WILLIAMSBURG, NY — Hasidic singer known to people as the ‘Jewish Elvis’, but Lipa Schmelter does not see his himself as a pop icon. He said he sings to heal and now he is on a mission to try and heal his community still shaken by the brutal murder of 8-year-old Leiby Kletzy.
“I have the privilege to make people, Jewish people, happy,” Schmelter said.
The singer/songwriter’s new release called ‘Leiby Forever’ is a seven minute tribute to the Brooklyn boy who was murdered and dismembered after getting lost on his way home.
“When we heard the news it was like one bomb after another. They found the child, how he was found and it was like ‘boom boom boom!’,” said Schmelter.
Until now, the public only knew Leiby’s face from surveillance footage. Schmeltzer showed PIX11 the music video in his recording studio, which gives a glimpse of the boy’s short life before his death.
“From having ice cream, to doing the stories in school, an innocent life was ripped away so quickly.”
Lyrics like “this little boy walks home in the afternoon, instead he arrives home in heaven all too soon,” Schmelter said, makes this song real. You also see video of Leiby saying Hannukah prayers just eight months before his murder.
The song is on sale now for $3.99 at TopJewishMusic.com per download. Part of the proceeds will go to the Leiby Kletzky foundation.
Schmelter said he told Leiby’s parents about the idea and they even provided him with footage for the video. He plans to share the video with them.
“They will see it and they will appreciate it,” said Schmeltzer.

http://www.wpix.com/news/wpix-leiby-kletzky-song,0,7249328.story

BROOKLYN – A famous singer in the Hasidic Jewish community has released a song in memory of 8-year-old Leiby Kletzky, who was murdered last month.
Lipa Schmeltzer, of Brooklyn, released a video tribute to the boy called “Leiby Forever.”
The video includes home video of Kletzky and surveillance video of the boy before he was kidnapped and killed.
Levi Aron, who is accused of killing the young boy, is awaiting trial.
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