Mrs. Esther Mentz, 87, OBM

By COLlive reporter

Mrs. Esther Mentz, a beloved mother and grandmother and longtime resident of Crown Heights, passed away on Monday, 1 Iyar, 5782.

She was 87.

Esther was born in Rhode Island, and moved to Brooklyn, NY as a teenager, as she began to learn about Chassidus.

Esther, whose mother passed away young and whose father did not approve of her frum lifestyle, merited many yechidus and personal interactions with the Rebbe, who was like a father to her, she told JEM’s My Encounter.

In 1955, she married R’ Binyamin Mentz obm, a Lubavitcher Chosid from Crown Heights, and the Rebbe was mesader kedushin at their wedding.

The couple settled in Crown Heights. She told how after their marriage, the young couple did not have money to buy necessities for Pesach, and she wrote to the Rebbe about this problem. The Rebbe sponsored all their Pesach needs, including beautiful dishes, cutlery, and other items, which the Rebbe requested be delivered from the local hardware store. For years following, the Rebbe continued to send them money before every Pesach for expenses.

The Rebbe also encouraged Esther to purchase a beautiful wig, after hearing that she could no longer wear the one she had because it had become worn out.

Esther spent her life dedicated to helping others. She worked as a social worker and worked with seniors, helping them receive proper care.

In 1974, she became co-president of the Nshei Chabad organization, along with Malka Sarah Kuperman. She also founded a Bikur Cholim Society in Crown Heights, organizing volunteers to visit new mothers in the hospital as well as people with illness, and raising funds for baby formula for new mothers in need.

She also founded what she called the ‘Sunday Mesibos Shabbos,’ a weekly gathering for children with special needs who were unable to attend the mainstream Shabbos party in Crown Heights. Working with teenage volunteers, they organized a gathering for the children every Sunday, providing programs and trips for special children.

After a time, she thought about leaving her role at the Bikur Cholim and her work with the special children, but the Rebbe insisted that she continue her important work.

During her time living in Crown Heights, she was active in community affairs as well. When the City of New York planned to build a jail on the corner of Empire Boulevard and New York Avenue, she campaigned against it, working to ensure that it would not be built in that location out of fears for the safety of the neighborhood. After much activism on her part, the city changed the plans and instead built the High School which is still at the location today.

In 1979, she planned to leave Crown Heights, and visited the Rebbe to inform him.

“You’re leaving Crown Heights?” the Rebbe asked her, she recounts in the book My Story 2. When she confirmed that she was, the Rebbe said, “Will you continue to be my friend?”

She related that she was stunned by the question, but she replied, “I will always feel about you as I do now.”

About 10 years later, she returned to 770. “The Rebbe’s face lit up with a big smile, and he declared, ‘My friend has returned!'” she told.

She is survived by her children, Hendy Mentz, Baltimore, MD, Rabbi Chaim Mentz, Bel Air, CA and Rabbi Yossi Mentz, Los Angeles, CA, grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

The Levaya will take place tomorrow, Tuesday, at 11 am in front of 770 and 11:45 am at the Montefiore cemetery.

Baruch Dayan Ha’emes.