When all of 5th Avenue will be jam packed with paraders, Central Park will be gearing up for a concert. The annual Salute to Israel Parade (also known as the Israel Day Parade) is the ultimate outlet for families and individuals seeking to express a general patriotism towards the Jewish homeland. But as the parade winds down, the Israel Day Concert in the Park will be the central venue for the more activism-inclined Israel supporters.

 

In years past the parade organizers requested that controversial political opinions not be expressed in signs or slogans. In contrast, the Concert in the Park is a haven for the anti-disengagement, pro-YESHA community.

 

The Concert will take place this Sunday May 6th and will be broadcast live on Israel National Radio hosted by Tovia Singer. Click here to listen to Israel National Radio live.

 

Political speakers, including keynote speaker MK Effie Eitam will be on the stage in-between musical acts to update the crowd on the current situation. 

Concert co-founder and organizer, Dr. Joseph Frager said that this year's event will focus on Israeli soldiers missing in action. Gilad Shalit, Ehud Goldwasser and Eldad Regev were all taken captive last year, leading to the Second Lebanon War.

"Every year we seem to have a new crisis to deal with.  We're trying to bring it to the forefront." says Frager "We're the ones that have a clear and precise message."



Yood mixes hard rock guitars with Hasidic stories. 

Another issue to be emphasized this year will be the continued imprisonment of Jonathan Pollard. "We are trying to make a major push." said Frager in an interview with Israel National Radio's Alex Traiman and Tamar Yonah. "We're really optimistic that Jonathan can finally be pardoned by the President [George W. Bush]. As you know I'm one of the few people that asked the President to release Jonathan Pollard many, many years ago. But maybe it's finally seeping in. I think in his last year and a half, he may pardon Jonathan."

 

Pollard was convicted of passing classified information to Israel regarding Syrian and Iranian chemical and biological weapons capabilities.

Frager expects about 25,000 - 30,000 participants at the concert. The majority of the event will of course be taken up by the music. The main performers – all of whom are donating their time – will be as follows:

 

Shloime Dachs, although young, has quickly become a staple in the Hasidic music scene. Beginning his career with the Miami Boys Choir, he now performs solo with a live band. Dachs sings Hasidic pop melodies with catchy 'aye yai yais' in a call-and-response with horns and fast paced hora beats. He has also modernized the sound with electric guitars, but maintains a traditional flavor with focus on the power of the voice and melody.

 

Shlomo Katz plays acoustic guitar and sings Hasidic folk melodies and redemption rock. The student of Rabbi Shlomo Carlebach has a similar inspirational vibe, encouraging listeners to sing along and dance to the catchy inspiring niggunim. Katz usually invokes such issues as the captive soldiers and has a song dedicated to members of the Israeli Defense Forces.



Dachs sings Hasidic pop melodies with catchy 'aye yai yais' in a call-and-response with fast paced hora beats

Yossi and Avi Piamenta are veteran musicians born in Israel and now based in New York. Guitar and flute player respectively, they became famous for the Hasidic pop in the same circles as Mordechai Ben David and Avraham Fried. But their Sephardic melodies and Middle Eastern sound make them different. Yossi Piamenta is also known for his crazy guitar solos which border on hard rock, although with an Israeli sounding twist. Many songs which sound like standard Hasidic pop have jazzy or almost metal sounding solo sections.

 

Firmly planted in the hard rock category is Israeli-American trio Yood who have just released their first album. A regular act at Mike's Place in Tel Aviv, the members drop references to both Jimi Hendrix as well as Rabbi Nachman of Breslov. The power rock trio sounds like electric blues or Led Zeppelin cover band but looks like young rabbis with long black beards and kippot.

 

Ross Filler, better known as Remedy first shot into Jewish consciousness on the Wu-Tang Killa Bees album, a compilation featuring members of the Grammy award winner hardcore rap group Wu-Tang Clan. The lone Jewish themed song on the album was Never Again, a powerful anthem to the victims of the Holocaust of which his own family suffered. Remedy is now the father of the growing Jewish rap scene.

 

Along with him will be newcomer Kosha Dillz, an Israeli-America whose name may make him sound like a novelty act, but whose lyrics sound as if they came from an Arutz 7 opinion article.

 

Introducing the two will be Yehuda HaKohen, a leader of the Zionist Freedom Alliance and co-host of Jewish Campus Radio on Israel National Radio. The Israel Day Concert is one of the stops in HaKohen's college speaking tour. HaKohen has been bring the two rappers with him to college campuses to spread his message of neo-Zionism.

 

Except Saturday is a veteran act of last year's concert. The young New Yorkers mix acoustic, alternative, rock, and pop sounds with Jewish concepts. They will be releasing a debut album this year.

 

Gershon Veroba began as a parody artist creating Jewish versions of songs from Billy Joel and Don McLean. His latest is a serious album that mixes Hasidic pop and acoustic guitars.

 

Pey Dalid is a rock and reggae band that mixed Shlomo Carlebach and Bob Marley. Composed of three New York area brothers and their close friends, the band plays positive, groovy vibes in both Hebrew and English with a Caribbean sounding back beat.

 

Also in performance will be Hasidic pop mainstays Chaim Kiss, who is also helping organize the concert and composer Meir Avitan.

 

For those unable to attend the concert, the entire show will be broadcast on the internet at www.IsraelNationalRadio.com hosted by Tovia Singer. The popular call-in talk show host jokes that people will be tuning in to hear his commentary as opposed to the music. But those used to his program know that he often gushes over his favorite musicians, heaping praise upon their ability to calm his nerves after a particularly angry rant or debate about Middle East politics.

 

For the audio interview with Dr. Joseph Frager click here.

 

For previous Israel Day Concert coverage click here.

 

Date: Sunday, May 6, 2007 Time: 2:30PM - 6:00 PM

Cost: Free

Location: Central Park Summer Stage located at Rumsey Playfield in Central Park. Enter the park at 69th Street and 5th Avenue on the east side or at 72nd Street and Central Park West on the west side.

Live Broadcast online at www.IsraelNationalRadio.com.

 

For more information on the concert visit http://www.IsraelDayConcert.com.

 

Benyamin Bresky is a music journalist and host of The Beat on Israel National Radio. His journal can be read at www.israelbeat.blogspot.com.