A tribute to the industry’s unsung hero
ABBI NUTA GETZEL WAIDENBAUM was surely Jewish music’s best-kept secret. He was a talmid chacham and beloved shul rav for over 40 years in Flatbush, but not too many people are familiar with his name as a concert producer for many of the Jewish performances over those decades. I first met Reb Nuta when he called me up in 1981 and hired me for the first ever Uncle Moishy concert in New York. At that time, I hadn’t realized that it would be the beginning of a long and fruitful relationship in more ways than one. Aside from the musical productions we worked on, we also had a learning seder together for two years. In fact, as a bochur, Reb Nuta was one of the few Americans who had been accepted to learn in the famed Ponevezh Yeshivah in Bnei Brak.
Besides Reb Nuta being a kind and caring individual and a true ben Torah, he was also the linchpin behind so very many Jewish events. Reb Nuta had a deep baritone voice and emceed many of his events from backstage. I once asked him why he never felt comfortable actually going out onto stage to make those same announcements. He always brushed me off and never really answered the question — but I know the reason wasn’t because he was shy or had stage fright. What I believe, is that he was most proud of his shul and the spiritual aspects of his life, and these public events were just a runner up.
Nuta, you should be extremely proud of both your positions. Perhaps you’d rather be remembered for your rabbinical achievements, but you have no idea what an impact you had in the frum entertainment field, bringing families kosher simchah in a world fraught with so many other enticing influences.
As I sat down to write a tribute to Reb Nuta for his second yahrtzeit on 23 Iyar, I realized how close he was to so many of the top performers and producers of Jewish music. So I reached out to them and asked for a few personal words about our mutual multi-faceted chaver. In the end, everyone seemed to say the same things about him, which tells me that these stories are as true as they come.
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