The High Holidays and Chagim at our beloved HHBJC were truly beautiful! It warmed my heart to see all of you gleaming with love & togetherness. We chanted and swayed together as our prayers rose up to God filled with sincere faith, passion & hope. It is these moments, when we are all praying and sharing together, which will be entrenched in our memories forever.
It has been about one year since my very dear friend & colleague, Cantor/Maestro Mordechai Sobol z’l, passed away. It was shocking and devastating to lose Mordechai so suddenly. After all, June and I had just had dinner with him and his wife Yona, just a few days before his passing (right after Rosh Hashannah of last year). His contribution to Cantorial & Jewish Music is unsurpassed and will live on forever. His brilliant & magnificent orchestrations and Cantorial arrangements are regularly used by Philharmonic Orchestras around the world, including the Israeli Philharmonic, accompanying Master Cantors in Concert.
I am so proud and thrilled to have Mordechai Sobol’s z’l son, OFIR SOBOL, also a brilliant musician/orchestrator/conductor, coming to New York from Israel to Conduct the Full Symphony Orchestra for our upcoming **SALUTE TO ISRAEL GALA CONCERT**, which will take place on SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 24th at 7:00 PM at the LEFRAK CONCERT HALL of Queens College. HHBJC, together with TEMPLE ISRAEL OF GREAT NECK, are presenting this concert IN MEMORY OF CANTOR/MAESTRO/DR. MORDECHAI SOBOL Z’L. Mordechai was the Cantor of the second service of the High Holidays at Temple Israel of Great Neck for more than 25 years. I will share the stage with CANTOR RAFI FRIEDER (of Temple Israel of Great Neck) who was also a dear friend of Mordechai’s and worked closely with him for many years. We will also share the stage with CANTOR SHAI ABRAMSON (Representative Cantor for the State of Israel) coming in from Israel for this concert. Cantor Abramson collaborated with Ofir & Mordechai in making a beautiful Video of my Avinu Shebashamayim with very meaningful scenes and footage of Israel’s history as the backdrop, that hit the internet by storm.
We will have a FULL 33 PIECE SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA in this concert. By the way, we are the only Synagogue in the NYC and surrounding areas that includes a full symphony at their concerts, which puts us at a unique and extraordinary level in presenting such top, professional concerts. We, HHBJC, have become recognized and admired as the Synagogue who presents concerts on such a high level.
REMEMBER…SAVE THE DATE…SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 24, 2019 at 7:00 PM at LEFRAK CONCERT HALL at QUEENS COLLEGE.
** Call the synagogue office ASAP at 718-776-3500 x 0 to reserve your tickets! Tickets are going quickly!
*HEADS UP*…I am in the process of arranging a BUS to bring those of our HHBJC members who may have difficulty getting to LEFRAK CONCERT HALL on their own. The bus would leave from our shul, HHBJC, and would return back to the shul after the concert. When you reserve your tickets, let the office know that you will be going/returning on the bus.
By the way, as you all know, I am a huge fan of the JBS television station (Jewish Broadcasting Service) headed by RABBI MARK GOLUB, an exceptional human being who possesses warmth, passion, respect for others, love of Yiddishkeit & Tradition, fairness, compassion & kindness. I have had so many people come up to me recently telling me how they too are thrilled with the programming of JBS. This network is a Jewish Treasure, one of the greatest resources for the Jewish people offering Jewish Culture, Music, Concerts, Film, Lectures, News, Coverage of events, Conversations and Discussions of all kinds that include thoughts and opinions of all sides of the spectrum. This Jewish network gives us a complete overview of what is happening in the Jewish World and the world as a whole as it relates to Israel and the Jewish community. Keep watching JBS and it may become your go-to station as it is mine. It is so important for us to be aware of what is happening in the Jewish world, both here in the U.S. and across the globe, and this station is one of the greatest sources keeping us informed.
See you in Shul.
Cantorially always,
Cantor Sol Zim
