Life has been quite a journey for Moses Libitzky. Born to Holocaust survivors living in a displaced persons camp, then growing up on a chicken farm in Connecticut, Moses learned early to think for himself and follow his own compass. That compass led him to the San Francisco Bay Area in the 60s, where he explored hippie culture and the early days of high tech, eventually finding his place in real estate.
Moses built his business, Libitzky Property Companies (LPC), one property at a time, starting with buying the house he was living in and working his way up from there. Today he’s a highly successful real estate entrepreneur, head of a company that develops and operates large industrial and office projects in California and nine other states.
Community is at the center of everything for Moses. He has been active in Jewish philanthropy for most of his adult life and is a past president of The Jewish Community Foundation of the East Bay. He and his wife Susan are generous supporters of many Jewish and non-Jewish causes alike. The memory of what his parents experienced during the Holocaust is a large part of what motivates Moses to give back.
“My parents suffered much and lost much. Giving back is about my commitment to them and my love for the Jewish community.”
Moses joined the Hebrew Free Loan Business Circle in 2019, to demonstrate his support for Hebrew Free Loan’s work to help people become financially self-sufficient. A year later, he multiplied that support many times over.
When the Covid-19 pandemic hit and applications for interest-free loans from Hebrew Free Loan skyrocketed, Moses played a key leadership role in securing the resources to meet this unprecedented need. He was among the first to make a major contribution to the Jewish Community Federation and Endowment Fund’s initiative to raise $5 million for Hebrew Free Loan. This visionary partnership ultimately generated $5.6 million in the form of a pooled recoverable grant (a loan) to provide capital for interest-free Covid-19 relief loans.
It all comes back to Jewish values for Moses, and his keen awareness of the role that community plays in Jewish life. Supporting Hebrew Free Loan and being a member of the Business Circle fit into his lifelong commitment to building a better world for all.
