Henry Hoschander is a rabbi and lecturer.
Having been raised in Borough Park, Brooklyn, New York, Henry Hoschander was ordained by Rabbi Joseph B. Soloveitchik of Yeshiva University. At the same time, he was awarded a bachelor's degree of Science in Mathematics and later a master's degree in guidance and counseling.
Hoschander began his rabbinical career with his first pulpit at Sharon, Massachusetts, followed by his second pulpit in Pontiac, Michigan. He thereafter served as Rabbi of Temple Beth Shalom in Rochester, New York. While there and several times since, Hoschander served as President and leader of the Rabbinic Alumni Association of Yeshiva University. Many of his sermons, authored and delivered in Rochester, were later published in the Journal of the Rabbinical Council of America (RCA), in which Hoschander was very active.
In the early 1970s, Hoschander moved to Toronto, Ontario, whereat he was appointed as senior Rabbi (he had two assistant Rabbis) at the Shaarei Shamayim synagogue. Under Hoschander's almost quarter century tenure as its spiritual leader, the synagogue membership grew to nearly 1,400 families and became the largest and wealthiest orthodox synagogue in the world. Prior to his retirement from the active Rabbinate, Hoschander served as Canadian National Vice President of the Rabbinical Council of America several times over, Chairman of Canadian Bonds for Israel Rabbinical Cabinet and was acclaimed and popularly regarded as one of the most passionate and eloquent speakers in the world. Through his intimate friendship and personal connections with some of the world's leading Jewish philanthropists, including, without limitation, the late Joseph Tanenbaum, Hoschander was able to garner support for the building and maintenance of Yeshivas and Synagogues internationally. Hoschander was the first Rabbi ever to be honored by Michlalah - Jerusalem College for Women - with the degree of Doctor of Humane Letters, Honoris Causa for his unwavering support of Torah and Jewish institutions the world over. He was referred to by many as "King of the Modern Orthodox Rabbinate" during his active tenure.
Hoschander continues to serve on the Toronto Vaad Harabanim, of which he had also served as President many times over and was recognized as the de facto Chief Rabbi of Toronto and Canada. Since his retirement from the active Rabbinate, Hoschander continues to maintain a primary residence in Toronto, a residence in Florida and until very recently, he traveled regularly to Israel and occasionally other parts of the world where he continues to be a much sought after public speaker and lecturer in different forums and on varying topics germane to current Jewish issues worldwide.
Hoschander descends from several noted Rabbinic dynasties, including without limitation, Rabbi Samson Wertheimer, Rabbi Kalonymus Kalman Epstein (known as the "holy Ma'or Vashemesh") and Rabbi Menachem Mendel of Rimanov.