Bump in the Road

This story goes back to when I was a kid, way before my career in the music business. But it came back to me now because the second day of Nissan is the yahrtzeit of one of the foremost chazzanim and trailblazers in the Jewish music world, Rabbi Dovid Werdyger a”h.

I was 11 years old at the time, and it was my third year as a camper at Camp Kol-Ree-Nah. For those who might not remember, Kol-Ree-Nah was a sleepaway camp in Livingston Manor, NY. The head counselor was the much-loved Rabbi Shlomie Klein, who was also the devoted menahel of Yeshivas Rabbeinu Chaim Berlin for over 30 years. During the first week of camp, Rabbi Klein made an announcement that the camp would be putting out a record featuring the world-renowned and beloved chazzan, Dovid Werdyger. (Those who listened to him know that Reb Dovid Werdyger’s vocals were not those of a typical chazzan, but rather a softer, more flowing sound that helped lay a foundation for the nascent world of chassidish singers.) Shlomie Klein then went on to tell us that since the record would be labeled as “Camp Kol-Ree-Nah sings,” legally, the entire camp must sing at least one song on the album.

The song chosen was appropriately called “Kol Reenah” that was composed by Reb Dovid Werdyger (“Kol kol reenah, kol kol reenah… yemin yemin yemin Hashem, yemin yemin yemin Hashem, osah chayil…” and for the next five to six weeks, we rehearsed the song over and over.

Finally, the day arrived, and a truck pulled into camp with recording equipment and started to set up in the dining room. The entire camp headed to the dining room where they saw microphones, a piano, and other equipment set up, along with a little booth , where Dovid Werdyger and his musical director, Jackie (Yaakov) Goldstien a”h stood. The two of them had worked together from the beginning of Reb Dovid’s career in the United States.