By COLlive reporter
Photos: Mendy Krief/COLlive
International Jewish music star Yaakov Shwekey marked the release of his newest project, The Music of Shabbos, with a warm and personal private concert on Thursday evening at the Bell Works Theater in New Jersey.
The exclusive event gathered a select audience of family, close friends, and members of the media for an intimate performance of what Shwekey describes as the music from the time that our grandparents cherished, during a time when joy was not just felt on Shabbos, but the joy was felt on Erev Shabbos as well.
Between songs, Shwekey shared stories of inspiration and childhood memories, reflecting on the Syrian and Vizhnitz melodies that shaped his Shabbos table as a child. “Music reaches far, and it reaches deep,” he said. “Nowhere does it reach deeper than on Shabbos.”
The album was released with a corresponding book, created in collaboration with bestselling writer Yisroel Besser, whose signature storytelling adds layers of Torah, history, and meaning behind each zemer. The result is both a book and audio experience — celebrating the melodies of Shabbos from Kabbalas Shabbos through Havdalah.
Produced by Doni Gross, the album features over 100 zemiros and songs, spanning generations and communities, with arrangements that reflect both authenticity and Shwekey’s trademark energy. It includes the full texts of zemiros, pizmonim, and birchas hamazon, with translations.
On stage, Shwekey performed selections from the new album, including melodies handed down from his parents’ Shabbos table, classic Shabbos songs beloved across the Jewish world, and brand-new arrangements that had the room swaying and singing aloud together.
“It feels like coming home,” one guest said as the music filled the theater. “This wasn’t just a concert. It brought back the nostalgic feelings of joy, warmth, and family bonds which were felt at our Shabbos table.”
During the event, Sheweky thanked the collaborators and co-creators of the album and inspired the crowd with stories. He related about the niggunim of Shabbos bringing young Holocaust survivors to life, the only remnant of their beloved parents before the war, and about a Jewish leader, who, when told that the younger generation were straying from the love of Yiddishkeit, asked – “Are their parents singing with them and dancing with them around the Shabbat table?”
Stream now at Themusicofshabbos.com.
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What a smart way to launch a album! Next level.