“I remember that I was paid 50 dollars at the time”

“MY first real performance was at Brooklyn College, where I sang together with the Ohr Chodosh group before an audience of maybe 2500 people. I remember that I was paid 50 dollars at the time. Reb Moshe Kahan, who was in the audience, liked my singing and asked me to sing with Yigal Calek and the London School of Jewish Song, who were touring New York. I was supposed to perform in just one of their concerts. Since the producer liked my singing, he invited me to sing at all three productions. By then my fee had gone up, to $250.”

—Mordechai Ben David 

(Originally featured in Mishpacha, Issue 919)