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Labor Day Gospel Will Donate to the Kletzky Fund

NY Daily News

Aside from all the Hip-Hop, Calypso and Reggae this year the parade will feature an addition of some spiritual music, specifically gospel – intended to raise awareness and prevent youth violence. Proceeds from the concert will benefit the Laiby Kletzky memorial fund.

New Yorkers with Caribbean heritage have been packing Brooklyn’s streets for 43 years to celebrate the West IndianAmerican Day Parade.

But this year, organizers decided to add a religious element to the lineup – a gospel concert that featured calypso, hip hop and reggae with spiritual themes.

“We normally go for the party, but Caribbean people are people of faith,” said the Rev. Caleb Buchanan of the Catholic Diocese of Brooklyn, who helped organize the event. “We wanted to showcase that.”

The gospel concert was also intended to raise awareness and to prevent youth violence.

A chunk of the proceeds went to benefit the Leiby Kletzky Memorial Fund, set up in memory of the young Orthodox Jewish boy found butchered by a madman.

“We’re a community that should be together, united and peaceful,” said Yolanda Lezama-Clark, president of the West Indian-American Day Carnival Association.

“We saw that there was so much violence … and we wanted to reach out that olive branch.”

Flavia Edwards, a Rosedale, Queens, resident originally from the island of Dominica, said she came to the performance to hear good music and to show her religious devotion.

But Edwards said she took something else from it.

“We have to contribute to our community,” she said. “It’s important the kids get experience and hear music and get inspiration.”

Cora Sandy of Canarsie, Brooklyn, said that the religious messages served as a reminder not to take anything for granted.

“Bringing gospel here is a very good thing,” Sandy, 65, said. “People are interested in it and are thankful we’re alive.”

The 44th West Indian-American Day Parade will kick off Monday at 11 a.m. It will begin on Eastern Parkway and Schenectady Ave. and finish by 6 p.m. on Flatbush Ave. near Empire Blvd.

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12 Comments

  • Cynical??

    Number #@

    Why do you have to be so cynical…why does anyone have to be cynical..can you not just see this as goodness of heart..Does every non-jew always have to have a motive?? I think NOT

  • learn before you comment

    to #4 acc to tanya and gemara it says all good that a non-jew does is for themselfs!

  • esr

    they and their children benefit for caring about another human being’s misfortune. May their actions be pure and they should only make things better for their world and their lives for being concerned and involved.

  • Sadened

    Somebody offers a helping hand, only to get it slapped down. When no one offers to help us, we complain,“See-no cares about US! Poor US! nobody cares!” With attitudes like those being expressed here, is it any wonder?

  • to #7

    why don’t YOU learn.
    that is only true to the non Jews who are not chasdei umos ho’olam which is a very small amount.
    any non Jew who has the POTENTIAL to follow the sheva mitzvos which is the vast majority are potentially the chasdei umos ho’olam and have a nefesh habahamis from klipas Noga thus enabling them to do pure kindness even for nonq selfish reasons. because the whole idea of chasdei umos hoolam are non Jews who are selfless which is potentially the vast majority because you can get anyone really to keep sheva mitzvos

  • Goodness

    Number 7….You say learn..I do and I have learned that there are righteous non-jews in the world. I have learned to teach the 7 laws of Noah..I have learned that in the days of Moshiach the righteous non jews will serve the jews. I have learned from my grandfather who was hidden from the Nazi’s for 2 years by non-jews…if not for them I would not be here. I have read the story of Anne Frank…I suggest you learn..what the Rebbe Shlitah has taught US ALL