"That was a turning point in my life and career”

I

t’s been 48 years since Mordechai Ben David Werdyger first stepped onto the stage to perform.

“I will never forget it,” he says. “It was on a Motzaei Shabbos in 1971. We were spending the summer in the country, and a few of my friends spread the word, unbeknown to me, that I would perform. Posters announced that a new chassidic star named “Mordechai Ben David” would perform on Motzaei Shabbos. I was quivering that whole Shabbos, not stepping out of my room, dreading the moment Shabbos would be over. At night, I saw everybody streaming to the auditorium.

“My friends insisted. They came to my room and literally dragged me to the auditorium, depositing me on the stage. I was shaking, but then I started singing, and all my fears disappeared. I sang a few of my father’s songs, and some of the popular songs of my own rather limited repertoire. That was a turning point in my life and career.”

(Originally featured in Mishpacha, Issue 700)