Arie Leibovitz
Name at birth
Aaron Goldberg
Date of birth
03/17/1945
Where did you grow up?
Tel Aviv, Israel
Name of father, occupation
Aron Goldberg had disappeared and my mother did not know what happened to him. “My situation was desperate,” my mother writes in her mem¬oir. “I had no husband, no money. I did not want to leave that place because I still hoped my husband would come back.” He never did. Arie was raised by his mother's second husband, Chaim Leibovitz,
Aaron Goldberg was a lawyer, Chaim Leibovitz was a business man.
Maiden name of mother, occupation
Sonia Armarnik,
Homemaker
Immediate family (names, birth order)
Mother Sonia, half-sister Renya and Arie. Aaron Goldberg had presumably taken by the Nazis in late 1944
Who survived the Holocaust?
Sonia, Renya and Arie
Arie Leibovitz was born on March 17, 1945 in Krenica (now Krenica-Zdrój), a town in southern Poland, just before World War II ended. His mother was in hiding, and his biological father had been taken away by the Nazis, never to be heard from again.
Arie’s mother remarried, and as a small child Arie moved to Israel. Once he finished high school, Arie served in the Israel Defense Forces, which was mandatory. Following his military service, Arie crossed the ocean, headed for America, the land of opportunity.
Arriving in Detroit, he quickly found employment. But it wasn’t long before Arie took his first step in becoming an entrepreneur. While working for an employer, Arie established his own coin-operated laundry business, with his machines set up in select apartment complexes in southeast Michigan.
Around the same time, Arie began to see business opportunities in real estate, and once he did, there was no turning back. Arie had found his calling! After several years of learning the ins and outs of real estate investing, he founded Ari-El Enterprises in 1979.
Arie has devoted his business life to acquiring, developing, and managing real estate investment properties. Today, Ari-El Enterprises oversees a diverse portfolio comprised of more than 3.5 million square feet of income-producing industrial, office, retail, and apartment properties. Arie is also a real estate broker licensed in the State of Michigan. His sons Scott and Barak have roles at Ari-El Enterprises too, with Scott recently being named company president.
Arie and his wife, Karolyn, currently reside in a beautiful lakeside home in West Bloomfield, Michigan. They enjoy traveling to Israel and Greece annually, as well as visiting new places with other family members. And they remain strong supporters of the Friends of the Israel Defense Forces.
Arie’s mother remarried, and as a small child Arie moved to Israel. Once he finished high school, Arie served in the Israel Defense Forces, which was mandatory. Following his military service, Arie crossed the ocean, headed for America, the land of opportunity.
Arriving in Detroit, he quickly found employment. But it wasn’t long before Arie took his first step in becoming an entrepreneur. While working for an employer, Arie established his own coin-operated laundry business, with his machines set up in select apartment complexes in southeast Michigan.
Around the same time, Arie began to see business opportunities in real estate, and once he did, there was no turning back. Arie had found his calling! After several years of learning the ins and outs of real estate investing, he founded Ari-El Enterprises in 1979.
Arie has devoted his business life to acquiring, developing, and managing real estate investment properties. Today, Ari-El Enterprises oversees a diverse portfolio comprised of more than 3.5 million square feet of income-producing industrial, office, retail, and apartment properties. Arie is also a real estate broker licensed in the State of Michigan. His sons Scott and Barak have roles at Ari-El Enterprises too, with Scott recently being named company president.
Arie and his wife, Karolyn, currently reside in a beautiful lakeside home in West Bloomfield, Michigan. They enjoy traveling to Israel and Greece annually, as well as visiting new places with other family members. And they remain strong supporters of the Friends of the Israel Defense Forces.
When did you come to the United States?
Went to Israel in 1947 where he spent his youth and teenage years. After serving time in the IDF, Arie came to Detroit in 1967.
Where did you settle?
Detroit, Michigan
How is it that you came to Michigan?
Had family friends in Detroit
Occupation after the war
Worked various jobs, started his own coin-operated laundry and from there went into real estate and formed Ari-El Enterprises.
When and where were you married?
Married Rena Rott in February, 1968 - divorced. Married Karolyn in March of 1984.
Spouse
Rena - divorced; married Karolyn in 1984
Children
Anthony (Cyndi) Leibovitz, Jay (fiance Miguel Angel Lopez Laguna) Leibovitz, Scott (Rachel) Leibovitz, Barak Leibovitz, and the late Andrew (the late Suzanne Bartholomew) Leibovitz.
Grandchildren
Midori and Noah Leibovitz, Ellie and Marli Bartholomew, and Julia and Nathan Leibovitz.
Interviewer:
Information provided by son, Scott Leibovitz.
Interview date:
12/11/2025
