If he had an ambition, it was to go bring simchah to as many cholei Yisrael as possible
My brother was learning in the Skverer yeshivah in New Square, and he came home to Brooklyn one day with a CD of songs composed by a friend of his from yeshivah. I listened and was instantly moved. There was something about Shragee Gestetner, not just a beautiful voice, but a tremendous depth and sincerity. I immediately bought one of his songs, and we developed a relationship.
It became abundantly clear that he wasn’t just a composer, but a singer, with a special voice. He was eventually ready to record on his own, but it was important to him that his songs have a message, the words and the tune giving something to Klal Yisrael. He was addressing his people in every note.
I remember a trip we took together to record in Eretz Yisrael. He was so reverent and so erlich. We had to start the day with a real Shacharis, a serious Shacharis. We davened at the Kosel often, but Shragee also loved davening at the Churva shul, so we davened there on several mornings. He was makpid on pas Shacharis, according to halachah, and insisted I do the same.
His album was very well received, but fame wasn’t his goal — just the opposite. With success, he became ever more humble; it wasn’t about him. Money didn’t drive him, and I always remember how he would always pay my partner and me, his producers at the time, a bit more than he owed us, just to make sure he was being erlich and not taking money that wasn’t meant for him.
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