A Song of Its Own

The Connector

Word spread of how Dedi could light up a room, and soon he was invited to sing at simchahs and other events in venues in Israel and beyond. Those appearances gave Dedi the opportunity to rub shoulders with many influential people, and with his warmth and wit, many of those meetings evolved into lifelong friendships with people who rose to prominence. Early on in his career, Dedi visited with the Aleksander Rebbe, who dubbed him “Oded hameoded — Oded the encouraging one.” The Rebbe blessed Dedi with success in his singing, telling him that making other people happy would be the key to his personal hatzlachah.

Meanwhile, Dedi was also forging his own relationships in the Jewish music world. A visit to Mordechai Ben David’s home paved the way for an introduction to another well-known Seagate resident — Yossi Green — who would go on to write many a song for the talented singer and to produce several of his albums. When Avraham Fried or Mordechai Ben David visited Israel, Dedi would volunteer to take them around, and he was never shy about asking for an opportunity to join them on stage. Years later at a HASC concert, Dedi shared the story of the day he finally got a long-awaited yes from MBD, who agreed to let him sing a song at a concert in Jerusalem’s Binyanei Ha’umah. Racing home to get dressed, Dedi realized that the only suit he owned was the one from his bar mitzvah, which had been more than a few years earlier. With no other option, Dedi managed to squeeze into the suit, only to find himself barely able to move as he performed. While others might have cringed at the memory, Dedi owned it, gleefully and publicly sharing the story of his introduction to the live stage in a too-small suit.

That self-deprecating humor was typical of Dedi, who loved to joke when he shared the stage with Fried that, together, they looked like “before” and “after” results of dieting.

Chicago concert producer Miriam Schreiber described Dedi as a “singular sensation” who had an infectious love of people and was able to continuously reinvent himself.