At the age of eighteen he bought himself his first qanun and soon mastered the intricate instrument and began to play flute, violin and cello as well.

[1] As part of his work, he examined many musicians for the purpose of establishing three musical ensembles: Iraqi, Kurdish and Egyptian.

[1] Outside his formal job at the radio station, he performed before the king, government ministers and the mayor of Baghdad.

In 1951 he realized his ambition to make Aliyah to the Land of Israel,[4] despite his great talent and honorable position as director at the Baghdad Broadcasting Station.

[1] In 1956, during the Sinai Campaign, the BBC boycotted recitals of his that were recorded in Iraq for the station after World War II, because he was Jewish.