Key aide to 2 Boston mayors and a Jewish leader dies

Howard Leibowitz, an influential behind-the-scenes aide to two Boston mayors and a leader in Jewish causes, has died.

Leibowitz died suddenly of a heart attack on Sunday. He was 63.

Leibowitz, a Brandeis University graduate, was recalled as a passionate strategist and advocate for the homeless, fair housing and racial justice. He brought a tireless and innovative advocacy to Jewish and universal causes.

He was a board member of the Jewish Alliance for Social Justice, which had planned to honor him on January 24 for a lifetime of service.

“Although he wasn’t religious, he devoted his life to tikkun olam,” or repairing the world, his lifelong friend Peter Dreier, a professor at Occidental College, wrote in the Huffington Post. “There are millions of Americans — around the country and in Boston — whose lives were improved by Howard’s work, even though they didn’t know him or don’t even know his name.”

— JTA