By COLlive reporter
Rochel Leah Katz, a member of the Lubavitch community in Minnesota who battled an illness since childbirth, passed away on Monday, 9 Elul 5776.
She was 26.
Born with a congenital heart defect, Katz underwent open heart surgery a few hours after birth to put in a shunt to allow her blood to circulate but with blue and red blood mixing.
She continued to receive medical treatment throughout her life, but that didn’t stop her from developing herself into a proud Jewish girl and excelling in her studies and behavior.
In 2009, she graduated Bais Yaakov High School in Minneapolis. Last year, in 2015, her heart has worn out and pressure began building up in her pulmonary artery. Doctors recommended a combination of a heart and lung transplant.
She was sent to undergo the procedure at the Mayo Clinic in Cleveland and readers of COLlive gave generously to fund the bills. The hospital ended up determining that Rochel’s diaphragm muscle was weak and would not perform the operation because of potential breathing complications.
She is survived by parents Howard and Edith Katz, siblings Rabbi Baruch Katz of Minneapolis and Rabbi Avraham Tzvi Katz of Crown Heights; nieces and nephews.
The levaya will be held today at 3 PM at the United Hebrew Cemetery, 2605 W. 70 1/2 Street, Richfield.
Shiva will be observed 7pm – 9pm tonight in the Club Room of her apartment building, 4725 Minnetonka Blvd, S. Louis Park, MN.
Baruch Dayan Haemes.
May she reunite with us immediately with Moshiach’s coming!!!
Rochel Leah’s parents can be reached at [email protected]
Rochel Leah,,,, I will never forget dancing with you on simchas Torah ,, you danced with such a smile and love for torah!
You truly wanted moshiach!!!!
You always smiled and gave light to those around you!!!
I will miss you and I love you!
May HaShem comfort your beautiful family!
to her family, hamakom yenachem etchem betoch shaar avlei tziyon viyerushalayim
Hashem should give comfort and strength to her family and friends- she sounds like such a special girl!
This Galus is just crazy can’t take it
Cleveland Clinic is in Cleveland.
Rachel Leah’s heilikeh neshama goes directly to Gan Eden because she became nifteres during Chidesh Elul. She will be meilitza yoshera for her family and Klal Yisroel. To her family, friends, and loved ones: Hamakom yenachem eschem bsoch sha’ar aveilei Tzion v’Yerushalayim.
in the truest sense. She came to my apartment to visit when I was single living in crown heights with friends. We learned Tanya together. She was so grateful and appreciative of our learning. Her neshama came to this world in purity and her returned to Hashem just as pure and refined. Even when I saw her a few months ago at a wedding in crown heights with oxygen support- we spoke danced and she smiled. not just any smile- a smile that radiated simcha tehara and ahavas yisroel. she didn’t complain but said with a beautiful sever panim yafos… Read more »
Thank you for those young women who posted with their names who knew Rochel Leah and gave us, who didn’t have the opportunity to have , insight as to who she was as a person. May her family know of no more sorrow… My deep sympathy..
I never met Rochel but heard about her unique smile and always bsimcha from relatives in MN.
May she be a meilitz tosh we for her family!
Hamokom Menachem….. To the family
Besuros tovos
Is there an email address for sending nichum aveilim?
What a sweet face. It hurts when we lose from our young…May Hashem comfort her family among all the Jews who mourn. Moshiach now.
Rochel was my good friend and I miss her! Moshiach now!
May her neshama have an aliya
I never knew her but I can see from these posts how special she was. We wil BE’Hl continue to live her legacy with Mitzvos and joy.
So heartbreaking to read of this beautiful girl, taken from life, from her parents, at such a young age. Dear God, please comfort them.
BDE, Rachel Leah use to learn with me every week. She was so pure and simple. She was truly united with Hashem. When I think of Rachel Leah, I think of Mitzvas. Rachel Leah I can’t wait to be reunited with you with Moshiach NOW!!! Ad Mosai, this Galus is too long And painful!!!
Such a special girl, she was a very optimistic and gentle person! I didn’t know her well but whenever I saw her she was smiling!!
Rochel Leah was so aware of her surroundings, so sensitive. She constantly did her best to uplift others’ spirits, she was constantly positive in the face of sickness and pain. She loved to sing, laugh, and hug. Pada bshalom was one of her favorite songs… you brought shalom to this world Rochel Leah and you are sorely missed.
bd”e
May her family be comforted and may she go straight to gan Eden!
BDE we want Moshaich now
She was always full of smiles and positivity. A rare and precious soul that saw only good in everyone.
May Hashem send the ultimate Geula now and reunite her family with her once again!
So sad ..
She was a special person I feel fortunate that I knew her..she was sensitive and always was bsimcha…It meant so much to me that she was by my simcha. Moshiach now.
such a good girl
What a beautiful girl.
Hashem should comfort you beyond and send Moshiach now.
Praying with you and feeling for you…
So many tragedies 🙁 WE NEED TO END THIS GALUS ONCE & FOR ALL!!
So sad was so young
BS”D
life is not fair
she beautified this world for 26 years.The pain is great,but the message of her 26 years is clear! SURELY SHE IS CLOSE TO HASHEM ,AND IS A MAILITZ YOSHER FOR ALL OF US!
Bde. She literally always had a smile on her face enjoyed being with children and helping out. I remember last summer I davened with her so special . what a neshoma