Concert in the Park - Israel Day Parade 5777, June 2017 It was GeValtig! Honoring 50 Years of the Liberation of Jerusalem and Judea and Samaria

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http://www.israeldayconcert.com/

While in this article I will primarily focus on the speakers rather than the Concert in the Park, let me add that the entertainment was spectacular.  The crowd was so inspired, sometimes to tears and the love of Israel and our expression of thanks to HaKadosh Baruch Hu palpable.  The songs all stressed love of Israel, Faith in Hashem,  Love of Jerusalem and Eretz Yisroel Hashleima, Unity among Am Yisroel and indeed the singers themselves and the entire audience encompassed the entire spectrum of Jews and even some non Jews.  The rain didn't put a damper for those who gave it their all and danced and sang uninhibited with a love so pure for the Almighty!  Rather we recognized that with Rain comes Blessings! The energy was authentic!  For a few special hours we were transposed to the Israel we love and to Jerusalem the City of Gold. We captured these moments of love which we were able experience and recognize and appreciate in Central Park, NY.  

The Police in my opinion went way beyond the call of duty and the security was a bit over the top.  Hopefully the lines and security didn't discourage many people from entering the Concert especially in the rain. I am afraid it might have. 

Credit has to be given to security in the Park for helping my friend Evelyn Haies to get plastic to cover her books!

Kosher food and drinks thanks to Mendy's were available and delicious.

The planning of this event was unbelievable!  Even had there been no attendees, and Baruch Hashem there were plenty, the networking going on behind the stage, among the organizers, performers and speakers and media made this entire event worthwhile from that aspect alone!  

So in spite of the rain, hearty Israel lovers enjoyed a spectacular program! 

What a tremendous treat it was for us!  We were privileged to share together, in unity,  all for free,  all due to the generous support of all the sponsors and the hard work of the organizers and the incredible sacrifice of the entertainers and speakers who came to perform and speak at this event!

My blessing is that next year, all the attendees of the Israel Day Parade will join as one with the Concert and that all of us who couldn't make it can also merit to experience a wonderful taste of Israel like those of us who B"H did. 

A Tremendous Yasher Koach to Dr. Paul and Drora Brody and to Dr. Joseph and Karen Frager and to Odeleya Jacobs behind the scenes, and to Shloime Dachs and his Amazing Band and to Nachum Segal MC and all the Jewish Media and to all their family members who were there and part of the team, and to all the guests from Israel, and local performers and entertainers and to the  fabulous speakers, volunteering their time, and behind the scenes organizers and Tech people who put together this magnificent event and concert!

Invigorated by their recent trip to Israel celebrating Israel's 50th reunification of Jerusalem, Dr. Paul Brody spoke, sang and MC'd and Dr. Joseph Frager spoke and MC'd as well!  It is to their credit that they put together an impressive roster of speakers and entertainers.  They are not only connecting us in America to what's happening in the Holy Land,  they are actively engaged in creating the news and changing the Landscape of Israel (as Chezky Moskowitz would put it.) 

Speakers:http://www.israeldayconcert.com/speakers/ and highlights Please forgive me if I left people out.  It's bound to happen...Just send me updates and I will add them to this post on my blog.

Farley Weiss:
President of the National Council of Young Israel which is one of the 52 major Jewish Organizations  overseeing over 130 Synagogues nationwide representing over 25,000 members.

Farley Weiss spoke about the support for the Jerusalem Embassy Act and calling on President Trump to move the Embassy to Jerusalem.   He pointed out that twenty years ago 84 Senators sent a letter to President Clinton that the Jerusalem Embassy Act Waiver only applied to moving the Embassy and not to recognizing Jerusalem as the capital of Israel.  The letter said that it is U.S. law that Jerusalem is the capital and this cannot be waived.  He also mentioned that twenty years ago they began the effort in Congress to bring Palestinian Arab terrorists who murdered or wounded Americans to Justice.  This led to a Congressional resolution on the issue and eventually the Kobe Mandel Act.  He mentioned that recently three such terrorists were indicted by the U.S. Justice Department and that they call for these terrorists to be transferred to the U.S. to face justice.  He added that they support the Taylor Force Act and to end the Palestinian Authority law and practice of financially rewarding terrorists and their families for murdering Israelis and Americans in Israel.  He said this law and policy of the Palestinian Authority must end now!   He brought up that two years ago he spoke about the injustice to Jonathan Pollard and is happy he was released from prison and the Young Israel  leadership was thanked by Pollard upon hearing about his release from prison.  Mr. Weiss  said that Pollard's parole terms were unacceptable and they need to be changed and that Pollard should be allowed to go to Israel. 

The President of YI  also brought up that NCYI is proud to sponsor the Concert in the Park event.  "We started as an organization dedicated to saving Orthodox Jewish youth with our Rabbis speaking in English instead of Yiddish.  We helped with displaced persons after WW2 and assisted in the establishment of the State of Israel.  The Student Struggle for Soviet Jewry started in a Young Israel." He added that in Young Israel's they reach out to all Jews with a High Holiday booklet that explains the services and gives insights to the prayers and  they send out a Parsha Nation kids program for their Shul's youth.  They are working on a new innovative anti-Bds initiative as well. 

Dov Kalmanovich - Deputy Mayor of Jerusalem was a victim of terror. What an inspiration. He has a scarred face yet he and others( like Yael another victim of terror he told us about), overcame his disability to now live a full and productive life as Deputy Mayor of Jerusalem.  He emphasized that there is no such thing as East Jerusalem. There is only Jerusalem. He said that each time Arabs get control over an area they do not allow others.

 He gave three examples.  Beit Lechem, Kever Yosef and Har HaBayit. I have found links to illustrate his points.

• Beit Lechem Takeover of Christians  https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/9716/christian-clergy-islam) Christian Clergy Welcomes Islam in Church, Then Bows to It by Giulio Meotti January 4, 2017 at 5:30 am
• Joseph's Tomb they destroyed the Yeshiva http://www.chabad.org/news/article_cdo/aid/3099046/jewish/Arab-Mob-Torches-Josephs-Tomb-in-Shechem.htm Arab Mob Torches Joseph's Tomb in Shechem. Historic Jewish religious site severely damaged in a middle-of-the-night attack by Yaakov Ort,  October 16, 2015 
• Har HaBayit Jews can't pray. http://www.timesofisrael.com/as-support-widens-for-jewish-prayer-on-temple-mount-should-we-fear-apocalyptic-consequences/ They throw rocks and teach violence.. There are no end to examples..

The Deputy Mayor made sure to let us all know that Jerusalem is the Eternal Capital of Israel! 

Boris Epshteyn

Chief Political Analyst for Sinclair Broadcast Group...

Previously, Boris served as Special Assistant to President Trump and Assistant Communications Director at the White House. As a Senior Advisor to the Trump – Pence 2016 Presidential Campaign, Boris concentrated on communications messaging and strategy. Boris has made over 200 appearances across national, state and local media outlets (TV, radio, print) covering a diverse range of topics.

His Message at the Event:

President Trump is a great friend of Israel who views Israel as a beacon of Democracy and Freedom against Islamic Terror. President Trump was the 1st sitting President to visit Western Wall in first term of office.  Being at the Kotel was a special and moving moment for the President. President Trump is pushing against Iranian TerrorPresident Trump has an excellent rapport with  Netanyahu.Netanyahu supportive of Trump (or visa versa not sure)President Trump is Committed to making Peace

Mort Klein  ZOA 

Morton Klein is National President of the Zionist Organization of America (ZOA), the oldest pro-Israel group in the U.S., founded in 1897. He is a member of the National Council of AIPAC. Mr. Klein is widely regarded as one of the leading Jewish activists in the United States. He is a child of Holocaust survivors, born in a displaced persons camp in Gunzberg, Germany.

• Judea and Samaria never to be divided
• Jerusalem is H-ly to Israel,
• Jerusalem is not Holy to Muslims! Please read his Op-Ed: End the Propaganda Myth that Jerusalem is Holy to Muslims http://zoa.org/2017/05/10364082-end-the-propaganda-myth-that-jerusalem-is-holy-to-muslims/
• in 1850 Jews were the majority of those living in Jerusalem
• Jerusalem mentioned 700 times in Bible and never mentioned in Koran
• Muslims made Ramallah the capital  and not Jerusalem
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ramallah 
• http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/220203

Dani Dayan is the Consul General of Israel in New York since August 2016. He is an Israeli political leader, entrepreneur and advocate for the Israeli communities in Judea and Samaria. He served as the Chairman of the Yesha Council from 2007 to 2013. Dayan was subsequently appointed as Chief Foreign Envoy of the Yesha Council, as the only official representative of the Israeli settlement movement to the international community.

We have returned to our ancestral homeland never to leave again. Liberation was nothing short of a miracle. We will never give up Yerushalyim, Chevron, Bet El and Shilo...to Reaffirm Sovereignty never to rescind. He quoted from Naomi Shemer Yerushalyaim Shel Zahav. For your name scorches the lips Like the kiss of a seraph

If I forget thee, Jerusalem,Which is all gold...

Ach bevo'i hayom lashir lach 

Velach lik'shor k'tarim,

Katonti mitze'ir bana'ich 

Ume'acharon ham'shorerim.

Ki shmech tzorev et hasfatayim 

Keneshikat saraf ,

Im eshkachech Yerushalayim 

Asher kulah zahav...

Danny Danon is Israel’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations. Danon previously served a member of the Knesset from the Likud Party, as Minister of Science, Technology and Space and as Deputy Minister of Defense. During his term in the 18th Knesset, Danon served as Deputy Speaker, Chair of the Special Committee on the Rights of the Child, and Chair of the Committee for Immigration, Absorption and Diaspora Affairs. In June 2016 Danon was elected as chair of the UN’s Legal Committee, the first Israeli to ever hold the position.

John Bolton - Ambassador Bolton's message and Proposal at the Concert in the Park mirrored what he said recently at the King David and in his interview with the Jerusalem Post in his recent trip to Israel.  While I am a great admirer of Ambassador John Bolton. and completely agree that the 2 State Solution is not viable, I have to respectfully differ on Bolton's 3 State Solution. 

John Bolton's Two State Solution Not Viable. Proposal for a 3 State Solution. Israel, Jordan and Egypt. My Objections to this Proposal and Alternative Proposals in Brainstorming mode!

http://shemittahrediscovered.blogspot.com/2017/06/john-boltons-two-state-solution-not.html

Other amazing speakers included 

Lt. Colonel Yoni Chetboun is an Israeli politician and a decorated officer in the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) who currently serves as a Lt. Col. (Res.). He is also author of the book Under Fire. Chetboun served as a member of the Knesset, where he sat on the Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee. During his active-duty service, the IDF awarded him the Chief of Staff Citation for actions taken during the Second Lebanon War. Currently, he runs Kanaf Strategy, a strategic consulting firm for companies and public organizations. He also lectures world-wide on combating terrorism and decision-making under pressure.

Aaron Klein is an American weekend radio talk show host, author, and senior reporter and Mideast bureau chief for Breitbart News

Major Pete Hegseth is a former executive director of Vets For Freedom and was a senior counterinsurgency instructor at the Counterinsurgency Training Center in Kabul with the Minnesota National Guard in 2011–2012.

Hegseth is a FOX News Channel contributor.

and Chezky Moskowitz a grandson of the Late Irving Moskowitz spoke as well.  Chezky spoke with great admiration for his late grandfather Irving Moskowitz ZT"L and his wife Cherna Moskowitz who as Chezky put it changed the Landscape of Jerusalem.  His message is that all of us can make a real difference just like his grandparents did! 

Featuring: Star Performers Beri Weber, Tal Vaknin, Elron Zabatani accompanied by Shlomi Aharoni, Shloime Dachs Orchestra & Singers, Avi Kilimnick, Michoel Pruzandsky, Mati Shriki, Dr. Meyer Abittan, Jerry Markowitz, Chaim Kiss, Izzy Kieffer and Heshy R, White Shabbos and Others.

Next year in Jerusalem or as we sing BeShana HaZot BeYerushalayim HaSheleima veHaBenuya!