Englewood–Robert Hoenig, a former hospital administrator, has been named Executive Director of Project Ezrah, a community Tzedakah organization that helps people find jobs and reclaim power over their finances. “I am eagerly anticipating a lot of work. Unfortunately, the need is great, probably greater than people realize,” Hoenig told JLBC.

While Hoenig doesn’t officially begin work until October 7th, he spent several days before Rosh Hashanah with the staff, learning about their processes and the system they have in place for helping clients. He is impressed with their dedication and attention to detail. “The work is done with real dignity and respect,” he said. Adding that his interactions with the board have also been helpful in guiding his approach to the organization and its clients, he expressed gratitude and an eagerness to get down to business. “It has been an extreme pleasure so far to work with the board. They show a lot of insight and progressive thinking,” he said.

Project Ezrah, a full-service, non-profit organization that takes a holistic, multi-faceted approach to helping people get or retrain for employment, was founded by Rabbi Yossi Stern z”l, a beloved community member and teacher who served as the organization’s executive director since its inception almost ten years ago. When Stern passed away suddenly last year, his loss was felt by the entire community. Project Ezrah’s executive board search committee spent many months vetting candidates. They were intent on finding “the right fit” for the leadership role that is important to so many people and institutions in Bergen County.

A key lesson Hoenig said he has learned so far is that the community’s continued support is essential to Project Ezrah’s programs, and that he intends to build upon Rabbi Stern’s foundation of chesed by involving community leaders in his work. “Strong relationships with our local rabbis are extremely important to Project Ezrah’s continued success,” he said.

Having spent the largest part of his career, 17 years, as administrative director at the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey, Hoenig has since served a similar role at Hackensack Hospital, and has also worked as a consultant at several other medical outpatient facilities. “In terms of my career, the business side of hospital administration has relevance to Project Ezrah. Also, as a Yeshiva high school basketball coach and as a gabbai, I have learned a lot about people,” he said.

Hoenig coaches basketball at the Torah Academy of Bergen County (TABC), and has also coached at the Frisch School and Yeshiva University. He has been a member of Congregation Rinat Yisrael in Teaneck for the past 25 years and was, for many years, gabbai at Rinat’s hashkama minyan. For the past 16 years, he has been gabbai of the ‘Sweat Minyan,’ a large minyan housed in two private houses in the West Englewood neighborhood of Teaneck that has met for the past 35 years. He runs Friday night and Shabbos afternoon services, as well Yom Tov davening.

The impressive professional and administrative qualifications along with a history of lay leadership within the Bergen County community were deciding factors that Project Ezrah’s board members and search committee members Barry Sklar and Bennett Schacter indicated were key to Hoenig’s selection as executive director. He is a “long time community resident with intimate knowledge of local institutions, service providers and Project Ezrah partners. [He is] compassionate; [he] cares about people and making a difference in their lives. [He] has a strong history of working collaboratively with others,” said Sklar and Schacter, in a joint statement to JLBC.

Hoenig lives in Teaneck with his wife Donna, who is the director of admissions and a learning specialist at TABC. They have three adult children; son Rabbi Michael Hoenig lives in Fair Lawn with his family and is a rebbe at TABC, daughter Dr. Sandra Hoenig Yahalom lives in Englewood with her family and is a primary care physician, and daughter Laura Hoenig Silbermann, who lives with her family in Israel.

Learn more about Project Ezrah at http://www.ezrah.org.

By Elizabeth Kratz