The Duet Was the Highlight

By COLlive reporter

Despite the pouring rain, more than 1000 people came out Monday night to celebrate Chabad of East Boca’s Bar Mitzvah celebration in Boca Raton, Florida, Wednesday.

The concert featured the sounds of ‘King of Jewish Music’ Mordechai Ben David as well as child prodigy Ethan Bortnick – both of whom were lauded by the crowd.

The concert followed a week of music and activities held at the Mizner Park Amphitheater – all part of the Boca Raton Festival of Arts.

The evening kicked off with over 200 people dining at the ‘A Time to Celebrate’ VIP cocktail hour, marking the 13 years of activity of Rabbi Ruvi and Ahuva New who have reached thousands through programming and its synagogue.

“Rather than celebrate our Bar Mitzvah year with a dinner that limits participation, we wanted to do something that would bring the greater community together and nothing does it quite like music,” said Rabbi New.

“It was the perfect way to celebrate our freedom in joy and unity and have an awesome time while we were at it,” added Rabbi New who is also a gifted vocalist. A highlight of the evening was Rabbi New’s duet with MBD of “Vehi Sheamda.”

Following that, event chair Sheri Farbish introduced the evening’s masters of ceremony – Arlene Herson of the award-winning cable TV show, the Arlene Herson Show and 640 AM radio personality Sid Rosenberg, who jointly hosted the evening with humor and with poise.

12-year-old Ethan Bortnick was welcomed to the stage by Steinway Piano CEO, Bob Luptak, before wowing the crowd with his mix of musical genres, from classical to rock to religious.

Bortnick was immediately followed by the Freilach Orchestra and Shira Choir who travelled from New York for the concert, took center stage and instantly filled the Amphitheater with a high octane intro for Mordechai Ben David (MBD).

MBD then started the night with the rousing “Kulam Ahuvim” and continued to perform at his vintage best, electrifying the night like only he can, with hits like “Someday,” “Just One Shabbos,” “Unity,” “Moshaich” and more.

After MBD’s first set, 15 honorees were called to the stage by the East Boca Shluchim to honor their outstanding contributions to the community at large.