LeFrak was born in Manhattan, New York, to Harry (Harris) Lefrak and the former Sarah Schwartz, who had originated in
Slutsk, near Minsk, in Belarus (then Russia). He grew up in
Brooklyn, New York, and attended
Erasmus Hall High School in
Flatbush, Brooklyn. He graduated from the
University of Maryland, College Park, in 1940, with the University's LeFrak Hall named for him. While at Maryland, he was a brother in the
Tau Epsilon Phi fraternity. In the early 1970s he was sued by the federal government for housing discrimination; the case was resolved in a January 28, 1971 agreement. In 1975, he co-founded a small recording and publishing company, The Entertainment Company, with his then son-in-law
Martin Bandier and
Charles Koppelman. The company recorded "
Groovin'" by the
Rascals, "
Here You Come Again" by
Dolly Parton, "
My Heart Belongs to Me" by
Barbra Streisand, Streisand and
Donna Summer's duet, "
No More Tears (Enough Is Enough)", "
By The Time I Get to Phoenix" by
Glen Campbell, "
Why Do Fools Fall in Love" by
Diana Ross, "
Love Will Keep Us Together" by the
Captain & Tennille, and the soundtrack album to the television series
Fame. In 1984, the relationship was dissolved after Bandier divorced LeFrak's daughter. In 1988, LeFrak was honored by the United Nations, along with former President
Jimmy Carter, for global contributions through
Habitat International. ==Personal life==