Today they’re household names, but it started with a leap of faith: “I do enjoy Jewish music, but really my love is for radio. There’s such a connection between host and listener"   

T

here are people who claim to have recordings of me mimicking a radio show host when I was five, but it was my mother a”h who was able to envision the perfect fit for my skills and talents and pushed me in that direction. In 1981, I was going to work in Camp Morasha, a summer camp affiliated with Yeshiva University, before entering YU in the fall. As I was leaving, my mother said, “When you get to Morasha, ask people about the radio station at YU. I think it’s something you’ll enjoy.”

I listened to Mom, and I explored the job opportunities at the university radio. I remember standing there on line, applying for a slot, with a paper application in my hand. You had to check off what kind of show you wanted, and the guy in front of me asked me what I was applying for. I told him that I had written “popular music show.”

He said “not such a good idea, because everyone wants to do that. You have maybe a 20% chance of getting the job. But if you write ‘Jewish music show,’ you’ll get it, 100%.”

I heard that and crossed out “popular,” changing it to “Jewish”.

They hired me. I started my Jewish music show that Thursday night.

(Originally featured in Mishpacha, Issue 830)