Hesped for Leah Wandel Rieder ZL

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She had been an extraordinary girl. She became an extraordinary woman. She was a seeker and searcher and as a result, Leah became the best version of herself possible.

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Leah Wandel Rieder was born to Arnold o”h and Marlit Wandel, the second of two children. As Holocaust survivors, the Wandels imbued in their children a love for the Jewish people, for Yiddishkeit in its most authentic form, and a deep love for Eretz Yisrael. These were values that were embedded in Leah’s soul and they expressed themselves throughout her life.

After completing high school, Leah studied for a year in Michalala in Jerusalem. This experience nurtured her love for learning which she pursued in Drisha, in the Mussar Vaad that she organized, in her years of participation in West Side classes in Middos and Tefilla, in the Shabbes shiurim she arranged for years in Luxor Estates during the summer, and in her personal, private study of Parsha. Leah attended lectures and shiurim wherever she found herself. With her bright mind, she absorbed and could repeat the main points of any shiur, often sharing with her family. She delighted in learning herself and it gave her great pleasure to see the commitment of her husband and children to their consistent study of Torah. Leah was known for her insightful comments, clarifying and illustrating for the group. But this was not simply an intellectual pleasure. For Leah, the point of everything she learned was to apply what she learned, to grow and teach what she fully believed and trusted was Truth.

Leah and Shmuel Yosef married in 1978 and raised five wonderful children on the Upper West Side. They quickly integrated into the West Side community and contributed significantly to its religious life. Although they were members of the Boyan Shtiebel, they also frequented other shuls, forming warm relationships with the high caliber Rabbonim in the neighborhood. Their home was open to guests, most often Jews who were discovering their Jewish heritage. Many individuals passed through their door on Central Park West. Many remained deeply connected to Leah and Shmuel Yosef. Shmuel Yosef and Leah taught by example how to welcome and embrace strangers and how to share their commitment and enthusiasm for Yiddishkeit. Their children were strongly encouraged to interact with their guests, sharing divrei Torah and Shabbes zmiros. Involved in every West Side effort to enhance Jewish life, Shmuel Yosef and Leah were pivotal in establishing the Yeshiva Ketana of Manhattan. They were strong and early supporters of the West Side Kollel. Both were members of the Chevra Kadisha. Leah was a sought after teacher of Kallas, combining Halacha and Hashkafa in a way that gave young women a Torah orientation that would help them in building their own Bayis Ne’eman B’Yisrael.

Through Shmuel Yosef’s close ties to the Squarer Rebbe and later the Krechnef Rebbe, Leah was introduced to the world of Chassidus which she embraced, as she embraced anything that she recognized as Kedusha. The family spent many Yomim Noraim in Square and occasionally hosted the Krechnef Rebbe in their home in New York.

Shmuel Yosef and Leah had a profound impact on the West Side community, and they in turn were shaped by their years here. They made lasting and very close friendships which they maintained even after leaving the community and resettling in Monsey. They made a point of attending every simcha. A friend’s simcha was their simcha. Nothing was too far, too late or too inconvenient. They were always there, exuding joy, warmth and enthusiasm. Her friends knew that Leah cared deeply for them. She was a master at building people by acknowledging and applauding through texts, calls and messages. Leah was the most reliable of friends, with an uncanny sense for what was needed, and how to make it happen. Small, thoughtful kindnesses nurtured these relationships that spanned years and continents.

Over the years Shmuel Yosef became more involved in global Jewish causes, chairing the Agudah Siyum Hashas numerous times and participating as an active Board member of Agudas Yisroel. Shmuel Yosef treasures Shabbes and began to spread the message of the holiness of Shabbes through books and learning materials to schools throughout the US. Shmuel Yosef broadened his interests to include projects and organizations in Israel, particularly those that bridged the chasm between Hareidi and Secular Jews. In all these activities Leah was an active participant, contributing her ideas, her personal warmth and involvement. After the attack on Israel on October 7, they went into overdrive. They connected to Shai Gaucher and went south, supporting efforts on behalf of the soldiers fighting in Gaza and their families left to cope at home. Later Shmuel Yosef and Leah began a weekly learning program for women whose husbands had been killed in the war, providing babysitting and refreshments in addition to inspirational speakers. At the same time, they began funding and participating in activities to help the survivors of the Nova Festival as well as families of hostages, through Kesher Yehudi. Although they met these individuals only when they came to Israel, somehow both Shmuel Yosef and Leah bonded with them, literally and figuratively embracing them with unconditional love. The families and the survivors responded with love, admiration and tremendous Hakaras Hatov.

Through all this, Leah remained a most involved and dedicated mother to her five children. She was interested in every aspect of their lives, pushing them to achieve their utmost. Leah and Shmuel Yosef raised their sons to be Bnei Torah and also to engage in the world around them. They encouraged their only daughter and son in law to spend years in Yerushalayim so that her husband could continue to learn. Leah shared her advice and her wisdom with all of us, but her investment in her children was her most profound commitment. She was tremendously proud of them, treasuring every minute she spent with them. She had a deep relationship with each and every one, from the oldest to the very youngest. Birthdays, shabbosos, yomim tovim, family trips and vacations-Leah was a master of arranging, managing and enjoying. The goal was always to foster strong and lasting bonds between family members. It was a very high value to both Shmuel Yosef and Leah to create a family unit where the siblings would always be there for each other. In the last months of her life, her children took over the arrangements, planning trips and showering her with the same intense love and care that she had lavished on them. They sang, they danced and they hovered over her, anticipating her every need. Together, they made her last days beautiful. The family is left with very meaningful memories.

As a daughter in law, Leah was always attentive, caring and respectful. When her parents, the Wandels, needed Leah, she was there for them with her whole heart. She moved them to Monsey so that they were close by, sharing her nachas with them. Leah was involved in every aspect of her father’s care until he was niftar. The strength her mother, Mrs. Wandel, has always displayed was clearly part of Leah’s DNA. During the time of her illness, Leah accepted the challenges with deep bitachon in Hashem’s plan, while at the same time fighting for every additional day. With her indomitable spirit Leah continued to participate in her classes, travelled to Israel to join the Kesher Yehudi events, and celebrated each and every family simcha. Her passion for life and commitment to truth never faltered.

Leah and Shmuel Yosef were a model to us, their family and friends, in their gratitude to Hashem for the many gifts He had showered on them and in their deep faith and trust in Hashem’s hashgacha. Their strength and courage set the standard and carried us all through these difficult days.

May Hashem bring the family the Nechama that only He can bring and may the memory of Leah be a source of inspiration to us all.