800 Pay Tribute in Monroe

More than 800 people paid tribute this Monday to Chabad Jewish Center of Monroe Township, New Jersey, and their directors, Rabbi Eliezer and Chanie Zaklikovsky, with a packed house show by Broadway musical sensation Jake Ehrenreich. This was his first appearance in Monroe, held at the all-new state-of-the-art Performing Arts Center at the newly built Monroe Township High School that recently opened.

As the evening came and the sun began to set, hundreds of men and woman began pouring into the auditorium for what was to be a highly inspirational evening, where Jewish pride came alive and Chabad’s activities were highlighted.

Mrs. Chanie Zaklikovsky greeted the crowd warmly and introduced special guest, dean of the Rabbinical Collage of America, head-Shliach of the state of New Jersey, Rabbi Moshe Herson, who shared an inspirational Rosh Hashanah message.

Rabbi Zaklikovsky than shared a message for the New Year, and blew the Shofar as is customary during the month of Elul. A beautiful video was shown, titled “A Meaningful Life”, highlighting the efforts and accomplishments of Chabad Jewish Center of Monroe over the years.

The volunteers, who gave weeks of their time to make this event a success, were thanked and presented with beautiful flower bouquets.

The highlight of the evening, of course, was Jake Ehrenreich, who masterfully entertained the crowd for close to 2 hours non-stop with stories, anecdotes, Yiddish jokes, songs and personal history, bringing tears and laughs to the crowd. His show is entitled “A Jew Grows in Brooklyn”, where he gracefully shares his own life’s story growing up in Brownsville as an immigrant child of holocaust survivors. While he tries his best to assimilate and blend in to American culture, he can never truly leave his Jewish roots. Ultimately, he feels a pride in his identity and turns his struggles into learning opportunities for growth. His story leaves the audience with a powerful message of turning adversity into a challenge for success.

He spoke warmly of Chabad’s efforts throughout the world.

As a grand finale, Jake spontaneously invited Rabbi Zaklikovsky to join him on the stage for a special rendition of Avinu Malkeinu in honor of the upcoming Rosh Hashanah holiday. The song had everyone in the crowd participating, singing along and ended in a standing ovation amidst thunderous applause.

All in all, it was a memorable evening, culminating another successful year of Chabad’s community programs, and an inspiring beginning to the New Year.