Leibele Waldman was born on June 22, 1907 in New York of a family of Galician immigrants. Growing up on the Lower East Side of Manhattan, Leibele (Louis) Waldman was recognized as a “wunderkind”, officiating at the pulpit with a choir by the age of nine.He began his studies as a youngster at an institution later known as the East Side Talmud Torah and subsequently at the Yeshiva of Rabbi Shlomo Klieger. It was during this period that his inherent musical and hazzanic talents were first noticed.

Affectionately referred to as Leibele (as he would be throughout his ca