Brooklyn Supreme Court Justice Noach Dear died on Sunday following a battle with coronavirus, his family told The New York Post.
The 66-year-old former City Councilman succumbed to COVID-19 early Sunday, his son-in-law Aron Hirtz said.
Dear served on the New York City Council between 1983 and 2001, representing Midwood and parts of Borough Park and Bensonhurst. He was elected to the Brooklyn Supreme Court in 2015.
Former Brooklyn state Assemblyman Dov Hikind, who served in the same Borough Park neighborhood when Dear was a councilman and judge, said that the justice will be “sorely missed.”
“This is such sad news. Noach was a champion, a friend and fighter for his people and all of his constituents. He especially cared for the voiceless and powerless, and dedicated his every single day to making the world a better place,” said Hikind in a statement.
Councilman Kalman Yeger, who now represents Dear’s former district, said the death was “impossible to digest.”
“Compassionate, funny, pragmatic, always patient & loved people,” he wrote on Twitter. “His lifelong public service touched many thousands.”
The Rabbinical Alliance of America— Igud HaRabbonim, representing over 950 American Orthodox Rabbis — also issued a statement following Dear’s death.
Rabbi Mendy Mirocznik, executive vice-president of the Rabbinical Alliance of America stated, “Justice Noach Dear, of blessed memory, was a good man and a friend to all. A native of Borough Park, he represented the best of the generation born after the destruction that was the Holocaust.”
“Justice Dear was the consummate public servant, serving the community first as an activist, then as a New York City councilman, a New York City commissioner and finally as a judge. Justice Dear brought with him a sense of professionalism, respect and honor. His number one priority was to serve G-d by helping all people with whom he came into contact. Justice Dear cared for all people regardless of who they were and treated everyone with respect and dignity. Justice Dear will be sorely missed and fondly remembered in the Jewish community in New York City and around the world,” added Rabbi Mirocznik.
“May Justice Dear serve as a heavenly advocate, a Maylitz Yosher, for his family, the Jewish community and the entire world. May his memory be a blessing.”