By COLlive reporter
Lieba Schwartz, a resident of Crown Heights and devoted friend to many, passed away on Motzei Shabbos, 13 Sivan, 5782.
Lieba was born as Marcia Schwartz in 1940. Her parents moved around a lot in her childhood, she once told in an interview in the Jerusalem Post. Even as a kid, she sought spirituality. “Who is God? Where is God” she remembers asking her parents. “They said, ‘We’re Jewish. We don’t believe in God,’ so I assumed they meant that Jews didn’t believe in God, not just that my parents didn’t believe.”
So when she began a systematic search of a dozen religions as a teen in Miami, Judaism didn’t make her list. The most appealing faith was one “with no idols or images” – Christian Science. After college, Schwartz worked for Christian Science and became one of its lecturers, though not “practitioners” – those designated to pray.
She told of losing her eyesight and her journey to become a baal teshuva.
After learning more about Judaism, Schwartz started using her Hebrew name “Lieba.” She was frequently invited to lecture about her return to Judaism. She called her speeches “More than the eye can see, from darkness to light,” a discussion of her odyssey; little realizing that she’d leave her actual darkness behind. “At the end of the wilderness, there’s a promised land,” says Schwartz.
She soon moved to Crown Heights, where residents volunteered to take her shopping, read her mail to her, and repair her plumbing. Others fulfilled her request by recording daily prayers and psalms. Line by line she memorized blessings.
With the help of her across-the-street neighbors Bronya and the late Gedalia Shaffer and their daughter Michal, Schwartz underwent surgery which restored her eyesight, she told the Jerusalem Post.
She began speaking about the beauty of Judaism, lecturing and writing about her journey, enriching the lives of many.
Lieba was a devoted friend to many – young and old, and was known for her Tehillim which worked wonders. She was also the niece of R’ Alter Simchovitz, a Chabad chosid.
The levaya will take place Sunday, passing by 770 at 1:30 pm and burial at Old Montefiore Cemetery at 2:30 pm.
Baruch Dayan Ha’emes – Liba bas Pesach.
So sad. Ad Mosai.
It was through the book Holy Days that Lieba changed her life. She was living in Boston, totally blind and listened to the book on a recording. Eventually she moved to Crown Heights and through many miracles regained her sight. She put me to shame with her devotion and learning. I received a phone call from her every Friday morning at 10 am while I lived in Florida. I am now in Yerushlayim and plan to go to the Kotel and say some Tehillim for her lofty neshama.
She will be missed by many.
Hensha Gansbourg
ברוך דיין האמת Leba returned to Judaism, giving up her job and friends. She listened to the book Towards a Meaningful Life over and over again, and was not satisfied with her own teshuva, but constantly reached out to other Jews to inspire them. She even rode up and down the elevator at her old place of work, handing out copies of the book to people she knew were Jewish. She was an inspirational speaker, and her talk was titled ” if I can, you can!” Leba was blind when she became observant, and overcame this handicap to change her… Read more »
It was from the efforts of one young child that she regained her sight. The brochos from ahavas Yisroel, and the brochos of a good eye doctor. Dr. Feldman was her personal doctor who directed her to an eye doctor after one young girl collected money for her surgery.
Let’s all pledge to do more in the area of ahavas Yisroel because it really does bring miracles!
A true chosidishe neshoma!
A true friend!
She had so much Ahavas Yisrael!
Leiba said Tehillim for many who were blessed with chidren and health!
She had a special connection and link to the Almighty!
Leiba was not ashamed to ask mechilla to those that felt she was not sensetive to them!
Leiba chose Esther Alpern as her Mashpia and learned from the best maspia about menshlickeit, halocha, sodos hatorah, davening and so much more!
They are now together in Gan Eden!!
May she daven for us all and bring MOSHIACH NOW!!!!!!
Amen!!!!
We used to go visit her. My classmate Michal Schaffer, collected money so that she could have surgery for her blindness; it was successful and Liba got her vision back!! When I was in high school we would go visit her on Shabbos afternoons.
She spoke for us when she was just beginning her journey. She said that one isn’t allowed to wear red, and there I was wearing a red-ish suit! But she couldn’t see…it was quite embarrassing.
May her neshama have a lichtiken gan Eden.
I remember her saying she had a cherished red dress that she.was saving for the Geulah sheleimah, when it WILL be OK to wear red!
I was also at her seudas hodaa when she regained her eyesight.
Almost 20 years ago!
May we all be zoche in her merit to have ALL our eyes opened to the geulah hoamitis vhashleima