Pesach Special: An Interview with Yeedle Werdyger

I’ve wanted to speak with Yeedle Werdyger for a long time. He is considered the prince of Jewish music. One of my all-time favorite songs for many years has been “Shiru LaMelech,” from the album of the same name which was released in 1998.

I was still in yeshiva high school when that song came out. Back then, we were using Netscape to surf the internet and Winamp to listen to mp3s, and of course, Bibi was prime minister then too.

I loved the song from the very first listen. The acoustic intro, the harmonica joining in, and the melody itself. I have always enjoyed playing it on my keyboard.

I wanted to talk to Werdyger about this masterpiece as well as address many other questions. Over the years, I’ve listened to many of his songs and remember singing them with my friends in school.

It turned out that one interview was not enough. Werdyger had so much to share, not only about his own music, but about the world of chassidic music as a whole.

We spoke about his father – one of my favorite singers, Mordechai Ben David, the king of Jewish music, and about his grandfather, the legendary chazzan David Werdyger. Did you know that the chassidic music genre, as we know it today, essentially began with his grandfather? We’ll get to that.

Speaking with Werdyger was both enjoyable and very informative. As a keyboardist and one-man band performer, I tend to listen to music a bit differently. I’m always obsessed with sounds, and curious: Is that real brass? A real sax? Or is it a sample? Is it a live drummer or a loop?

At one point, I mentioned that in “Maaminim Bnei Maaminim,” the intro sounds like real brass, and the sax solo in the middle sounds authentic as well. Werdyger clarified that the brass intro is actually a sample, played on a keyboard in the studio by Mona Rosenblum. The sax, however, is real.

I began the interview by asking about “Shiru LaMelech.” The song has a very acoustic feel, not the classic chassidic arrangement of that time. Was that intentional? Was he trying to create something different?

Werdyger explained that he appreciated the simplicity of the song and therefore kept the arrangement uncomplicated. He chose acoustic guitar and harmonica, going back to the styles of Rabbi Shlomo Carlebach and Rabbi Baruch Chait.

The song was composed by Rav Hillel Paley, using lyrics from the Yotzrot of Shavuot. The original lyrics included a different pasuk, “B’rikmei shir me’utaf u’me’utar u’m’foar.” MBD suggested using the next line of the Yotzer instead, “Ve’ashrei avadov…”.

Moshe Laufer composed the intro, which is arguably the most recognizable part of the song, and Werdyger suggested the harmonica. The collaboration of their talents resulted in the masterpiece.

Shiru Lamelech was not Werdyger’s first album, but it’s the one that made him famous.

I asked him what he thinks made it such a success.

MBD produced his son’s first album, titled “Together.” When it came to the second album, his father stepped back and encouraged Werdyger to take the wheel, offering guidance as needed. By the third album, “Shiru LaMelech,” he had gained more knowledge and confidence. It was his breakthrough.

I mentioned that in his albums, there are several songs with a chazzanus style, such as “Berach Hashem” and “Mimkomcha” on Shiru LaMelech, and “Unesaneh Tokef” and “Mizmor Shir” on Laasos Retzon Avicha. I asked if this was influenced by his grandfather.

Werdyger explained that he tries to include a mix of styles in each album so that everyone can find something they connect to. More than anything, he looks for songs with neshama, songs that truly move him, whether through simcha or through more reflective emotion. He’s drawn to music that gives him chills and stays with him long after.

He also mentioned that music is in his bloodline from both sides of his family. His maternal grandfather was also a chazzan, and his uncle was the well-known cantor and recording artist Ari Klein, a”h.

Many of Werdyger’s songs were composed by leading composers in chassidic music, including Yossi Green, Mona Rosenblum, and MBD, among others.

Does he compose too? He explained that not composing allows him to approach music with a certain objectivity, making it easier to critically evaluate and select what truly works.

You need to know how to choose the right song, he told me. There are many songs and composers. Choosing the right one is a very important part of the process.

As the conversation went on, it became clear that he has a sharp ear for music and a deep understanding of what makes a song a hit. That instinct – the ability to recognize what will connect, what will last, and what carries real neshama – is a central part of his song selection process.

He did co-compose several songs with Eli Laufer, including “K’shoshana Bein Hachochim,” “Yehi Shalom,” “Zamru LaHashem BeKinor,” “Hori Hu,” and “Mekimi.” He has also played a role in matching some lyrics to melodies. Some examples include his father’s song “Shir Chadash” from Maaminim Bnei Maaminim and “Lechu Neranena” on Yeedle IV.

When he mentioned “Shir Chadash,” I got excited because it’s one of my favorites. It’s the kind of song that stays in your head and has a strong acoustic feel throughout.

Werdyger’s first recording took place at the age of eight. He was so shy that he asked the engineer to close the blinds on the glass partition of the recording booth while he sang. He grew up in a home filled with music, where singing was simply part of daily life. His father, his grandfather, his uncles – music was always around him, and he absorbed it naturally.

In fact, both his uncle Ari Klein and his grandfather David Werdyger encouraged his father, MBD, to begin singing professionally. One day, young MBD was sitting at the piano at home, singing a song he had composed to himself. His father overheard him and encouraged him to record an album, even though MBD had not intended for anyone to hear and was simply dabbling at the piano. Later, Klein also encouraged him to start a music career.

At that time, the chassidic music world was just beginning. Werdyger explained that his grandfather played a major role in shaping the genre in the 1960s. While Ben Zion Shenker was focused on Modzitz melodies, David Werdyger traveled to different chassidic courts, including Ger, Melitz, Satmar, Bobov, Skulen, and others, and recorded their music.

Many of those melodies are still sung to this day. For example, the well-known “Lo Tevoshi” melody used for Lecha Dodi in many shuls comes from Ger and was composed by Yankel Talmud. At just nine years old in Krakow, David Werdyger was first heard by Talmud, who recognized something special and brought him to the Gerrer Rebbe, the Imrei Emes. While the young Werdyger was singing with the choir during the Yamim Noraim, his voice stood out, and the Imrei Emes turned around and fixed his gaze on him, a stare he would carry with him for the rest of his life.

David Werdyger released his first of over 30 albums in 1959, around the same time that Rabbi Shlomo Carlebach and Ben Zion Shenker were beginning their work. This is one of the reasons the genre became known as chassidic music, because it brought together melodies from many different chassidic communities.

Werdyger also mentioned that in the Bobov album, the young soloist featured on the song “Burch Hu Elokeinu” later became the Admor, who is the current Bobover Rebbe.

I asked him if he thinks he would have become a musician without his family background. He said there’s no way to know. He was born into it and lived it. Even without formal training, he was exposed to every stage of the process. He watched how songs were built, how his father sat at the keyboard, and how recordings came together from start to finish.

He shared a childhood memory from the time his father was recording the album “Around the Year,” a Suki & Ding production, in a studio in Manhattan. As a young boy, he would sit in the control room, watching everything closely. The RCA studio had an incredible feature: With the push of a button, part of the ceiling would rise several feet, changing the acoustics of the room. He was fascinated by how that affected the sound – how space, echo, and atmosphere could be adjusted so precisely. Even at a young age, he was absorbing these differences, learning how sound is shaped long before it reaches the final recording.

He also credits audio engineer and producer Eli Lishinsky as someone he learned a great deal from.

I asked Werdyger which songs from his albums are closest to his heart. He told me “Aneinu,” from the album A Verdiger Yid, composed by Yitzchak Fuchs. The day he received the song, he had listened to about 20 different compositions from Fuchs. But when he got home and listened to “Aneinu” again, something shifted. He found himself unexpectedly moved to tears.

That reaction stayed with him. He later sent the song to his father, without mentioning how deeply it had affected him. His father’s response surprised him. For the first time, he shared that he too had been moved to tears by the song.

Werdyger reflected that he has always had the zechut of being exposed to some of the greatest talents in Jewish music. At one point, a colleague advised him that he needed at least one strong 4/4 song, since that is what people naturally dance to in circles. “Aneinu,” however, is written in 6/8 time, which is less conventional and more complex.

He shared this concern with Mona Rosenblum, who told him, “If a song moves you to tears, don’t overthink it. Go with it.” For Werdyger, that became a guiding principle – to trust the emotional truth of a song over trends or expectations.

I asked him what his musical influences were. He grew up listening to a wide range of music at home: chassidic, Israeli, and general music. His influences ranged from Svika Pick to Billy Joel and even the Beatles. He also listened to Spanish music and has a strong appreciation for Israeli music, especially Shlomo Artzi. He mentioned that Avraham Fried, whose music he listened to growing up, sang at his bar mitzvah.

I asked him what he thinks about the recent trend of incorporating electronic dance elements into chassidic music. He appreciates the introduction of new sounds and textures, what he described as new “frequencies” to the ear. At the same time, he values the authenticity of traditional instrumentation, brass, strings, flute. What he enjoys most is the combination of both, blending modern beats and production with the richness of traditional chassidic sound. As he put it, it’s about mixing styles, similar to what artists like Bruno Mars do.

As we continued speaking about musical styles, he shared a story about his father’s early recordings. When Mordechai Ben David was working on one of his first albums, Neshama, in the early 1970s, he and Mona Rosenblum had to search for musicians in an unconventional way. There were very few Jewish studio musicians at the time, so they would go to pubs to find talented players.

That same album was also groundbreaking, as it was among the first in Israel to be recorded using 16-track technology. It included the well-known song “Shema Yisrael,” composed by Svika Pick.

We then turned back to his own albums.

He shared, with a bit of humor, that when he released an album for the first time, it was simply to make some money. As he put it in Hebrew slang, he wanted to make “jubot.”

His album Yeedle IV marked his first collaboration with audio engineer and producer Eli Lishinsky. Lishinsky brought a high level of precision to the process. If something wasn’t right, they redid it until it was. Werdyger noted that before this, he had been less exacting in the mixing process, but here the standard was much higher, with careful attention to every detail.

The album produced several well-known songs and also marked an important collaboration with Eli Laufer, along with contributions from Mona Rosenblum’s son.

On the album Lev Echad, Yeedle collaborated with Aharon Razel. He also worked closely with Laufer, building on their earlier collaboration. He shared that he felt comfortable working with him, both because of their previous work together and because Laufer was closer to his age.

Many of the musicians he worked with were highly experienced, and he noted that he often felt a sense of awe working alongside them.

You can’t talk about Lev Echad without mentioning the song “Elon,” composed by Rabbi Akiva Homnick. Werdyger had already worked with him previously, and Homnick contributed additional material to the album. Yedidya Meir introduced them. Homnick is also known for composing “Chamol,” a song widely sung, especially during Elul. The album reflects a blend of contributors, including Laufer, Werdyger, Aharon Razel, and Rabbi Homnick. Razel handled the musical arrangements for several tracks, including “Lev Echad,” “Ashrecha,” and “Return.”

We continued to discuss the album A Verdiger Yid. This album introduced new composers, including Boruch Sholom Blesofsky, who wrote “Melayim Ziv” and “Shakul.” In return, Werdyger later produced a full album for him, Bishvili, where he incorporated more modern elements.

He shared that when Laufer first sent him “Shir Hamaalos,” he didn’t immediately see its potential. Later, his cousin sent him another version, which included the now well-known intro, and that’s when he connected to the song.

He also spoke about the name of the album. “Werdyger” is associated with the idea of a Yehudi ra’ui, a proper Jew. Lipa Schmeltzer wrote the lyrics to the title track, A Verdiger Yid, using wordplay that connects both meanings, the concept of a proper Jew and Werdyger’s own name. Mona Rosenblum composed the song at his brother-in-law’s home in Savyon, sitting at the piano.

Werdyger shared a few additional stories from the album.

“HaNeshama Lach” was composed by Reb Binyomin (Benny) Hershkowitz, z”l, a gentle and deeply impressive individual. Werdyger said he felt privileged to sing his composition. Hershkowitz is also known for the well-known melody to “Ein Aroch.”

“Uve’oso Hazeman” was written and composed by his father for a Siyum HaRambam and was performed live but never recorded. About 25 years later, Werdyger chose to include it on the album.

“Shaarei Dema’os,” composed by Pinky Weber, was originally considered for one of Lipa Schmeltzer’s albums. Schmeltzer often sought Werdyger’s input when selecting songs and trusted his judgment. When he chose not to include it, Werdyger asked if he could record it, and Schmeltzer agreed.

The song “Soon” was written and composed by Ken Burgess, a ger Tzedek who had been involved in the music world before his conversion and even had connections with the Beatles. He also composed “Home” on Shiru Lamelech. Werdyger became familiar with him through his father, who worked with him on the English Collection, released in 1998.

The album also includes a Pesach-themed song, “Al Achas Kama V’kama,” composed by Rabbi Shlomo Kalish, Rosh Yeshivat Nadvorna.

We then spoke about his most recent album, Hu V’lo Acher.

After several years, Werdyger returned with this release, which, like his previous work, reflects a high level of thought and production.

I asked him about the song “Kumi Ori” – whether it was simply another strong addition or if it was influenced by the events of the past few years, particularly the line “Lo yishama od chamas b’artzeich.”

He confirmed that he intentionally wanted a song that reflected the current reality. The composer, Yitzchak Benarza, was someone he knew through his brother, David Ben Arza. “Kumi Ori” quickly became one of the most requested songs from the album.

He explained that the album itself had been in the works for years. During that time, he was involved in other projects and did not feel he had a complete body of work. Only once he felt he had enough material did he move forward with releasing it. Some songs had been recorded years earlier and were later rearranged and re-recorded.

It was only after receiving “Hodu Lo” by R’ Cheskie Weisz, along with additional material from Benarza, that he felt the album was complete.

I mentioned that this album sounds different from his earlier work – less traditional and more modern in its sound. He explained that he is always looking to innovate, but only when it feels right. He prefers to do something properly or not at all, and continues refining his work until he feels fully satisfied.

He draws inspiration from his father and aims to reach that same level. His father remains closely involved, offering guidance, ideas, and support throughout the process.

He also shared that he is currently working on producing a new album for his father.

Over the years, MBD recorded many songs that were never released. Werdyger is now selecting the strongest material, and together with Moishy Roth and Zevi Fried, is working on bringing this project to completion.

He also mentioned that in his most recent work, he has begun using AI as part of the production process.

On one song, he recorded seventeen different versions and used AI tools to help identify the strongest takes. He is continuing to learn how to use these tools to refine recordings, whether by selecting the best elements from multiple versions or revisiting and improving older material.

The trio hope to release the new album this summer, although, as he noted, that ultimately depends on many factors.