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56 THE TO URO LAWYER FALL 201 5 Professor Harry Reicher of blessed memory used to enjoy telling a story about two Jews learning that Hitler was planning to come down a certain street at noon on a certain day. They decide to assassinate him. The day arrived and the two Jews were in hiding guns drawn. At noon no Hitler By twelve fifteen still no sign of Die Fuhrer. At 1230 still nothing. One Jew turns to the other Jew and says Gosh I hope nothings happened to him When the Touro Law community lost Harry last year I recalled how he giggled when he told that story. And truth be told the fact that he told this little tale encapsulates all you need to know about Harry Reicher a brilliant scholar a gifted teacher and most importantly a wonderful human. He dedicated his life to teaching law students lawyers and judges and everyone else who listened to him about the Holocaust. He was one of the most educated people in the world about the Shoah and in his specialty the legal dimensions of the Holocaust he was without peer. He loved being a Jew and he loved the history culture and faith of the Jewish people. And while he lived his life consumed by the greatest crime in the history of the world he lived his life with humor and kindness a most gentle man always with a smile and twinkling eyes. When Harry died what so many people here at Touro told me was that more than anything else they were going to miss that signature smile. He was truly beloved here and when we lost him it was a devastating loss to our community. Harry Reicher was born in Prague but grew up in Australia so part of his charm was this bearded Hassidic figure modestly dressed with a deep Australian accent I come from way down South he used to joke. He first made his reputation as a brilliant tax lawyer but he later broadened his expertise to include international law international human rights Harry was a fearsome and tireless advocate for the indigenous peoples of Australia and then Law and the Holocaust in which he became the acknowledged expert. He was completing his much-anticipated casebook on this topic when he died but his family hopes to publish it posthumously. One of Harrys most important roles was serving for nine years as Representative to the United Nations of Agudath Israel World Organization a 100-year-old international NGO which has consultative status with the world body. Harry dedicated himself to promotion of international human rights with special emphasis on freedom of religion. He was heavily involved in Holocaust-era restitution reparations and compensation. Prof. Reicher wrote all the time books law review and journal entries magazine and newspaper articles op-ed pieces in English and in Yiddish his first language. He was a leading member of Brooklyns Hassidic Bobover community bridging the world between his deeply religious community and the secular world. Harry is survived by his wife and his beloved son Aaron. To say that he will be missed at Touro Law is simply too inelegant an expression. He was part of our fabric a life force a magnet a moral compass. May he rest in peace. O F B L E S S E D M E M O R Y Remembering Harry Reicher by Lawrence Raful Harry Reicher speaking at Touro Holocaust Museum Reception in 2011.