Noach Dear z”l

10
>>Follow Matzav On Whatsapp!<<

It is with great sadness that Matzav.com reports the passing of R’ Noach Dear z”l, the former longtime New York City Councilman who later gained accolades for his accomplishments as a Civil Court judge and was then named to the New York State Supreme Court. He was 67 years old.

As a child, Noach was in Eli Lipsker’s Pirchei Agudath Israel Choir, and sang on the first New York Pirchei album Pirchei Sings (Eilecha Hashem Ekra).

He attended Yeshiva Torah Vodaath and Brooklyn Law School.

Noach served on the New York City Council from 1983 to 2001. He was sworn in as a Civil Court judge from Brooklyn’s Fifth District in December 2007 and then joined the New York State Supreme Court in 2010.

While representing City Council District 44, Noach served as an advocate on a host of subjects, including strong support for the state of Israel and concern for the issues impacting the residents in his district, which included Midwood, as well as large parts of Boro Park and Bensonhurst.

After he had to yield his council post due to term limits, he made two unsuccessful runs for Congress and state senate. He served for a decade on the Transportation Committee and was then appointed by Mayor Michael Bloomberg as one of the City’s Taxi and Limousine commissioners in 2002.

Noach’s Civil Court judgeship represented Brooklyn’s Fifth Municipal Court District, chiefly his old Boro Park base when he served on the City Council.

After serving in the civil court system for a bit over two years, Chief Administrative Judge Ann Pfau appointed Noach as a Supreme Court Justice largely as a result of Noach’s accomplishments in consumer debt court. The yarmulka-wearing judge quickly gained acclaim for cracking down on suits by debt collectors.

The straightforward, clear-eyed justice meted out in Noach’s debt court sessions was a tremendous addition to the local judicial system and created a wide-spread kiddush Hashem. Noach – who had never practiced law – donned judge’s robes and promptly began helping the growing number of New Yorkers contesting false claims of debt.

Noach was one of about a dozen judges who took turns on the debt court rotation. And collection lawyers dreaded getting placed with Noach, who, as the Village Voice reported, refused to allow the court to become an arm of the collection agency, which, according to statistics, is what effectively happened in recent years. Of the nearly $1 billion in claims that collectors filed in 2007 against New Yorkers, about $800 million was won by debt collectors in judgments. Noach, in his position, became an advocate for the underdog, trying to work out payment plans with collection lawyers and even bargaining with lawyers to get them to lower their demands.

With his appointment to the New York Supreme Court, Noach continued to hear consumer debt cases, while also presiding over cases beyond small claims, including mortgage foreclosures and real estate equity issues.

Dear had been set to serve until the next election in 2030.

Noach was a true mentch, always making a kiddush Hashem in every position he held. Kind, soft-spoken and showing respect to every person he met, Noach will be sorely missed, leaving behind a legacy in the realm of askanus b’tzorchei tzibbur for others to perpetuate.

Yehi zichro boruch.

Photos (C) Flash 87 Images:

{Matzav.com Newscenter}


10 COMMENTS

  1. He was a selfless guy! He only cared about how he could help others. His davening was legendary!
    יהי זכרו ברוך

  2. ברוך דיין האמת יהי שם השם מבורך:
    Noach you will be missed. I will never forget seeing you active with your
    רמ”ח אברים; למען הכלל
    back in 1988.
    Noach Dear was always active למען הכלל.
    A title you didn’t release until your last day. With Hashems kindness and grace you were a selfless and a ציבור person.
    May Hashem console your family and friends and all the lives that you touched.

  3. BDE. He will surely be missed.

    Question: Why do we only get the bad news on the news sites? I know of a brother and sister who both got the virus, one came out of the hospital and is recovering, other died. The one that died made the news on one site while the that came out alive did not?
    Let’s hear the good news also!

  4. memory- rav pam zat”zl held noach in high esteem & as a trusted pubic servant. many years ago rav pam called noach to arrange a meeting w the head warden in rikers island on behalf of a frum inmate , noach drove rav pam to rikers & i as a bochur tagged along for the experience, and an experience it was. yehei zichro boruch

  5. a true loss
    what a special man, who dedicated his life to the klal
    his many good deeds should be a zechus for his neshama
    may Hkbh accept our tefillos and bring us Moshiach bba

  6. In the interests of accuracy, Noach Dear sang on the second record of Pirchei Sings. The first record was Yibaneh Hamikdash. He did not sing on that one. The second record was called Eilecha HaShem Ekra. He sang on that one (he is seated in the picture in the bottom row, second from left) and was even a soloist in the song Ki Heim.

Leave a Reply to Anonymous Cancel reply

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here