Lenka Lichtenberg
Lenka Lichtenberg was born and raised in Prague, Czech Republic. Her love for animals comes from her mother Renee, a Holocaust survivor, beloved philosophy professor and a writer. Lenka had taken up Renee’s life-long habit of feeding stray cats and dogs wherever she goes (and birds and raccoons – anything one can feed), as well as a special connection and respect to all animals. She grew up with a Siamese cat, Eliska that lived for 23 years, thanks to, apparently, her mother’s special magic with animals.
Lenka has worked as a professional musician since childhood, debuting in a Prague music theater, and continuing with a lifetime of performing and concerts around the world. She has numerous recordings and has won multiple awards, as a composer and a singer in the genre of world and Jewish music. She holds a Master of Arts degree in Ethnomusicology from York University in Toronto, and has taught music at the Ryerson University before deciding to focus on her music career full time.
Lenka lives in Toronto, Canada, with her husband. They have 3 children. The whole family not only madly loves their dog Vinny, a goldiepoo, but also cares very much about animal welfare. As engaged citizens of the world, they are quite political and passionate about a number of issues, such as climate change and social justice. In 2013, the family founded a public health-oriented foundation in Western Kenya. Lenka signs petitions daily, and wishes to be as effective as possible in her quest to affect change in our fragile world. She is proud to be the Canadian Ambassador for Animals Trust NPO, helping to give voice to those who cannot speak for themselves.
