Yossele - Mendel Roth & R’ Michoel Schnitzler z”l

I wrote this song for Michoel Z”l. As he listened to the tune I composed he instantly loved it and asked me to write lyrics that match his style of storytelling and the messages he is trying to convey in his songs.

As he asked, Yoselle’s character emerged in my mind. Based on a real encounter I had in NY with a sweet boy who I got to know at a Kumzitz. His painful story and the way he was expelled from the Charedi world touched me deeply.

As I came to Michoel with the ready song, he listened to it and started sobbing saying: “Mendel, I have never in my life heard such a song and I’ve never before cried when a composer brought me a new song. This song is my own story and the story of an entire generation”