Norman Laster, a pioneer in the field of Jewish radio, died on Tuesday, March 15, at the age of 80. A long-time resident of Fair Lawn, Mr. Laster was best known for the radio programs he produced and hosted for decades. His signature program was the “Neshama” segment of Nachum Segal’s “Jewish Music in the Morning” (now Jewish Moments in the Morning, but still JM in the AM on WFMU) and, on Fairleigh Dickinson University’s WFDU, “Sounds of People.” The segment focused on Jewish music and recording personalities, and “Dialogue” which featured Mr. Laster’s interviews with personalities ranging from Nobel Laureate Elie Wiesel to actor Paul Sorvino and former Senator Alfonse “Al” D’Amato (R-NY). Many of those he interviewed became close friends of Mr. Laster and frequently consulted with him on relations with the Jewish community.

Born in 1935 in the Bronx to Abraham and Mindel Laster, Mr. Laster was raised in the Orthodox community of North Bergen, where he was active at Temple Beth Abraham. Even as a student at the Rogosin Yeshiva High School in Jersey City, Mr. Laster showed the seeds of his passion for Jewish music and Jewish outreach and his leadership in combining the two. He formed and directed a boys’ choir, which became an integral part of services in the shul.

After graduating from Fairleigh Dickinson University, Mr. Laster became a businessman, but he continued to devote his ardor and enthusiasm to Jewish music, recognizing its power as a force for Jewish outreach.

After marrying his wife, Greta, he relocated to Fair Lawn, where he and his wife raised their two sons, Avi and Michael. Becoming active at Congregation Shomrei Torah, Mr. Laster, in conjunction with the shul’s spiritual leader, Rabbi Benjamin Yudin, organized a weekly coffee shop with a mission of engaging Jewish young people who might otherwise be tempted to satisfy their urge for contemporary folk music in non-Jewish venues.

The coffee shop featured many Jewish musicians, and Mr. Laster himself frequently performed. A prominent aspect of the coffee shop was the time Mr. Laster devoted to convincing the Jewish young people to take another, deeper look at what Judaism had to offer. These conversations frequently migrated from the shul to Mr. Laster’s living room, where he spent hours showing young people the dangers and fallacies of some of the more popular cults of the time.

Mr. Laster’s reputation as a “cult-buster” prompted many parents throughout the area to consult with him when they feared their children were being ensnared by those forces.

His radio programs were a natural outgrowth of his devotion to Jewish music and Jewish outreach. As one of the pioneers of the Jewish morning radio program on Upsala College’s WFMU, he thought it would be a good idea to enlist Rabbi Yudin to deliver a weekly Dvar Torah on the Parsha.

At Mr. Laster’s funeral, Rabbi Yudin remembered the call he received. “Norman asked me so quickly, I didn’t have time to be nervous. He said, ‘Rabbi, why not say a dvar Torah? There are so many Jews out there listening. Let them hear a good word.’ And so I did. Who could say no to Norman Laster?”

But two years later, in 1983, the WFMU show lost its host and was in danger of closing. Desperate for a new person, Mr. Laster turned to Larry Wachsman, then-director of student activities at Yeshiva University. Mr. Wachsman suggested Mr. Laster listen to a young man, Nachum Segal, who was hosting programs for YU’s college radio.

Asked how he settled on Mr. Segal for the position at WFMU, a coveted spot for which there was a salary, Mr. Laster said, “We needed someone who would make it work. All I had to do was listen to Nachum once, and I knew he’d fit the bill.”

Over the years, Mr. Laster remained extremely close with Mr. Segal and his entire family. At Mr. Laster’s funeral, Mr. Segal recognized him as his mentor.

Urged on by his love of Jewish outreach and fervor to combat anti-Semitism wherever he saw it, Mr. Laster became active with the Fair Lawn Public Library, eventually serving as its president, because he had heard about the presence of some books on its shelves that cast Jews and Israel in a bad light.

He was also active with the local Jewish Federation, eventually emceeing a program entitled “Rejoice,” which featured Jewish music, film clips and passionate Zionism. When the show played to a standing-room-only audience at the 1200-seat Orrie de Nooyer Auditorium in Hackensack, there was dancing in the aisles.

In his later years, Mr. Laster maintained the bonds of friendship with entertainers, fans and other close associates that had been forged throughout his life. Last year, one of those friends, Dr. Alex Tentler, who also spoke at his funeral, embarked on an ambitious project to post all of Mr. Laster’s programs online. Those that have been completed can be heard at http://neshoma18.blogspot.com. Dr. Tentler and Mr. Laster’s cousin, Andy Stein, hope also to post photos and other memorabilia honoring Mr. Laster at the site.

Mr. Laster spent the last year of his life in the independent-living apartments at Daughters of Miriam in Clifton, where he was surrounded by his close cousins, Andy and Mordechai Stein and their families, as well as his many close friends.

“Norman will be missed dearly, but his presence will always be felt by those of us who were lucky enough to know and love him and to be loved by him. We will never forget the legacy of the glorious and heartfelt blessings with which he left us,” said Andy Stein.

By Susan L. Rosenbluth, TheJewishVoiceAndOpinion.com