A Jewish Star, the revolutionary talent competition designed to give Jewish performers a shot at stardom, continues to reach for the stratosphere as it announces its most extraordinary prize to date.
A Jewish Star proudly announced that it has finalized a deal with the Chabad Telethon which will send the winner of this year’s competition to perform on national television at the Chabad “To Life!” Telethon which will be held in Los Angeles on September 9, 2012. In addition, the winner will receive a two-year car lease and the opportunity to record a brand new song written by the immensely talented Eli Gerstner.
Broadcast to millions of homes across the globe, the Chabad Telethon has been the home of the singing world’s brightest and best for 31 years.
The first Telethon aired in 1980, after tragedy had struck Chabad. A devastating fire swept through the Chabad’s west coast headquarters in Westwood, destroying the Chabad House and claiming the lives of three young men.
To help recover from the disaster, a special event was planned: a live, televised fundraiser featuring actors, musicians, community leaders and concerned citizens. Joined by the rabbis of Chabad, the guests would ask for community support to help the organization rebuild.
Hosted by comedian Jan Murray and with a debut TV performance by a young up and coming singer named Mordechai Ben David, the Telethon was an instant hit. It received such an overwhelming viewer response that the one-time event became an annual tradition, and now serves as Chabad’s biggest fundraiser each year. And the image of the dancing rabbi – symbolic of the happiness felt when people perform good deeds – is adored around the world over.
The names of performers who have appeared reads like a who’s who in the world of Jewish music. Beginning with MBD in 1980, the Telethon stage has been graced by Theodore Bikel, Ethan Bortnick, Ron Eliran, Avraham Fried, Dudu Fisher, Yehuda Glantz, Miami Boys Choir, Moshav Band, Jan Pearce, the Piamentas, Yeshiva Boys Choir, 8th Day and many more.
“Aside from being a crucial fundraiser, the Telethon has become the most watched Jewish event in the world,” said Mendel Duchman, Fundraising Chairperson of the 2012 Chabad Telethon. “We have a 30-year history of delivering the greatest and most inspiring content, and we are excited about sharing this new talent with the world,” he added.
A Jewish Star, now in its third year, has been widely acclaimed as a groundbreaking vehicle to provide new talent with an opportunity to be noticed by members of the music business. Both previous winners of the competition, as well as several of the finalists, have successfully used the contest as a springboard to launch their professional music careers.
“Having a chance to record a single which will be sold in stores and the opportunity to sing at the telethon literally has the potential to jump start the winner’s career,” said Yossi Soffer, one of the executive producers of the annual competition.
All video submissions for this year’s contest must be received by January 31st and voting ends at midnight on February 14th.
The seven adult finalists and three child finalists will be announced in an exciting video featuring contest judges Avraham Fried, Mendy Pellin, Eli Gerstner and Yossi Green on February 19th. The climax of this year’s competition will be a one of a kind concert at Brooklyn College on March 19th, which will feature performances by all the semi finalists before both the adult and child winner will be named.
Check out new auditions and vote for your favorites at AJewishStar.com
The competition has now become interesting! Let’s see what happens.
Wow two giant brands coming together…
Go chabad telethon and jewish star go antelis