Rabbi Harari welcoming Hacham Yitzhak Yosef to Flatbush Yeshiva in 2019.
Ellen Geller Kamaras
With great sadness, I read the October 30th email from my alma mater, Yeshiva of Flatbush Joel Braverman (YFJB) High School (HS). Rabbi Raymond Harari (HS ’72), Harav Rahamim ben Shoshanah, had passed away.
Rabbi Harari, of Syrian descent, served our community with immense dedication and love for over four decades. He left a tremendous legacy as an educator and a mentor at the Yeshiva of Flatbush Joel Braverman High School (JBHS).
He is survived by his wife, Vicky Harari, a child of Holocaust survivors, his children Michal Harari Geffner, Yael Harari, Rabbi Avi Harari the Rosh Beit Midrash at Yeshiva of Flatbush, Dr. David Harari, Dani Harari, and his grandchildren. He was the beloved brother of Sol Harari, a”h, David Harari, and Renee Maman.
Rabbi Harari’s Trajectory
After graduating from Yeshiva of Flatbush High School, Rabbi Harari obtained his bachelor’s degree in philosophy, and a master’s degree in Jewish studies from YU. He spent a year learning in yeshiva in Israel before starting his job as a Judaic Studies teacher at his alma mater. Rabbi Harari aspired to return to the high school as a faculty member. He retired from Yeshiva of Flatbush last June when he felt it was not fair to his students when he was forced to miss classes because of his illness.
Rabbi Harari started out as a teacher of Judaic Studies, became Chairman of the Halakha Department, and was later named the first Head of School. The Yeshiva of Flatbush High School posted, “During the time of Rabbi Harari’s leadership, Yeshiva of Flatbush High School experienced significant growth in both enrollment and student satisfaction…”
He was the rabbi of three congregations, Congregation Kol Israel, Congregation Shaare Zion, and Mikdash Eliyahu.
Even as Rabbi Harari gained more prominence, he continued to leave his door open to staff and students, and he treated everyone as an equal.
A Gifted Educator
Mrs. Miriam Wielgus, a teacher at Yeshiva of Flatbush High School for over 25 years and the current Chair of the Jewish History Department, described Rabbi Harari as a “magician” when it came to teaching. “He was the most gifted educator and scholar. He used chalk and the board and didn’t need the bells and whistles of technology. He was able to break down a complex topic, tell a story, and crack a joke. You could have an intellectual conversation with him. He wore many hats but didn’t advertise them.”
Feeling overwhelmed when she first joined JBHS, Mrs. Wielgus was amazed when Rabbi Harari brought her a folder with his lesson plans.
She related that Rabbi Harari raised the level of observance in both the community and in his congregations. At JBHS, he also raised the degree of learning for the girls and taught them how to be independent learners. He elevated JBHS to new heights.
“He was instrumental in enhancing the curriculum with a vast range of Torah classes, fostering hesed programs, expanding electives, and cultivating co-curricular initiatives, all aimed at nurturing well-rounded, thoughtful young adults grounded in Jewish values. His student-centered approach exemplified his lifelong dedication to hinuch, inspiring all who were privileged to learn from him,” said Mrs. Wielgus.
Heartfelt Eulogies
The eulogies for Rabbi Harari took place at his beloved yeshiva, which many called his second home. The burial took place in Israel, at the Eretz HaChaim Cemetery, outside of Beit Shemesh.
There was a common thread in the eulogies. All who spoke cited Rabbi Harari’s acumen for teaching, hinuch, his brilliance in Torah, and his humility, gentleness, keen listening skills, and positivity.
Although Rabbi Harari was a master eulogizer, he insisted for years that there would be no eulogies at his levaya. Eventually, he agreed to allow family members to speak.
Rabbi Harari was humble, modest, gentle, kind, patient, passionate, and loving. He was a wonderful listener, and was loved by his students, staff, family, and all he had a connection to. He did not care about material things. He saw the good in individuals and created space for them to feel safe. He was positive, optimistic, and friendly, talking to people at restaurants and wherever he went. For 44 years, he always prepared lessons for each class. He was a family man and a man of logic, reason, and halacha.
Rabbi Joseph Beyda
Rabbi Joseph Beyda, the current Head of School, captured Rabbi Harari’s essence beautifully.
“Rabbi Harari ran from attention and spotlight and was one of the world’s greatest Torah teachers. He inspired an untold number of people to become Torah teachers. His technical mastery paved the way for his excellence, but it was his personal style and character that made him the best around. He followed the vision of Rabbi Eliach, a”h, principal emeritus, and the teachings of the great Rambam, believing that silence is golden, and one should be clear and concise. He was loved by all because of his vision, humility, his great listening skills, and his ability to provide emotional safety, and meet people where they are at. I am a recipient of his vision, and I am where I am because of him. Thank you, Rabbi. I stand on the shoulders of giants.”
Rabbi Beyda thanked the family for sharing Rabbi Harari with the Yeshiva and community and promised that the Yeshiva will strive to live up to the legacy he established for it.
The Harari Children
Rabbi Harari’s children remember him being home for family dinners and going out only afterwards to attend to his responsibilities. They cherished their simple but wonderful vacations.
Rabbi Harari used his quiet ways of teaching with his own children. When they became independent, they spoke with him daily, hungry for his guidance and wisdom. Their role model and inspiration, they went to him for answers for religious and other questions and later they drove him to chemotherapy treatments, conversing in the car.
They thanked both their parents for leading by example, modeling an amazing marriage and allowing them to spread their wings and grow in their own ways.
They spoke about their father’s to-do list. He was forever adding/crossing items off. He did not go to sleep until he cleared all messages from his cell phone and email inbox.
Dr. David Harari honored his father by highlighting lessons learned from his speeches. 1) You do not have to say a lot to matter a lot. His father’s shul speeches were limited to five to seven minutes. He was a man of words but was also a man of action, action over chatter. 2) Do not schmaltz or be too showy. “My father was a consummate mensch.” 3) Find someone in the room you can connect to, and all will follow.
Rabbi Harari’s son Dani articulated that his father “distilled the beautiful and uplifting aspects of a person’s soul.” Having lost his own father at a very young age, Rabbi Rahamim took his lessons from Moshe Rabeinu, which gave him a lot of emotional patience and contributed to his mass appeal. “My father was most at home in Israel, and he didn’t need any maps. We loved being in Israel with him.”
R’ Avi spoke about his father’s Yitro personality. He was not envious and allowed others to succeed and develop independently. His father practiced this trait always. He encouraged Avi to find his own identity as a rabbi rather than just to emulate him.
“He always asked about everything he learned, ‘how can I teach this?’ It was all about his students. He had the natural ability to make students of all ages and backgrounds feel comfortable, engaged, and excited. It was about limud, helping them find their voice and ask questions. As a shul rabbi, he was a mesharet bakodesh, an attendant to a holy mission and always serving others’ needs.”
Parting Words
Rabbi Avi thanked his father for being a mesharet bakodesh, an ideal father, teacher, community leader, and his role model. Rabbi Avi added, “Your legacy will live on. Your humility, patience, wisdom, sensitivity, and dedication will always inspire all of us – your family, students, and the community.”