Uncle Moishy

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Uncle Moishy
Uncle Moishy at Oh Nuts.jpg
Tannenbaum performing in 2009
Background information
Birth nameMilton Tanenbaum
Born Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Years active1975 (1975)–present
Labels
  • Suki and Ding
  • Sonic Duo
Website www.unclemoishyworld.com

Moshe Tanenbaum, known under his stage name Uncle Moishy, is an American Jewish children's entertainer. He performs educational songs with his band, Uncle Moishy and the Mitzvah Men, both on albums and in concerts around the world. These songs focus on the joy of living a Jewish life and performing mitzvos .

Contents

Early life

Milton Tanenbaum was born in East End, Toronto to Sam and Rivka Tanenbaum, both Holocaust survivors. His parents owned a grocery store. He attended the Etz Chaim school, and was involved in choirs and youth groups. [1] He started using the title Uncle in 1967 when his rabbi started referring to him as Uncle Milty, referencing the comedian Milton Berle who went by the same nickname. Later, in 1975, following the advice of the Lubavitcher Rebbe to use his Jewish name publicly, he adopted the stage name Uncle Moishy, which was suggested by a local Chabad shliach Yehoshua Laufer. [2] [1]

Musical career

Tanenbaum initially performed for teens in 1975 [3] [ non-primary source needed ] with his friends Zale Newman and Chaim Shainhouse (though Shainhouse left the group early on), with Tanenbaum always wearing a black fedora with an oversized Hebrew letter Mem on it. [4] Their music emphasized the joy of Jewish life, with songs covering themes like giving charity, studying Torah, and respecting parents. Some songs, such as "Shake It Up, Zaidy," and "Hey Dum Diddley Dum", were based on popular secular tunes. [5] After a successful performance for preschoolers, the group began focusing on younger audiences. [1]

In 1979, they released their first album in conjunction with the Jewish Education Program, [6] produced by Suki and Ding. It included songs such as "Hashem Is Here", "Torah Tzivah Lanu", "Ain’t Gonna Work on Saturday", "Don’t Walk in Front of Me", and "Give a Little Tzedakah". [1] Their first concert was held in 1982 at the Franklin Delano Roosevelt High School. They continued to perform at locations around Canada and the United States, then around the world, giving shows in Israel, England, Austria, South Africa and Hong Kong. [7] [8] [9] [10] Tanenbaum was especially popular in the 1980s and 1990s due to the limited number of other Jewish entertainers at the time. [5] He produced his first video, also with Suki and Ding, in 1990. [11] Over the years, he and Suki and Ding produced a total of 22 albums and 14 videos together. [5]

Dispute

A dispute arose in 2016 between Tanenbaum and Suki and Ding over a rise in royalty fees. Tanenbaum claimed that he personified the character of Uncle Moishy, while David Golding of Suki and Ding argued that maintained that his production company held the intellectual property rights to the brand, including the songs, albums, and live performances. Following the disagreement, Tanenbaum left the company and began working with Sonic Duo Productions, which launched the Uncle Moishy's World brand. In response, Suki and Ding hired a new performer, Yossi Berktin, to continue the character. [5] A religious court, the Machon Le’Hora’ah beth din, ruled in October 2017 that Suki and Ding owned the rights to the music and songs, but that both parties were permitted to use the name Uncle Moishy. [4] [12]

Tanenbaum later released a new book, published by ArtScroll, together with a music album produced by Doni Gross. [13]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Bensoussan, Barbara (July 23, 2013). "The History of Uncle Moishy". Mishpacha Magazine. Retrieved September 12, 2025– via Mostly Music.
  2. ↑ Gordon, Nachi; Langer, Yaakov (March 31, 2020). "The Story of Uncle Moishy | Meaningful People #2". Meaningful People (Podcast). Meaningful Minute. Retrieved November 26, 2023.
  3. ↑ "About Uncle Moishy". Uncle Moishy's World. Retrieved September 16, 2025.
  4. 1 2 "Bais Din Proclaims There Can Be TWO Uncle Moishys". The Yeshiva World . March 27, 2018. Retrieved March 17, 2025.
  5. 1 2 3 4 "Battle of the Two Uncle Moishys". COLlive. December 26, 2017. Retrieved September 12, 2025.
  6. ↑ The Jewish Journal, July 10, 2003 [ dead link ]
  7. ↑ Galant, Debra (August 27, 2000). "JERSEY; Black Hats and Vice Presidents". The New York Times. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved November 19, 2019.
  8. ↑ Graeber, Laurel (March 10, 2000). "Family Fare". The New York Times. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved November 19, 2019.
  9. ↑ The Jewish Week, June 9, 2000 [ dead link ]
  10. ↑ Erlanger, Steven (November 2, 2007). "A Modern Marketplace for Israel's Ultra-Orthodox". The New York Times. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved November 19, 2019.
  11. ↑ Goldstein, Riki (October 6, 2022). "Soundtrack of Our Childhood: Uncle Moishy Album Series". Mishpacha Magazine . Retrieved September 12, 2025.
  12. ↑ Lev, Zvi (March 29, 2018). "Uncle Moishy and Uncle Moishy slug it out in court". Israel National News . Retrieved March 17, 2025.
  13. ↑ "Uncle Moishy Releases Pesach Book and Music Album". COLlive. March 30, 2022. Retrieved September 16, 2025.
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