Watch: Yaakov Shwekey Shares ‘the Story Behind the Song’ During Visit to ArtScroll
Singer Yaakov Shwekey traveled this week to visit the headquarters of ArtScroll/Mesorah Publications in Rahway, NJ, where he was interviewed at ArtScroll Studios by Mishpacha‘s Rabbi Yisroel Besser.
Afterward, Shwekey was given a tour of the ArtScroll bindery and warehouse by ArtScroll President Rabbi Gedaliah Zlotowitz, Rabbi Aharon Zlotowitz and Rabbi Yitzchok Hisiger. Photos of the tour can be seen below.
Shwekey, accompanied by his friend, David Hillel, was fascinated by the massive ArtScroll operation, intrigued by every facet of the production of the world’s premier Judaica publishing house.
Of course, the conversation at some point turned to music, and at one point, Rabbi Hisiger mentioned the song “Vehareinu,” which, it turns out, is one of Shwekey’s all-time favorites. Shwekey, in fact, recorded it on his kumzitz album (listen here) and Rabbi Hisiger remarked that the song had previously been recorded on Simchatone 2 (listen here) and Avraham Fried’s Around The Year 3.
Seizing the moment, Shwekey proceeded to share a fascinating Hashgocha-filled anecdote – never having been told before – about how he first discovered the identity of the song’s composer, a detail that had eluded him till then. Shwekey’s telling of the anecdote was caught on camera.
WATCH:
