It is with great sadness that Matzav.com reports the petirah of R’ Sheya Mendlowitz z”l, renowned music producer who greatly influenced the tenor and direction of Jewish music for many years. He was just 61 years old and battled illness and various ailments for years.
A pioneer and creative force in the Jewish music industry, Sheya was responsible for producing numerous music albums and events, including those of Mordechai Ben David and Avraham Fried.
Sheya was the musical genius behind the iconic HASC concerts, setting the stage – quite literally – for some of the most memorable musical gatherings of the last half century that spawned the concerts and events that followed in more recent years.
After singing in the Pirchei choir in his youth, Sheya knew that music was in his blood. He went on to be involved in the early Amudei Sheish Boys Choir albums and then, in the early 1980s, produced an album for a new start names Avrohom Shabsi Hakohein Friedman, otherwise known as Avraham Fried. That album was called “No Jew Will Be Left Behind.” He went on to produce all the big albums of those years, most prominently the albums of Mordechai Ben David and Avraham Fried.
Sheya’s word was the most respected one in the music industry at the time, as he set the gold standard.
Sheya’s journey as a producer extended to live concerts, and he orchestrated his first concert in 1981 at Madison Square Garden’s Felt Forum, featuring Mordechai Ben David.
Sheya was a master composed as well, most notably composing Siman Tov Umazel Tov for the wedding of the Belzer Rebbe’s son in the 1990s – a melody still cherished at simchos worldwide, a song that has earned its place in the fabric of Jewish life. Another composition of his is Yisborach, appearing on the Listig and Lebedig album that he produced.
Sheya had a profound appreciation for genuine Yiddishe music and was committed to preserving its essence.
More than his musical accomplishments, Sheya was a friend to thousands of people, who appreciated his insight, his sweetness, his friendship, and his ehrlichkeit. Many of these friends joined him over the last years at his home-based shul, arranged because he couldn’t get out, and that minyan gave people an opportunity to enjoy the unique presence of Sheya – his smile, his good cheer, and his gratitude for the friendships he made over the years.
Sheya’s musical contributions will be missed, but more so, his friends and acquaintances will miss the dear friend and chaver who has passed on the a better world.
But while Sheya is no longer here, Klal Yisroel will continue to benefit from his musical accomplishments and continue to sing the songs he composed and made famous until the greatest song is sung, may it be bekarov.
Yehi zichro boruch.
{Matzav.com}