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One of my most favorite events every year is the Concert in Central Park following the Israel Day Parade. This year was no exception. The genuine outpouring of Love of the Land of Israel, Love of our G-d who is watching over Israel and Love for the Jewish People, by all those who were in attendance, was palpable!
Fortunate to those attending, fortunate to those who feel the inner joy of being connected to the miracle known as Israel, and fortunate to those who understand the privilege of being connected to such awesomeness!
The diversity of the program and the diversity of the audience is a tribute to the efforts of the organizers who year after year put together this amazing program!
Dr. Joseph Frager with support of his Eishis Chayel, Karen, is the captain of the ship. He has enlisted and cultivated the best of the best, individuals who share one common denominator. Their devotion to Israel and the Jewish People. These friendships has paid off. Former speakers at the Israel Concert in the Park included John Bolton, Mike Huckabee, and former Mayor Guiliani. They are all now in extremely influential positions in the Trump administration directly or indirectly. Their love and devotion to Israel is now outwardly manifest on a day to day basis and it has translated into the current Administration's Foreign Policy. They are among the President's most loyal supporters and advisers and surely their connection played a role in President Trump's decision to move the American Embassy to Jerusalem.
Dr. Frager navigates his ship in a world of often turbulent waters to its rightful destination, bli ayin hara, never losing sight of the destination which he talked about.... which is our 3000 year old dream of a United Israel, with Jerusalem and Judea and Samaria receiving the proper recognition on the World stage.
In the past Dr. Paul Brody and his dear wife Drora devoted their energies, their time and devotion to the Concert with a message. For them it was always a work of love. Their children were nurtured on this environment focused on service to Israel and the Jewish People. This year their daughter Dana, now a lawyer, shared the important lesson she grew up with. Get involved and pass on the torch from generation to generation.
The concert with a message is a balance of amazing entertainment and powerful speakers. Many featured on the program include influential political personalities and this year in particular, due to the the concert's publicist and co-MC, Cindy Grosz's involvement, the Concert also featured popular TV and film personalities. The reaction of the woman standing next to me when reality TV star, Siggy Flicker of Real Housewives Of New Jersey on Bravo TV , spoke was "Wow, she is so nice". This is the real Siggy Flicker! Apparently, a side of Siggy Flicker that wasn't so apparent in her role as an actress
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Academy Award Winning Actor Jon Voight spoke of his connection with the Chabad marathon and wowed the audience with being able to seamlessly go from imitating a flawless accent of an elderly , 90 year old woman, a Pollsh Holocaust survivor to imitating Pope Paul the 2nd. He spoke of his love for Israel. WABC Radio CoHosts Curtis Sliwa and Rita Cosby both addressed the crowd each independently. Curtis Sliwa did not mince words with his fiery disapproval of New York's democratic political leaders as they leave much to be desired... with Cuomo who he described as a fair weathered friend who next week will march with Al Sharpton and the week after will march with Al Sharpton, and Kirsten Gillibrand, "Hillibrand" at the helm [who is anything but a friend of Israel]. He was quite emphatic in suggesting that those who really love Israel must choose an alternative in the upcoming election. He said that Republican reform candidates Marc Molinaro and Lieutenant Governor pick Julie Killian are true and authentic friends for Israel. Both Marc Molinaro and Julie Killian then followed his introduction and addressed the crowd. My personal impression was that these candidates are authentic and truly admire and support Israel. We owe a significant measure of gratitude to Curtis for raising consciousness to this prominantly Jewish audience at the Concert of the unfortunate reality that our New York elected officials are not Israel's best friends and the need for a regime change!
Rita Cosby literally brought tears to my eyes. She said she was not Jewish but rather Roman Catholic. Yet her father rescued and saved many Jews in the Holocaust at the risk of his own life and the lives of his family. He himself became a prisoner of war in Nazi Germany and weighed 90lbs at 6' right before his liberation. She described how a plane dropped a chocolate bar with a ribbon and a note telling the prisoners that they would not be under attack if they walked to where the Americans were stationed some 15 miles away. In this way they were liberated. Her father always saw America as the Land of Freedom and she said that her father would be very proud of her standing today, speaking on behalf of Israel and the Jewish people!
The Jewish Entertainment was beyond amazing. Shloime Dachs orchestra with Mordechai Shapira, Gershon Veroba, Chaim Kiss, Avrohom Fried, the Kedusha rapper who won over and later mingled with the crowd, Shloime Dachs and Tal Vaknin and his talented young nephew Binyamin the son of Gad Elbaz were awesome and inspiring and all had the crowd rocking or crying. The crowd as I mentioned was diverse, young and old, Jews and non Jews. I was especially touched watching some young at heart, lovers of Israel, dance with such spirit that surely touched the heavenly spectators as well. I video'd some of them so that you can see for yourselves. Such expression of the soul in dance is wondrous to me. But that expression of exuberance was with young and old alike at this concert as was the case in past years and there was no divide. It was a tribute to those entertainers who were able to transmit a closeness to G-d directly to the hearts of the listeners.
Our own Helen Freedman of AFSI spoke. Talk about heroines! She asked the audience how many knew she existed? Of course there were many of us who did. She then compared that analogy of Israel trying to get acknowledged on a world stage. Helen reminded us, without a shadow of doubt, as we all know, that Israel does exist and this is the reality whether or not the world acknowledges and recognizes it. Helen spoke of Jewish Sovereignty, Ribonut over Judea and Samariai. Ken Abramowitz another great AFSI supporter and activist spoke as well!!
Very chashuv, prestigious guests, from Israel were in attendance! MK Yehuda Glick of the Likud Part first gave tremendous thanks to the Almighty. Yehuda Glick has what to be grateful for. G-d saved him from near death, a true miracle. Glick survived an assassination attempt by Mutaz Hijazi, a member of Islamic Jihad Movement in Palestine. Yehudah Glick is a strong advocate for human rights and religious freedom on Jerusalem's Temple Mount.. Another very Chashuv guest was MK Shuli Mualim. Dr. Frager introduced her and Rabbi Hillel Fendel translated MK Shuli Mualim's address to the Audience who thanked everyone for their strong support of Israel and there was no need to translate her shout "Am Yisroel Chai"! Rabbi Hillel Fendel is a giant in his own right as Rosh Yeshiva of Yeshiva of Sderot. The Sderot Yeshiva has literally transformed Sderot, a battered city under a barrage of rocket attacks to a thriving and booming city of life and vitality in spite of the looming threat against their lives every day!. Sderot Yeshiva is now running a fundraising campaign to help build 6 bomb proof dormitories. The Yeshiva, which is built fortified to withstand a rocket attack was used as a headquarters for the IDF in 2014, Operation Protective Edge. Israel's Ambassador to the UN Danny Danon graced the audience with his presence and then gave a shout out to Nikki Haley and the entire audience cheered! What a positive difference in atmosphere in the UN lately!
Among the speakers were journalists, the well known journalist Aaron Klein of Breitbart and Peter Hegseth,a prominent Fox News journalist. Both apparently have the ear of the President who could use some good friends in the Media industry. Peter has gotten an insider's tour of the Land of Israel from his trips with Dr. Frager in recent missions to Eretz Yisroel.
The Concert in the Park is excellent Hasbara, PR, for a United Israel and so much more.. it is a joyous event for the whole family! See you next year G-d willing, make sure to put it on your calendar, unless Moshiach comes first!
Please accept my apologies for anyone left out. At times I was busy socializing and wasn't giving the stage my full attention.
Enjoy these heartwarming Videos
Young in heart females dancing
Young in heart male dancing
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