When Yair Keydar was just an 11-month-old baby, his au pair called his mother excitedly and said, “You’ve got to listen to this!” The baby was singing the ABC song in perfect pitch. His mother, Magda Fishman, the cantor of Bnei Torah congregation in Boca Raton — the largest Conservative synagogue in South Florida — remembers how Yair would grab any microphone he saw and sing. It was then that she knew she was raising a singer.
Indeed, that early promise quickly turned into real stage presence. By the age of three-and-a-half, Yair was already performing in front of large audiences, taking part in an interfaith service at a church alongside his mother and a full choir. “He was completely fearless,” his mother told The Journal over Zoom. “He sang ‘Oseh Shalom’ and didn’t mind the large crowd at all — he just loved being on stage and singing.”
By the age of seven, he had begun formal voice lessons and continued singing alongside his mother at the synagogue and for hours at home with his karaoke machine. He was eventually discovered and invited to compete on the Netflix show “Star Search.”
“I got noticed by a talent scout on Instagram, and then I sent five songs around June or July. From there, it was months of preparation — fittings, rehearsals, interviews — and by December 2025, I knew I was officially booked. It was like a six-month process.”
He and his parents landed in LA in January, a week before he started competing. While he lost to Madison Lauren in the audience voting just before the final week, Yair said he has no regrets.
“I loved every minute of it. It was so much fun meeting all the kids. I keep in touch with some of them because we are all so busy,” he said. “I’ve always wanted to be on stage. I can’t imagine my life without music.”
Yair is indeed a very busy young man. His days revolve around voice lessons with his voice coach, whom he describes as “like family,” along with hours of dance training — sometimes up to four hours a day. Just days after the interview, he was already taking the stage at a sold-out concert at the synagogue, produced by his mother.
Both of Yair’s parents are Israeli and fully support their son’s ambitions to become a singer. His remarkable talent clearly draws from a rich musical family background. Before becoming a cantor, his mother was a singer in Israel. His grandmother was an opera singer, and his grandfather was a violinist in the Romanian Philharmonic. “They also did Yiddish theater in Romania, New York and Israel,” Fishman said.
While living in New York, Fishman once filled in for a cantor at a synagogue while he was in Israel. The rabbi was so impressed by her voice that he encouraged her to pursue formal studies at the Jewish Theological Seminary and become a cantor. She went on to do just that, receiving a scholarship from Mary Rodgers — daughter of the famed composer Richard Rodgers — who later became Yair’s great-godmother.
When Fishman was hired by Rabbi David Steinhardt of Bnei Torah Congregation in 2019, he likely didn’t realize he was getting two singers for the price of one.
Yair quickly became part of the musical life of the synagogue, stepping onto the stage to perform alongside his mother, and sometimes on his own. When the family returned from Los Angeles and Fishman fell ill, Yair stepped in without hesitation.
“He did three early childhood services and then, in the evening, performed for the adults, in front of a few hundred people,” Fishman said. “He puts his whole heart into it. He performed there like he was on ‘Star Search.’ I always get emotional when I watch him.”
Yair attended the Donna Klein Jewish Academy, but as his commitment to a singing career deepened, he transitioned to virtual schooling to allow more time for voice training, dance classes and his work with the Broadway Bound Academy.
“I think I’ll go to high school in person,” Yair says. “There are going to be people who won’t like you or won’t resonate with you. It can be hard sometimes, but I still want to experience it.”
Friends, however, are not in short supply. Yair has built a strong community through his dance and acting classes, as well as through his work in theater. After appearing in the off-Broadway production “Drag: The Musical” at New World Stages, he formed close connections with fellow performers. The vibrant, high-energy show — centered around rival drag performers — offered a very different environment from the one he grew up in, yet Yair embraced it fully. Taking on the role of a young boy drawn into drag’s colorful, theatrical world, he showcased not only his vocal talent but also his growing confidence as an actor and dancer.
“I have such a great community of people around me,” he said. “When I was competing on ‘Star Search,’ the cast from ‘Drag: The Musical’ got together to watch my first performance. And Bnei Torah Congregation was watching every episode too.”
Yair has already become something of a local celebrity. Recently, while at the mall, someone called out to him. “Hey, you!”
“I thought, ‘Am I about to get kidnapped?’” he said with a laugh. “But then he asked, ‘Aren’t you the kid from “Star Search”?’ And I said, ‘Yes, I am.’ It’s cool being recognized, but I don’t let it get to my head.”
Watching Yair perform alongside his mother is in itself a moving experience. Cantor Fishman stands beside him, visibly proud, her face lighting up as they share the stage, a moment that feels both intimate and electric. It is easy to imagine, in those moments, that we are witnessing a cantor in the making.
But Yair may have other plans. He dreams of a career like his favorite artist, Ariana Grande — one that blends pop, Broadway and a solo path of his own. Whatever direction he ultimately chooses, one thing is certain: his future will involve a microphone, a stage and a voice that will captivate audiences.
