Airmont singer to pen song as tribute to Leiby Kletzky

(07/20/11) AIRMONT – The abduction and murder of an 8-year-old Brooklyn boy has shaken people across the country, including a popular Hasidic singer from Airmont.

Lipa Schmeltzer, a father of four, says he went to Brooklyn on Sunday to express his condolences to the grieving family of Leiby Kletzky, who police say got lost leaving his day camp and asked Levi Aron, the suspect in his death, for help before he was killed last week.

Schmeltzer says he struggled to sing a Yiddish song to Leiby’s younger sister to comfort her.

“I was so broken,” he says. “I couldn’t open my mouth.”

Schmeltzer says a story the Kletzky family shared has inspired him to work on a new song that will be called “The Story of Leiby.”

He says the lyrics will touch on how special the 8-year-old boy was and the importance of uniting the community, which was shattered by an unspeakable crime.

To watch an extended interview with Hasidic singer Lipa Schmeltzer, go to channel 612 on your iO digital cable box and select iO Extra.

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