Donor Pays $300,000 for a Song

By COLlive reporter
Photos by Stan Weiss

The annual HASC Concert – A Time For Music, the longest running Jewish music event in North America, took place at the Avery Fisher Hall in Lincoln Center in Manhattan on Sunday.

As always, an all star cast was there accompanied by the Neginah Orchestra, conducted by Yisroel Lamm. Master of Ceremonies was radio personality Nachum Segal.

This year’s concert celebrated 40 years of Camp HASC in Parksville, NY, a unique summer camp program for 300 children and adults with intellectual and physical disabilities.

A music video about the cheerful life in the camp was shown to the tune of “Ve’ohavto,” an upbeat song by Milwaukee-born newcomer Sruli Twerski. It was composed by Zevi Kaufman. Chaim Schvarcz filmed and edited the clip.

Apparently, a person in the crowd was so moved by the organization’s activities with these special children that he surprised its directors and pledged $300,000.

He did have one request, though.

On stage that night was the historic reunion of the Diaspora Yeshiva Band, formed in 1975 by Avraham Rosenblum and a group of the first wave of Baalei Teshuva that survived the wild 60s period and returned to the fold.

In addition to Rosenblum, a multi-talented composer, singer and guitarist, there were Gedalia Goldstein, Simcha Abramson, Ruby Harris, Menachem Herman and Shmiel Ramras.

The donor’s request was that Diaspora sing their song “Ivdu” with members of the musical Friedman family: Avraham Fried and his nephews Benny Friedman, and Shmuly and Bentzi Marcus of the 8th Day Band.

Without rehearsing or prior notice, they all sprung to the stage and sang together the song about serving Hashem with joy. The result, according to people present, was electrifying.

Also singing during the concert were Ohad, Baruch Levine, Abie Rotenberg and Ari Goldwag. It was indeed a time for music as it should be.