New York's Madison Square Garden is used to hosting the home games of the New York Knicks and concerts by performers like Paul McCartney and Bryan Adams. But on a cool night in early March, the hall was filled with thousands of young skullcap-wearing men and ultra-Orthodox women in wigs, who listened and cheered to the strains of Hasidic music.
Starring at the event were singers Mordechai Ben David, Lipa Schmeltzer and Dedi Graucher. The three sang their top hits, based on words from Jewish sources. A similar event was supposed to be held last year before Purim, but a delegation of Israeli Haredi activists turned to the major ultra-Orthodox rabbis and even sent representatives to the homes of rabbis in the United States, to convince them to issue a ban on the performance; the efforts were successful.
The New Black Music – A Look into the Jewish Music
New York’s Madison Square Garden is used to hosting the home games of the New York Knicks and concerts by performers like Paul McCartney and Bryan Adams. But on a cool night in early March, the hall was filled with thousands of young skullcap-wearing men and ultra-Orthodox women in wigs, who listened and cheered to the strains of Hasidic music.
Starring at the event were singers Mordechai Ben David, Lipa Schmeltzer and Dedi Graucher. The three sang their top hits, based on words from Jewish sources. A similar event was supposed to be held last year before Purim, but a delegation of Israeli Haredi activists turned to the major ultra-Orthodox rabbis and even sent representatives to the homes of rabbis in the United States, to convince them to issue a ban on the performance; the efforts were successful.
