Hits

FROM CAMPUS RADIO TO HEBREW HITS By Malky Lowinger

What’s a nice girl from Cedarhurst with a traditional yeshiva background doing on the radio? And how did this personable young lady come to host a popular podcast that is listened to by thousands of followers worldwide each week?

Meet Malya, a determined Five Townser who decided to follow her passion.

MALYA Feivelson will be the first person to tell you that her chosen career is certainly not typical for a girl who went to the standard Five Towns schools and seminary in Eretz Yisroel.

“I did the typical schools,” she says, “but I decided not to do the typical things.”

Not typical indeed. Upon returning from her seminary year in Eretz Yisroel, Malya found herself faced with plenty of choices. She considered going into law, or perhaps interior decorating. But she also had what she likes to call “a crazy passion” and “a fire inside of me.” It’s a passion and a fire that she would pursue, eventually leading her to host Hebrew Hits, an inspiring radio show featured on j*tribe radio that is capturing the attention of an ever-growing audience.

But we’re getting ahead of ourselves. Malya’s story started about three years ago, while she was attending college. At that time, she was majoring in pre-law. One day, she randomly received an email notification from the university that one of the classes she enrolled in for the following semes-

ter had been cancelled. She would have to choose something else in that time slot.

“I scrolled through the available classes,” says Malya, “and I noticed that they were offering a class in radio production. I figured I should give it a try.” It was a life-changing moment for Malya.

“I walked into the studio on the first day of class,” Malya remembers, “and I immediately felt that this is where I belong.” Being the only Bais Yaakov girl in the class, she was clearly different than the other students. Nevertheless, says Malya, “I was in my comfort zone.”

Malya was a newcomer to the world of radio, but she was passionate and driven. After just a few weeks, she decided to visit a radio station located on campus to see if she could get a job. On that very first day, the director saw Malya as an ambitious self starter with inborn radio talent. On impulse, he asked her to host the evening news that night. It was intimidating, to be sure, but Malya recognized it as a golden opportunity.

“Halfway through that very first show,” she recalls, “the director said to me, ‘Malya, you sound golden on the mic!’”

In the end, Malya spent two and a half years as a broadcaster at that campus radio station, learning everything she could about the business. Nothing could stand in her way. “I was scheduled to host the morning show,” she shares. “That meant I had to wake up at 5:00 a.m., even on freezing cold winter days. I was shivering and exhausted, but I was also so excited so I pushed myself to do it.” She hosted the news on that station and also served as a DJ. Despite the crazy hours, it was a huge learning and growing experience. “They taught me how to be the best that I could be,” she says.

What did Malya’s family think about her chosen career? Her parents, she said, were a little surprised but they also understood that she was super-focused and determined. “They are so happy for me,” says Malya, “because they understand that this is my passion.”

But there were plenty of naysayers.

“I got pushed down many times,” Malya admits, “by people in the community who told me it’s never going to happen, it’s not appropriate for a girl like me, and so on.” But Malya chooses to ignore the negativity and focus on the positive. “I am focused on growth,” she asserts. “I am determined to succeed, and my goal is to be the best that I can be.”

Clearly, the industry recognized her talents. At one point, Malya was a finalist for “Best Voiceover” at the Radio Awards. “The awards ceremony was on Shabbos,” she notes, “so I couldn’t attend. But there was also a session on Friday which I did attend and where I made lots of connections.”

Driven by her passion and a powerful ambition, Malya met famed radio personality Ryan Seacrest’s team and eventually reached out to the producers of his show on iHeartRadio. She was determined to break into the next level of radio production, so she flew to California last summer to visit their studio. The producers were delighted to meet an aspiring radio hopeful, and she learned a lot from that experience.

“They told me that if I want to succeed in this business I’ll have to put my heart and soul into it.” So far so good.

But they also explained that ultimate success comes only to those who are willing to give up on everything else. In short, to make it in radio she would have to forego the future she was hoping for, her friends, her family, and perhaps even her value system.

“That,” Malya declares, “I wasn’t ready to do.”

It was a soul searching moment for Malya. She had reached a true turning point that would determine the trajectory of the rest of her life.

“Let me explain,” she says. “Radio isn’t just a job. It’s a family. Your coworkers aren’t simply your colleagues. They are everything. You eat together, you party together, and you hang out together. Clearly, I was different, and my colleagues respected me for that. But if I were to continue in the business, I realized that inevitably I would have to give up on the lifestyle I was living and my plans for the future.” She wasn’t ready to let that happen.

It was a difficult decision because Malya knew she had the talent for success. When she visited WFAN radio in New York, sports radio personality Shaun Morash told her, “I meet many people but I can count on one hand those who have real talent. You are one of them. You have a great radio voice

“When it was Mincha time, they would close the door to my room and tell each other, ‘Malya is praying. Let’s be quiet.’”

“People think a girl who works in radio couldn’t possibly be religious. That hurts.”

and your passion and enthusiasm comes through.”

But Malya is committed to her ideals and she is not willing to give up on her dreams of living a Torah lifestyle, eventually getting married, and starting a family. And while she tries not to focus on “the radio thing” while dating, it often comes up.

“I dated a guy from who lives out of town,” she says. “We didn’t discuss radio at all, until we pulled up in front of my house. That’s when he told me that he had listened to my show and that his sister is a fan. I think he was reluctant to bring it up until the very end of the date, which was totally awkward.”

Malya is often forced to clear up misconceptions about her chosen career. “My sister once mentioned to someone that I daven Mincha, and they were totally shocked. People think a girl who works in radio couldn’t possibly be religious. That hurts.”

In fact, Malya’s hashkofos seem to be spot on. As soon as she started working at her first job in radio, she made it crystal clear that she will not shake hands or share high-fives with her coworkers. She also abstained from participating in the frequent pizza parties, even just to socialize. And of course, she explained that she wouldn’t be available on Shabbos and yom tov. “I volunteered to work on their holidays instead, and they were fine with that.”

Once she proved herself at work, Malya’s coworkers accepted her standards and, in fact, respected her for them.

“They saw that I was proud of being Jewish,” she says. “When it was Mincha time, they would close the door to my room and tell each other, ‘Malya is praying. Let’s be quiet.’ In general, they were more respectful when I was around, even toning down the cursing and inappropriate language.”

NO doubt it was difficult for Malya to give up on radio. But often, when one door closes, Hashem opens up another. She wondered whether her talents could be used to service her own community and began to do some research. Eventually, Malya stumbled upon j*tribe radio, a Jewish radio station featuring weekly podcasts and intriguing content. She reached out to producer Yossi Axelrod who was thrilled to find an aspiring, energetic, talented, and experienced radio personality who wanted to work with him.

“It was a bit of a transition for me,” Malya notes, “because it’s podcasting rather than live radio.” But she hit the ground running and created a platform for herself as an engaging interviewer and radio

host with her own Thursday evening program called Hebrew Hits.

When the pandemic hit, Hebrew Hits turned out to be the greatest blessing.

“Everything got shut down,” she says, “except for these podcasts, which we could do from home.”

Malya chooses to focus her Hebrew Hits interviews on Jewish personalities who are inspirational. She has already recorded 32 episodes, and has interviewed well-known personalities such as Cantor Joel Kaplan, Zezy Fuld, Yaakov Langer, Shlomo Levinger, Ben Taplin, and Micky Klein.

Hebrew Hits can be listened to anytime via Spotify, Google podcast, Apple podcast, Stitcher and most streaming apps. With close to ten thousand listeners, Malya has built up a significant following in a remarkably short time.

“I started Hebrew Hits playing music by popular Jewish artists,” she says. “And while I still play music, the focus of my show has evolved into interviewing people to share their stories. Everyone I interview has a life story that follows my show’s mantra of ‘It’s what you do with what you have that makes a difference.’”

She makes it look easy but it’s not.

“I spend many hours on each interview,” she relates. “First, I do tons of research on my guests. Then I reach out personally to each guest by phone, which can take up to three hours. Afterwards, I formulate my questions, and then the fun part is the actual interview itself.”

Finally, Malya spends up to six hours editing the program until she is satisfied with the results. “There’s a lot of technical stuff as well and I do it all myself. Basically, this took over my life.”

But she’s never been happier. She has found her calling and is living her dream. And to all the young women who are sitting at the crossroads, searching for a sense of direction, she has a message to share. “Follow your heart. If you have a passion, go after it. Don’t settle for being a copy of somebody else. Be the best possible you.”

And ignore the skeptics. “So many people told me I’m wasting my time,” says Malya. “They tried to discourage me but I didn’t let it happen. Instead, I focus on the positive feedback.”

As she builds her platform, Malya is looking forward to a bright future in Jewish radio. With her positive attitude, her talents, her passion and her determination, chances are she will go far.

“When I’m old and gray,” she says, “I want to look back and say I did everything I could to make it happen.”