The Orthodox Union’s Yachad, the leading organization for individuals with disabilities in the Orthodox community, will host a free virtual concert for the community as part of the organization’s ongoing fundraising campaign. The event will take place the evening of Wednesday, May 26, at 7:30 p.m.
The concert will feature performances from a number of leading Jewish music performers, including: Mordechai Shapiro, Benny Friedman, Shulem Lemmer and Eli Schwebel. They will perform alongside the Mendy Hershkowitz Band, along with M.C. Meir Kay. The event is being presented free for the community through a sponsorship from the Ralla Klepak Foundation for Education in the Performing Arts. There is no fee to participate, but advance registration is encouraged at https://www.yachad.org/virtualconcert.
“Concerts and the arts unite us and as we emerge from a year where many of our Yachad members were isolated due to the pandemic, it was very important for us to host an event that will bring us all together,” said International Yachad Director Avromie Adler. “We are very thankful to the Ralla Klepak Foundation who are very passionate about the arts, for presenting this special concert free of charge to our community.”
“Yachad is a cornerstone program of the OU and plays a critical role in Jewish communities by providing programming, services and Torah education to its participants and their families. Throughout the pandemic, Yachad’s dedicated staff and volunteers ensured ongoing connection with their members and organized out of the box programs which kept their participants safe,” said OU President Moishe Bane.
“The isolation and social distancing resulting from COVID-19 was exceptionally challenging for those with disabilities,” said Orthodox Union Executive Vice President Rabbi Moshe Hauer. “We are tremendously thankful to Yachad’s staff, volunteers, and donors who continued to find creative ways to engage with our cherished Yachad program participants throughout the pandemic.”
