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Lipa Schmeltzer – Leiby Forever.

NY Daily News

Hasidic singer Lipa Schmeltzer, also known as the ‘Jewish Elvis,’ is honoring Leiby Kletzky (below) with a seven-minute song called ‘Leiby Forever.’

A Hasidic singer will release Wednesday a tribute song and music video featuring home movies of a slain 8-year-old Brooklyn boy.

The Daily News got a sneak peek at “Leiby Forever,” a seven-minute song penned and performed by Lipa Schmeltzer, also known as the “Jewish Elvis.”

“Leiby represents a message,” Schmeltzer said. “We couldn’t find Leiby alive. But there are so many people alive who are still lost. Fathers without jobs. Kids without food. We need to make the world a happier place.”

Leiby Kletzky was killed last month after a man snatched him off the street. The boy was dismembered and his feet found in the freezer of accused butcher Levi Aron.

The medical examiner’s office said last month that Leiby died of acute intoxication from a mix of Tylenol and three prescription drugs – a painkiller, a muscle relaxer and an anti-psychotic medicine. A spokeswoman for the office said yesterday that investigators also found a fifth drug – Cymbalta, a depression medication.

The opening scene shows Leiby walking down 44th St. in Borough Park on grainy surveillance video. Schmeltzer sings: “A boy was heading home in the afternoon. When he reached his home in heaven, he arrived there all too soon.”

Then a montage of Leiby’s short life plays including shots of the boy as a toddler downing an ice cream cone, and in December, lighting Chanukah candles on his synagogue’s menorah.

TopJewishMusic.com is selling the song for $3.99 per download. The song will also be available today on iTunes and at Jewish music stores in Brooklyn. A portion of the sales from “Leiby Forever” will go to the Leiby Kletzky Memorial Fund.

“It shows a spiritual message that people need to come together,” Schmeltzer said. “The same way people came together to search for little Leiby.”

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30 Comments

  • what-s in a name

    ive heard of yoilies with many different english names but why in the world did the shmeltzers name their kid Elvis???

  • Stop Lipa

    Why is lipa shmeltzer feeding off other peoples tzoros? I think he is disgusting for pushing his career through another familys grief. when he did it by the holtzbergs, it looked horrible and not eidel.

  • LOSHEN NEKIYA

    is the “yoilies” a word to be used as a way of bringing all of us closer together ? or what ? and the achroyim are smart and cool and let these kind of remarks go on line “mamesh a mechaye ”,and who knew that a child was named after elvis ,oy vei , i nebach didntknow
    if everyone would stop all the way ,the x presing of all these meshugene statements , that MISTAME dontbring tokiruv halevoveis ,that in it self ,can be another step , in the right direction , kol tuv everyone

  • Names for tehillim

    Does Anyone know of Leiby’s A”H parents full names? I’d Like to daven for them to have strength.

  • Chabad for lubavitchers!

    I am not a major fan of Lipa
    but according to rabbi Yehoshua ben Prachya (avos 1-6)
    if there are 2 ways to interpret the actions of a fellow Jew we should go positive
    like we would wish if it was others interpreting our actions)
    some of these comments are against Halacha
    (loshon hora, midvar sheker tirchak, and motzi shem ra are all severe sins d’oraisa!!!!!!)
    I’m assuming the people who wrote the above comments do not appreciate this.
    I’m also assuming the same about the people behind this website (machteh es harabim!)
    may hashem open their hearts and their minds

  • Never laughed so hard in my life

    When I read your caption under the picture..“Jewish Elvis!!” Elvis must be turning in his grave right now!

  • # 3

    what does exploitation mean?????????
    I dont know!
    and also are u bein sacastic or not!

  • (SNIFF,SNIFF,SNIFF SNIFF,SNIFF,SNIFF)

    AAAAAH! (SNIFF SNIFF)!
    MADE ME CRY VERY MOVING lipa!!!!

  • kol hakavod!

    WOW! what a Kiddush Hashem he is doing! Hashem gave him the koach of music to do good for others and thats exactly what he did! stop being negative bec he isnt lubavitch. im sure if 8th day did this you would be praising them! yes im a fellow lubavitcher and both my husband and i love lipa. Stop looking for the negative in everything and enjoy this beautiful video!

  • ????????????????

    I no LIPA may have gone over the top this time but that doesnt mean every one can criticize him!

  • to #2

    People who write songs get an inspiration, obviously this was his inspiration so why beat him up about it?

  • Marooned in Monroe

    Lipa is a genuinely good person, devoted to the klal. I suspect there’s a good bit of projection at play in these accusations.

  • Lipa Fan

    Lipa got permission from the fmily he asked the father before he made the song
    actuly leibys sisters asked lipa to make a song!

  • SHOCKED AND CONFUSED!!!

    I DON’T UNDERSTAND!!!!!
    this is supposed to be a nice and emotional thing, yet people have found a way to criticize, make bad comments and gossip!
    is this a fish mongers website??!!
    maybe in memory of leiby, people should try to watch what they say, think before they comment and try not to hurt other people’s feeling!
    i think that Tish B’Ov was a few days ago!!!!
    what is going on??!!
    why do the editors of this website post such things about the song, Lipa, and Leiby??!!

  • Lipa, Lipa, yoh

    Lipa might have rushed this but he is not making one dime from it. I am glad that I bought it and hope that others do as well.

    In fact, I realized after the 3 weeks that I lost one of Lipa’s albums and I am buying it again even though I can probably get a heter to copy it since I already bought it once. That is because whatever pennies Lipa gets from an old album are nothing compared to what he does with his GELT to help others.

  • A grammaritarian wrote

    It sounds like a really beautiful song. About being the Jewish Elvis-ah I don’t really know. But hey you can call yourself whatever you want. But yeah, a truly beautiful song!

  • DLZ

    I don’t think anyone thinks Lipa means harm, and even if the sister did ask Lipa to write the song (something I’m not sure I believe) I think if Lipa was smart he’d say no.

    This is something that causes more damage than good. Most people I’ve seen online think this is tasteless and exploitative.

    Its just sad.

  • Can-t watch!!

    I can’t watch the clips of him from the cameras….too hard…he was still alive there..I feel like we are reliving those days when I was sick to my stomach!!

  • ceo

    anyone know what comprises the Brooklyn subways?
    PUBLIC/ ANYTHING GOES/ ANY TYPE OF LANGUAGE AND EXPRESSIONS AND ATTITUDES.
    Thats what these Comment sections are.
    If you have an opinion, at least don’t do it in a coarse way. You won’t know if Lipa was being exploitative in his heart, how can you know. If you think so, don’t TRASH another yid like that. Just say it.
    Personally I dont think that Lipa needed to get more well known and recognized from this, he is well known enough, and for his chessed and achdus too. He didn’t trash you, why do you use your words to trash him. These Comment sections are just a breeding ground for letting go of ourselves. Lets remember we are Yidden who stand for Torah and Mitzvos and the Rebbe’s guidance, and be decent.
    Really, its time to pull back a bit.

  • Amateur editor

    Leiby’s name in the beginning shoukd have Hay,Yud Daled aftern it,
    not Hay Yud Vov.

  • come on now

    did it ever occur to you clowns that sometimes people are so distraught over some incident that they need to DO something and maybe this singer needed to call attention to the pain and suffering of a child’s family and esp. the sibs?SO WHAT IF HE DID THIS AS A TRIBUTE to a child who at some point will be forgotten? He wants to keep it alive and shout it out or sing it out to the world that once there was a Leiby.Taste etc is an individual thing but to trash the man in every way is just a reflection of the inner NASTINESS of you people!!Yes you.If you have nothing nice to say how about just zipping it up.Gd would probably be happier.I bet the family is fine with the song.

  • Not really

    I love LIPA – he really has a heart of gold and I believe it may be coming from his heart – but its a little tacky and over the top. A good man, though

  • Not really

    I love LIPA – he really has a heart of gold and I believe it may be coming from his heart – but its a little tacky and over the top. A good man, though

  • pathetic

    Looking forward to the next disaster…
    Now don’t get me wrong, I understand that every song “sad” song will inevitably have some acting in it, but Lipa just has no tact, he comes across as a pathetic faker every time. Avraham Fried would do a much better job.

  • Ester Zirkind, Toronto

    Firstly, I must tell you that I did not hear Lipa’s song, as I don’t think I could handle it. It’s probably beautiful, but far too heartbreaking.
    Having said that I did read all the comments, as I often do in both COL and Crownheights.info.
    Please, I am begging from both stations, do not print any comments that are hateful, or emotionally disturbing. I am assuming that you are unaware of the power of the social media, and of words in general; otherwise you would employ far more diligence and responsibility before publicizing such Sin-as Chinom.
    Perhaps, as a rule you should only print comments with names, as lots of horrible stuff is said under anonymity. Just a thought, please consider. Thank you.