My Yiddishe Mama
"My Yiddishe Mama" is a thrilling concert featuring Yair Keydar, 13, a singer who recently won two episodes of Star Search on Netflix, Yosef Kogan, 15, a violin virtuoso who recently was awarded the First Grand Award in the 10th Manhattan International Music Competition! As a winner, he will being performing at Carnegie Hall in August 2026. Along with their mothers Cantor Magda Fishman, a beloved concert star and senior cantor of B'nai Torah Congregation in Boca Raton, and Annette Ezekiel Kogan, the charismatic founder, lead singer and accordionist of the popular Klezmer band Golem and accompanied by iconic Yiddish Maestro Zalmen Mlotek, Artistic Director of the National Yiddish Theatre Folksbiene.
Their premiere concert at the Kaplan JCC in Tenafly, NJ on May 13, 2026 was a stunning success - beginning on the emotional and artistically innovative rendition, appropriately, of the Yiddish classic song "My Yiddishe Mame" performed by the two sons of our Yiddishe Mamas. The excitement and enthusiasm in the audience was intense, and it continued to grow as each of these brilliant performers delivered one virtuoso performance after another. By the end, there was a long, loud standing ovation, and it was apparent that this was a world premiere of a very special concert.
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Here is more info about the stars of "My Yiddishe Mama"
Cantor Magda Fishman
Magda Fishman was both a singer and trumpet player in the Israeli Defense Forces before making her way to New York to pursue musical theater and jazz. Magda is currently the Senior Cantor at B’nai Torah Congregation in Boca Raton, FL. She is featured in the National Yiddish Theatre Folksbiene’s concert Soul to Soul and has also been featured in their annual Summerstage concert in Central Park. She also performs with the cantorial group Divas on the Bima.
Yair Keydar
Yair Keydar is a young American vocalist who gained national attention as a standout contestant on the Netflix revival of Star Search. Before appearing on television, he had already begun building a stage career, including an Off-Broadway debut in Drag: The Musical. With a voice influenced by Broadway and classic pop, Keydar is emerging as one of the most exciting young vocal talents of his generation.
Annette Ezekiel Kogan
Annette Ezekiel Kogan is the bandleader, singer and accordionist of NYC klezmer-rock band, Golem, which has been performing for over 20 years all over the U.S. and the world, from Prague to Paris to Mexico City. Golem mixes traditional repertoire and a reverence for Yiddish culture with original songs and a rock beat. Golem has six albums and has been featured in movies and TV shows on Netflix and Amazon.
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Yosef Kogan
Yosef Kogan is a student of Viktor Basis at the Special Music School at the Kaufman Center in Manhattan. He has won awards in many competitions including the Kaufman Concerto Competition and the Music Teachers National Association competition. He performs in the summers with the Prague String Festival in the Czech Republic. Most recently he performed the Dying Swan onstage with ballerina Polina Semionova for a sold-out crowd at the Koch Theater at Lincoln Center. He is always happy to collaborate with Mom on Yiddish and Klezmer repertoire.
Zalmen Mlotek- Musical Director
Zalmen Mlotek is an internationally recognized authority on Yiddish folk and theater music as well as a leading figure in the Jewish theatre and concert worlds. For the past 20 years, he has been the Artistic Director and conductor at National Yiddish Theatre Folksbiene. He brought Yiddish-Klezmer music to Broadway and Off-Broadway stages with the Tony-nominated Those Were the Days and Drama Desk Nominated Amerike – The Golden Land. As Artistic Director of the NYTF, Mlotek initiated and was musical director of the widely praised, highly successful "Fiddler On the Roof" in Yiddish, directed by Joel Grey.