Monroe, NY – A few hundred mourners gathered in the frigid cold Monday morning for a funeral for a 94-year-old Holocaust survivor said to have left behind more than 2,500 descendants.
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Yitta Schwartz, who died about 6 a.m. at Mount Sinai Hospital in Manhattan, is thought to have had the largest extended family of anyone in the generation of Orthodox Jews from Eastern Europe who escaped annihilation by the Nazis during World War II.
Unlike most survivors, Schwartz and her late husband, Yosef, left their native Hungary with their family intact. They came to the United States with eight children and added nine more in the years to come, one of whom passed away as a child.
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Schwartz left Williamsburg, Brooklyn, in 1978 after her husband died and settled in what was then the fledgling Satmar Hasidic satellite community of Kiryas Joel. At the time, she already had more than 170 grandchildren.
By the time of her death, her grandchildren had grandchildren.
This is an example of why it is a shame to put a number on Shoa victims. V’day lameyvin.
may she be a mylitz yosher for klal yisrohalm was a very spacial yidana.
Bli Eyen Huruh
BDE, i just heard her daughter is marrying off a son today
May she rest in peace ! we will never forget you bobi !
She was yehosef’s wife she had very nice and good children, there will be more visitors now in nj
I remember when her young son got lost in Satmar camp about 48 years ago. He was found dead in a cesspool. That was the first levaya I witnessed as a child and I’ll never forget that. Her screams were heartwrentching as they brought the childs casket infront of her home on Penn St. Mrs Schwartz remembered every child, grandchild and great grandchild’s name. She went to all their simchas. There was a joke in her family about her that she never took off her simcha clothes because she had so many simchas to go to. May she be a meilitz yoisher to us all.
Bobby, we love you
she was a rea tzidikes and always very happy . she will be missed by alot alot of people. she was very special
ברוך דיין האמתTHIS REMINDS ME OF כל המקיים נפש אחת מישראל, מקיים עולם מלא
“There was a joke in her family about her that she never took off her simcha clothes because she had so many simchas to go to. May she be a meilitz yoisher to us all.”
What a wonderful brocha!!!
She was a sample of a woman
the best bobi remember us
I knew her very well. Her home was never locked, in case anybody needed a bed to sleep during the night, and food to eat. She was a sample of a bal machnas Orach, even in times she had nothing. She used to invite every loner from the street, homeless….e.t.c. BTW, #6 , I didn’t understand your comment. Please explain.
As a great-granddaughter I can truly say, there isn’t such a special person living in this world. This is a woman one in a generation. I am not here to rave, but I just want to say, she was extra-special in every single way. She remembered each and every grandchild, to whom they are married, and how many kids every one has. Bobby, I will forever miss you, by life will never ever be the same.
So Hitler killed closer to 6 billion then 6 million
Baruch dayan haemes. But, WOW. 2500+ descendants!!! – THAT is the best revenge against Hitler ymach shemo!!
How come that there were only a few hundred people at the levaya if she had 2500 descendants?
im a 4th generations of my dear bobby i have 4 kids of my own. yes she never ever missed any of my own simchas.. and im a tzigekimana einikal. she knew my name and who my husband, and all members . Each and every grandchild, great-grandchild ( im a great grandchild) felt that they are the only grandchild.. she was absoultely very warm to each member of the family.. knew all names went to all simchas. Bris, vacht nacht and so on. always had a good word for each memeber…she was full of life full of spirit…
she was a fruy a tziedaikes…. we wasnt the norm…. we can surely learn from her alot. Its A big pity that we lost our leader.. the Family is close knit bec of Bobby BOBBY WE ARE GOING TO MISS YOU!!!
With the amount of grandchildren and great gandchildren, she managed to make each one feel special. A truly amazing human being. Ill forever miss her
She was a nice lady, we were neighbors for many many years. God bless her, and may she be a melitza yeshure for all yiden bechol mukem se’hem.
Bobby are going to be missed
From your great grandchild ( have 4 kids of my own-5th generation)
#19 . very little made it. the levaya was 11:00 she past away 6:00 in the morning . frist was morning rush houes and for example: i had to travel over 2 hours..after have the kids on their schedule . i missed it by 5 minutes and so many other grandchildren…
Can someone please explain how it is possable that someone should have over 2500+ Grandchildren
What an inspiring story.
wow!!! i hope to be zoche to have 2500 frum yidishe descendents who all say such wonderful things about me!
i don’t know her but from what the grandchildren are saying- wow what a woman a true aishes chayil and an akeres habayis!
i have a new role model!
may she be a meilitz yosher to all of us even those that aren’t her relatives.
p.s the previous poster is right about hitler yemach shmoi killing 6 billion and not 6 million! oy….
may we only hear simchas!
BD”H. What an inspirational story! Thanks to VIN for posting it, and to all of her grandchildren who have written such a beautiful tribute.
Someone threw the number 2500 out everyone is repeating it, guys that number is impossible, in geni family tree it’s listed 586, lest say 300-500 are not listed, (which btw I looked up everyone I know and it was on geni) still not even close to a 1000
what nachas she must have had! being a great great grandmother!
The numbers make sense.
16 children (survived to adulthood)
Average of 6 children to her children: 96 grandchildren
Average of 5 children to her grandchildren: 480 great-grandchildren
Average of 4 children to her great-grandchildren: 1,920 great-great grandchildren
Total: 2,512
Not even counting children-in-law.
from what i know of the family, it is more like:
16 children x 12 =
192 grandkids x 11 =
2100
total 2300 (without spouses!)+ numerous GGkids B”H
She saved my father in law in the camps.He passed out from hunger and she came over poured some sugar unto his mouth reviving himallowing him to get married and raise his own family.
Hi, I’m a tzigekimene einikel, and here’s a story that Bobby herself told me 2 years ago. She barely spoke about herself in this way, but I’m glad that I can share her story with you.
It’s known that before the war, during times of poverty & hunger, she had another child (or maybe even 2) which died. That child had medical issues and died in her arms, because she did not have enough nourishment to save the child’s life.
She was sent money from America to help out the situation, but it arrived on shabbes after the baby had already given its neshuma back to Hashem. Bobby REFUSED to take the money, because it was not Pikuach Nefesh anymore!! Of course, the delivery man never came back!!
Now, don’t forget that she was starving as well during that bitter time. Plus, I’m sure that she would get a hetter rabunim, had she asked. But this is an example of her unimaginable “mesiras nefesh” that kept her going strong till 95!!
Bobby, please… please… keep your door open for us, and pray for your grandchildren, as you did every day of your life!!
Yossi mayer
Bobby we all miss u
Each one of her descentants should have the brocho that she had merit so many ka”h.
Not so difficult to understand that most Ashkenazim alive today are descendant from Rashi…
amazing to know such jews exist ! bd”e
Ken Yirbu. This is the most amazing answer to Hitler. 2,500 descendants!!
Ken Yirbu!!!!
This story gives us an understanding why if you kill one person it is considered that you killed a whole world, you never know.
Yoily and others, you OWE it to your fellow yidden to publish a book about your Bobby so that others can be inspired by the kind of life she lived. Yoily, you have an obligation to the world to preserve the memory of Jews like your bobby; holocaust survivors who emerged from the inferno to build strong yiddishe families. Let other girls and women aspire to raise a family like your bobby did. Yoily, you and your siblings, parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins should compile stories of your bobby so that the world can learn from her.
bobbi, it was my honor and privilege to have known u. its a pity my children wont know how special u were!!!
In the last 4 weeks when she was ill she missed 4 weddings even the day she passed she had a einikal wedding
90% of satmar has at least one of her einiklech as their cousin
She will not be in yener velt to long because every night she will be sent down to a different simcha
She knew every einikal what their job is and even if someone was a rabbi she knew in which kitah he is a melamed
Not to long ago her son came to her for a shabbos with his family she went and brought everything in from the kitchen to the dining room her son told her mommy just sit and relax me my wife and my kids can help you but she said this is my house and I am th boss here
Not to long ago I moved to a different apartment a week after I moved I went up to her for a visit so I told her that I moved to a new apt. And I told her where I live, so she repleid oh that’s nice so you becoming a neighbour with this einikal and this einikal and by the way a block away I have another einikal and so on, she knew every einikal were they live
May she be a meilitz yosher for klal yisroel
I heard something so beautiful about her.
When she was in the camp after the war she made bows out of tissue paper for her daughter or for all the other little girls there (I’m not sure exactly how the story goes).
I thought that was so amazing. Just a tiny little thought to give little girls touch of normalcy after what they’ve gone through.
I didn’t know her but have heard such nice things about her. May she be a Malitz Yosher for Klal Yisroel.
bobby
Thank you for the gift of love,
now you’re sharing it up above.
You had many things to say.
All in a caring way.
You always saw good in everyone,
No matter what they’ve done.
You were always the one we could all lean on.
Even though it must have felt like a ton.
You were always the strength of the family.
Now we must let you rest calmly.
As we say goodbye,
as tears roll down our eyes.
I know your place in heaven has a good view.
Because you’re telling God,
I need to keep an eye on a few.
I know you will always be in our hearts and mind.
So bobby
I must go, but I’ll never forget you’re one of a kind
Moshe M. That was beautiful…definitely worthy of such an amazing soul
who is this crying at the end of the video ? is it a family member or a maspid ?
I am grand daughter of my bobba the tzdeikas yita schwartz and since she was niftar more than a week ago i have not stopped speaking about her i loved her cherished her and never ever will forget her.
And btw whoever does not want to believe that she had over 2500 grand kids go ahead and dont we are fine with but dont think we exgrated one bit any one that knows how many grandkids she had and knows a little math can do the calculation.
I read about Yitta in the NYT today and she sounded like a remarkable woman. My own grandmother died when she was well into her 90s and was an inspiration to all who knew here. At her funeral, the priest said that her legacy was left in everyone that came after her, and all we had to do was look around to be reminded of her amazing life. I think the same sentiment is appropriate here. How lucky you were to call her mom, grandma, great-grandma, aunt, friend. All of you are in my thoughts.