In tribute to legendary music producer Sheya Mendlowitz
“Sheya was the trailblazer when it came to fusing Jewish music with chesed,” says veteran composer/conductor Mona Rosenblum from his home in Bnei Brak, still unable to grasp that his longtime friend and colleague Sheya Mendlowitz is gone. Mona was referring to the famed HASC benefit concerts that Sheya spearheaded after a visit to the camp back in 1988, when camp director Moishe Kahn confided that the summer retreat for special needs children was on the brink of closure due to lack of funds. Those concerts became a financial lifeline for HASC and formed a prolific partnership between music and charity in the frum world.
But perhaps Mona meant something else too, on a personal level. Because Sheya Mendlowitz a”h, Jewish music’s legendary producer who passed away last week after years of health issues, had a heart of gold, fusing his talents with his expansive warmth. As much as he loved and lived Jewish music, he loved helping others in any way he could.
Nachum Segal, radio show host of JM in the AM, says that Sheya must have introduced him to “a million” people over his career. “He was helpful to everyone, whether making introductions, offering creative ideas, or giving pep talks. He just loved helping out.” With grace and warmth, Sheya farginned everyone in the industry their success.
Success was all around him, after so many decades of breaking glass ceilings and discovering raw talent in performers — Sheya had an uncanny knack for sniffing out a star. Sheya was just 19 and breaking into the industry in 1980, when he heard a demo of a young Chabad chassid named Avremel Friedman — whom he remembered their days in Pirchei choir together — and decided to produce an album with Fried as the solo artist.
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