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(A7)Hundreds of friends and family took part in the funeral of leading Hasidic Jewish singer Michoel Schnitzler, who was laid to rest in the United States after he passed away in New York on Friday.
Schnitzler was one of the greatest songwriters in the haredi sector, and his songs were played in every haredi home and at every event. Since his death, the Hasidic music world has paid tribute to him and the great singers have been telling stories about the meetings they had with Schnitzler and of the songs they had the pleasure of singing with him.
Lipa Schmeltzer, one of the greatest singer-songwriters in the haredi sector and a close friend of Schnitzler, spoke at the funeral and paid tribute to his friend.
Schmeltzer burst into tears several times as he spoke during the eulogy, and the participants shed a tear along with him
“No one knows the secrets you are taking with you to your grave. You would sing with your back to the public because you were shy. You were like my Rebbe, I sang like you and I tried to imitate you. You guided me every step of the way. Who knows, if it wasn’t for you when I was 16 years old, it is thanks to that I stand here today wearing haredi clothing,” Schmeltzer shared.
“God gave me a gift that I know you. There were no singers before you, you helped provide a living to hundreds of people and you yourself worked hard to make a living.You suffered in your heart and didn’t tell anyone.”
Schmeltzer revealed that “on the outside you were always smiling, but on the inside you were broken. No one knew that, behind the smile, a broken heart was hiding.”
He recalled the last Seder night that he was able to celebrate together with Michoel and his children, noting that, unlike every year when dozens of guests would visit on the Seder night, this year only Michoel’s family members took part. Lipa turned to Michoel’s son and said, “You did everything you could, your father loved you so much.”
Lipa concluded the eulogy with a song written by the Michoel in honor of Shabbat, as he passed away a short while before the start of Shabbat.
