Always on Call

“He was the closest thing to a malach in this world... With no hesitation, the one person that I would choose as my leading light is undoubtedly Dr. Moller. He was my hero. He was the epitome of what a Jew is supposed to be. If you want to know who Dr. Moller was, you’d have to look for wings.”

Moreinu Dr. Raphael Moller was called “the malach Raphael” — a healer of bodies, souls, and communities. A great-grandson of Rav Samson Raphael Hirsch, he lived up to his forebearer’s vision as a true “Mensch-Yisrael” in the abundant roles he filled:

• A community leader in pre-war Hamburg, battling to uphold Torah ideals
• The decades-long President of Washington Heights’ famed kehillah, K’hal Adath Jeshurun, where he helped shape and uplift the fledgling community after the Holocaust
• Confidante of Rav Aharon Kotler, the Chazon Ish, the Satmar Rebbe, and other Gedolim, with whom he collaborated on initiatives to preserve Klal Yisrael
• An outstanding talmid chacham, who could converse equally with rabbanim and laymen on any topic in Shas
• A beloved physician, who was a pioneer in treating not just illnesses but the whole person, and whose compassion for his patients was legendary
• A devoted father of a large family, whose progeny all continued his life’s work of servicing the klal

Dr. Moller’s journey took him from his idyllic upbringing in Hamburg, Germany, to a grueling concentration camp incarceration after Kristallnacht, and then onto wartime deprivation in England. When at long last he finally reached American shores, he dedicated himself to Am Yisrael as a beloved doctor and as a klal leader, exerting great influence across the globe.

Read and be inspired by this book about an extraordinary human being who before making any decision stopped and asked himself, “What does Hashem want from me at this very moment?”

What did the leaders of Klal Yisrael have to say about Moreinu Dr. Raphael Moller?

“Veizt di vos. Listen to what I’m going to tell you. It is well worth your while to wait many hours in This World to see Dr. Moller, for in the Next One you’ll never get near him. In the Olam HaEmes, the lines of those waiting to see him will be much, much longer.”

Rav Yoel Teitlebaum, Satmar Rebbe

“We often wondered: How did he find the time for all this? How could there be a person involved in Torah learning, being a physician and a community leader, and at the same time serving as a father interested in every one of his children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren? There is no answer, but we have seen it.”

Rav Shimon Schwab, Rav of K’hal Adath Jeshurun

“He was an image of limud haTorah, of yiras Shamayim, of gemilus chasadim, of osek b’tzorchei tzibbur, of subjecting career and profession and knowledge and behavior at every moment and at all times to the truth and will of the Ribbono shel Olam.”

Rav Yaakov Perlow, Novominsker Rebbe

“When our family had any halachah questions related to medicine, we contacted Dr. Moller.”

Rebbetzin Rishel Kotler, wife of Rav Shneur Kotler

About the authors:

Rabbi Moshe Weiss has made it a life’s mission to research, study, and gain insight into the invaluable heritage of yesteryear — compiling biographies of family patriarchs and the historic, challenging, and ever-changing times they lived in.

In this biography spanning generations, he opens a window into the astounding and unique world of his own illustrious great-grandfather Dr. Raphael Moller. His fervent hope is that this book will impart the timely message — achievable for each of us in every circumstance we face throughout our personal life’s journey — to “always be on call!”

Rabbi Eliezer Gevirtz taught at Yeshiva Rabbi Samson Raphael Hirsch and the SAR Academy. He has authored several Jewish-oriented books — including Lehavin U’Lehaskil (Feldheim Publishers, 2011) — and has contributed to numerous Jewish publications, including Olomeinu.