* Translated by Janine Muller Sherr
The funeral for Mrs. Leah Rieder of New York took place today in Jerusalem. You probably haven’t heard her name, but I would like to share two remarkable stories about her.
1) Our first meeting
Several years ago, a dynamic woman approached me at an event in New York and introduced herself, saying, “I’m Leah Rieder. My 96-year-old mother, a Holocaust survivor, will be speaking tomorrow at the historic Siyum Hashas. Come and join us there.”
So I came to the event and stood next to the photography crew. One hundred thousand (100,000) Jews had assembled in the MetLife Stadium in New Jersey to mark this joyous occasion. The SiyumHaShas is a monumental celebration marking the completion of the Daf Yomi cycle—a seven-and-a-half-year program in which people devote themselves to studying one page of the Talmud daily. This daily dedication to Torah learning, especially when it takes place in the United States, is a tremendous cause for celebration.
At the Siyum, Leah introduced me to her mother who would later become the subject of a more detailed report that I broadcast. Marlit Wandel is a survivor of nine concentration camps. I had the honor of standing next to her and her descendants as she addressed the vast audience. Pointing to the massive crowd of 100,000 Jews gathered in the stadium, all lovers of Torah, she said to me:
“Hitler wanted to exterminate all of us. Now take a look around you! Just look! They wanted to destroyus and here we are dancing with the Torah! If someone had told me about this when I was in Auschwitz…”
I thanked Leah for the gift of this “news item,” which was much more than another news story. It was a touch of eternity.
2) Our final meeting
In the aftermath of the October 7 atrocities, I was invited to accompany a group of survivors of the Nova festival who were participating in a Shabbaton in Jerusalem. Around 400 young people assembled in the hotel— and along with them—Ralph and Leah Rieder. It was then that I discovered that they were the benefactors of this incredible initative launched by Tzili Schneider, founder of the Kesher Yehudi movement. It would be impossible to count the number of Shabbatonimwe have spent with this special group of peoplesince then.
Last Simchat Torah, these Nova survivors requested to purchase their own Sefer Torah in memory of their friends who had been murdered at the festival. Ralph and Leah Rieder agreed to endow this Sefer Torah. Picture the scene of Nova survivors dancing on Simchat Torah with their own Sefer Torah, while connecting with the souls of their friends dancing with them in heaven. How did Marlit put it? They wanted to destroy us and here we are dancing with the Torah. I watched this celebration and once again thanked Leah Rieder for this “news item,” that was a link to eternity.
3) Unbeknownst to many, Leah had been bravely battling a difficult illness. She passed away this past Shabbat in New York at age 68. I extend my deepest condolences to Ralph and to their family and friends. Chareidi women from Monsey, alongside young women with piercings and tattoos, are shedding tears at the loss of their dear friend. Leah left us with a clear and compelling mission.
Funeral services began in New York and today, on the eve of Yom HaShoah, Leah will be buried in Jerusalem. Because all roads—from Auschwitz, New York, and the Nova festival —lead to Jerusalem.
