Mordechai Ben David

Mordechai Werdyger, known professionally as Mordechai Ben David, was born on April 16, 1951, in the United States. He is a Hasidic Jewish singer and songwriter who performs under the stage name Mordechai Ben David or simply MBD. As one of four sons of David Werdyger, a hazzan (cantor) from Kraków who survived the Holocaust, Mordechai began his musical career during a time when hazzanut was the main source of recorded music in Orthodox Jewish circles. His first concert performance was in 1972 at Brooklyn College, where he opened for the musical group Ohr Chadash and sang songs from his father's albums as well as material from his own debut album Mordechai Ben David Werdyger Sings Original Chassidic Nigunim. Mordechai Ben David released his breakthrough album Hineni in 1974. Throughout his career, he collaborated with notable composers and arrangers such as Yisroel Lamm and Mona Rosenblum. His album I’d Rather Pray and Sing was released in 1977. Mordechai Ben David recorded over 46 albums, including notable works like Moshiach Is Coming Soon and Tzeaka. He was inducted into the Jewish Music Hall of Fame in February 2022.