s passing, Reb Moshe married off four of his children.

With that passing of both their parents within such a short period of time, the children were left alone, broken and at utter loss for how they will move on with life. But nothing prepared them for the anguish, shame and unbearable pain that took place in the aftermath of Reb Moshe’s petirah—as the Kollel, who are proprietors of the section where Reb Moshe asked to be buried refused to do so until they received the sum of $25,000. There was simply no way that the family could come up with this kind of money. And so, unprecedentedly for minhag Yerushalayim, the body was left overnight without burial for the sole reason of lack of funds.

The Ehrlich family went to sleep dejected and devastated, but in New York word got out and things began to happen.

Through the efforts of a few tireless askanim who kicked into action an online campaign that went viral, and understandably opened the hearts of every caring Yid. Within 12 hours, an astounding $25,000 was raised, with additional funds in the ensuing hours. A family that lived through a night of anguish and shame, woke up to the news that their kindhearted brethren had saved the day, and they were able to bury their father.

Reb Moshe and his wife, zichronam livrachah, left behind a beautiful legacy of children who are Talmidei Chachamim, some of whom he had merited to marry off in his lifetime. However, three children, aged 17, 19 and 21, unmarried and bereft of both parents have no one who will provide for them.

Imagine the pain and hopelessness that a young adult feels; no loving mother and no supporting father, no income, barely a home. Their future is terribly bleak.

We must show our support and come to the rescue of these poor orphans! What was done in those 24 hours is proof that there are hundreds of caring people with open hearts who will jump in and do their share to ease the pain and burden of a family who suffered tragedy after tragedy.

The new goal for the Ehrlich family campaign is now $100,000, which will provide for the basic needs of the family for the time being and will hopefully assist in marrying off these children when the time comes.

This project is endorsed by Rabbi Shmuel Dishon Shlit”a, a close friend of the family, and other Rabbanim.

To donate:

Visit: ehrlichfund.org

Call: (929) 262-0202

Email: [email protected]

Or send checks to

Cong. Bais Aaron

1070 38th Street

Brooklyn NY 11219

By Yitzchok Shteierman