Last week, the Torah world suffered a blow with the passing of Rabbi Ezzy Newhouse, a beloved longtime Lakewood resident and marbitz Torah

Living Higher

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ast week, the Torah world suffered a blow with the passing of Rabbi Ezzy Newhouse, a beloved longtime Lakewood resident and marbitz Torah. From his home on the corner of 7th Street and Forest Avenue — just steps from the heart of Beis Medrash Govoha — he radiated an uplifting and enduring presence.

The son of Rabbi Avrohom and Rebbetzin Rivka Newhouse, trailblazers of Bais Yaakov in Williamsburg and Camp Bais Yaakov in Ferndale, Reb Ezzy inherited a sense of mission. He was a beloved ninth-grade rebbi in Mesivta Kesser Torah of Belmar under Rav Dovid Heineman, and his talmidim saw a mechanech who taught with amkus, hasmadah, and unwavering belief in them — a walking lesson in Torah.

One Shabbos morning, he saw from his window an elderly Yid struggling on his walk to yeshivah, pausing often to rest. Quietly, Reb Ezzy devised a plan: a bench, placed just so — not for honor, not for credit. Just to help. In classic Newhouse fashion, he got his kids fully involved in the endeavor. The red bench that was installed at the corner of 7th and Forest became a landmark for the thousands of Lakewood talmidim who passed by it daily.

Rabbi Newhouse also impacted the lives of thousands of Lakewood Cheder boys with his popular “No Talking in Shul” initiative. His “contest” was simple and sweet: Commit to not talking during davening for a full year. Whoever successfully completed the program would receive a voucher to a local seforim store for a brand-new set of Shas. Decades later, the boys remained ironclad in their commitment to silence during davening, the legacy of their inspiring rebbi.

One Lakewood Cheder talmid who went on to become a rebbi in an out-of-town cheder brought the contest with him, spreading Rabbi Newhouse’s impact to a new generation, thousands of miles away from the hallowed corner of 7th and Forest.

Rabbi Newhouse leaves behind his wife and a bevy of children and grandchildren, all of whom carry on their father’s quiet, unwavering commitment to Yiddishkeit. Yehi zichro baruch.

(Originally featured in Mishpacha, Issue 1065)