Hasidic Singer Mendy Twerski Shakes Up The Voice All-Stars Without Turning a Chair
Hasidic singer Mendy Twerski failed to turn any chairs on The Voice All-Stars, yet walked away with an offer from Idan Raichel and a live duet with Static.
There are contestants who pass an audition, those who get eliminated, and then there is Mendy Twerski, who managed to turn all the rules of The Voice All-Stars upside down. The young Hasidic singer from New York stepped onto the Reshet 13 stage wearing a black suit, curled sidelocks, and plenty of confidence. Although none of the four mentors turned their chairs in the end, he walked off the stage with something many advancing contestants can only dream of: immense praise, an offer from Idan Raichel to start working together, and a spontaneous duet with Static.
A Unique Musical Identity
Twerski, a 22-year-old from New York, is far from the classic Hasidic singer viewers might imagine upon spotting his sidelocks. He is a creator and singer who bridges the Hasidic world of his upbringing with pop, hip-hop, and contemporary music. In fact, blending Yiddish, Hasidic melodies, and modern beats has already become part of his musical identity. Online, one can find his original songs and collaborations where he mixes these worlds without apology or trying to mask his origins.
On stage, he spoke about how music represents a true mission for him. Yet, following his performance came the painful moment: not a single chair turned. In a program where a chair turn is supposedly everything, one would expect the audition to end right there. However, with Twerski, almost the exact opposite occurred.
An Unexpected Turn of Events
Idan Raichel, who did not press his button, made it clear he had no intention of parting ways with him. Raichel explained that had Twerski sung entirely in Yiddish from start to finish, the picture would have been different, telling him explicitly: "You must sing only in Yiddish." Then came the line that turned an elimination into a broadcast work offer: "But starting tomorrow morning, if you want to begin working..." In other words, while the team roster may have closed for him at that moment, an exceptionally intriguing door swung open.
And that was far from the climax. Static revealed during the conversation that he was well aware of Twerski's surprising side. "Mendy has done a few Yiddish covers of my songs," the mentor shared, uncovering a musical connection that already existed between the two before their televised encounter. From there, the path to an unexpected moment was short: instead of sending the contestant home and calling the next in line, Static left his chair, joined him on stage, and treated the audience to a shared performance.
Suddenly, an audition that failed to turn a single chair transformed into a celebration. Twerski did not try to trade his sidelocks for a pop star look or hide his background; instead, he brought Yiddish, Hasidism, and hip-hop to the very same stage, turning potential cultural gaps into the most colorful highlight of the evening.
