ר׳ משה שטרנבוך

ר׳ משה שטרנבוך (born 1926) is a London-born halakhic authority, Raavad of the Edah HaChareidis, and rabbi of the Gra Synagogue in Jerusalem’s Har Nof neighbourhood. Raised in a home that hosted visiting scholars, he was examined as a child by ר׳ יחזקאל אברמסקי and met ר׳ אלחנן בונם וסרמן. From 1940 he studied for a decade at Toras Emes in Stamford Hill under ר׳ משה שניידר. After the war he immigrated to Mandatory Palestine, entered Hebron Yeshiva, and formed close relationships with ר׳ יצחק זאב הלוי סולובייצ׳יק, ר׳ אברהם ישעיהו קרליץ and ר׳ דב בריש וידנפלד. After marrying in 1954 he led Yeshivat Hamasmidim in Jerusalem. He lived in Bnei Brak from 1960, established a kollel and educational initiatives in Rosh HaAyin, and in 1980 moved to Johannesburg, where he served the Orthodox community and taught widely. He later returned to Jerusalem and settled in Har Nof. From 2003 he served as Raavad of the Edah HaChareidis; a 2023 attempt to proclaim him Gaavad remained institutionally disputed, so this record avoids presenting that title as uncontested. His extensive responsa תשובות והנהגות, calendrical work מועדים וזמנים, and Torah commentary טעם ודעת are widely studied. He remained publicly active through 2026, his centenary year.