The HASC Concert, also known as A Time for Music, is an annual concert benefiting Camp HASC, a summer camp for children with special needs. Established in 1988, the concert is a prominent event within the

Jewish music Jewish music is the music and melodies of the Jewish people. There exist both traditions of religious music, as sung at the synagogue and in domestic prayers, and of secular music, such as klezmer. While some elements of Jewish music may origina ...

community.

History

Camp HASC was established in 1963 by Rabbi Max and Blanche Kahn. It offers therapeutic, medical, and educational services to its campers. It offers a combination of academic and recreational activities, supported by a team of staff and medical professionals. The inaugural HASC concert took place on January 17, 1988. Sheya Mendlowitz conceived the concert after visiting Camp HASC in the 1980s and learning about the camp's financial difficulties. The first concert was held at the

Lincoln Center Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts (also simply known as Lincoln Center) is a complex of buildings in the Lincoln Square neighborhood on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. It has thirty indoor and outdoor facilities and is host to 5 ...

. The concert has been held annually since and has become a significant fundraising event for the camp.

Format

The concert takes place in January and features a lineup of Jewish musical artists. Past performers have included

Avraham Fried Avraham Shabsi Hakohen Friedman (; born March 22, 1959) better known by his stage name, Avraham Fried, is an Orthodox Judaism, Orthodox Jewish American singer. Career Fried was encouraged towards a music career by Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneers ...

Mordechai Ben David Mordechai Werdyger (; born April 16, 1951) is an American Israeli Hasidic Judaism, Hasidic Jewish singer and songwriter who performs under the stage name Mordechai Ben David () or simply MBD. He has released over 46 albums while performing intern ...

Yaakov Shwekey Yaakov Choueka, better known by his stage name Yaakov Shwekey () is an Orthodox Jewish recording artist and musical entertainer. He is of Egyptian and Syrian Sephardic heritage from his father's side; and Ashkenazi from his mother‘s side. Famil ...

, and

Benny Friedman Benjamin Friedman (March 18, 1905 – November 24, 1982) was an American football player and coach, and athletics administrator. A native of Cleveland, Ohio, Friedman played college football as a halfback and quarterback for the University of ...

. The performers are typically not announced in advance. The concert is typically held at venues such as

Madison Square Garden Madison Square Garden, colloquially known as the Garden or by its initials MSG, is a multi-purpose indoor arena in New York City. It is located in Midtown Manhattan between Seventh Avenue (Manhattan), Seventh and Eighth Avenue (Manhattan), Eig ...

, and the

New Jersey Performing Arts Center The New Jersey Performing Arts Center (NJPAC), in Downtown Newark in Newark, New Jersey, is one of the largest performing arts centers in the United States. Home to the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra (NJSO), more than nine million visitors (incl ...

. The program includes musical performances, duets, and sometimes theatrical presentations. The concerts were previously released on DVD. Starting with A Time For Music 31, a livestream was offered instead of a DVD release.

Production

Sheya Mendlowitz produced the concert for its first thirty years. Eli Gerstner produced it from 2016 to 2022, followed by Shloime Steinmetz from 2023. The concert was originally directed for the first thirty years by Yisroel Lamm, conducting the Neginah Orchestra. Following his retirement, various conductors participated, sometimes several in one show, including Yoeli Dikman, Rafi Grady, Yuval Stupel, Tzvi Blumenfeld of Freilach Band, and Mendy Hershkowitz. The concert is hosted by Nachum Segal, who succeeded the original host, Zale Newman. Chaim Tutio has been the official concert photographer since 2016, succeeding Stan Weiss.

Recent concerts

The 37th concert, held on January 5, 2024, included a

hologram Holography is a technique that allows a wavefront to be recorded and later reconstructed. It is best known as a method of generating three-dimensional images, and has a wide range of other uses, including data storage, microscopy, and interf ...

of performer

Shlomo Carlebach Shlomo Carlebach (; January 14, 1925 – October 20, 1994), known as Reb Shlomo to his followers, was an American rabbi and musician nicknamed "the Singing Rabbi". Although his roots lay in traditional Orthodox yeshivot, he branched out to c ...

, which generated controversy.

Timeline

{, class="wikitable sortable" , + !# !Year !Theme !Featured Performers !Venue , - , 1 , 1988 , Around the Year ,

, Yoel Sharabi ,

Avery Fisher Hall David Geffen Hall is a concert hall at Lincoln Center on the Upper West Side of Manhattan in New York City. The 2,200-seat auditorium opened in 1962, and is the home of the New York Philharmonic. The facility, designed by Max Abramovitz, was o ...

, - , 2 , 1989 , 25 Year Tribute to Jewish Music , Mordechai Ben David, ShIomo Carlebach,

David Werdyger David Werdyger (; 30 October 1919 – 2 April 2014) was a Polish-American Hasidic Judaism, Hasidic hazzan and solo singer. A The Holocaust, Holocaust survivor who was incarcerated in several Nazi concentration camps, including the factory run ...

, Dveykus, Piamentas,

Ben Zion Shenker Ben Zion Shenker (1925–2016) was a world-renowned American Hasidic composer and hazzan (cantor), associated with the Modzitz hasidic dynasty. Shenker was born in the heyday of the American hazzan. He became interested in the art as a child, and ...

Jo Amar Yosef "Jo" Amar (, ) (1 June 1930 – 26 June 2009
nytimes.com, 9 July 2009.) was a Moroccan-Israeli sin ...

, Or Chodosh, Pirchei, Avraham Rosenblum , Avery Fisher Hall , - , 3 , 1990 , , Avraham Fried, Harmony,

Abie Rotenberg Abie Rotenberg () is a prolific Orthodox Jewish musician, composer and entertainer from Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Rotenberg grew up in Queens, New York, surrounded by other up and coming religious Jewish musicians, including Eli Teitelbaum, who d ...

, Mordechai Ben David , Avery Fisher Hall , - , 4 , 1991 , , Mordechai Ben David, Dveykus, Journeys, Kol Achai, London School of Jewish Song , Avery Fisher Hall , - , 5 , 1992 , Showcase of the Masters , Mordechai Ben David, Regesh, Abie Rotenberg, Piamenta, Yaron Gershovsky , Avery Fisher Hall , - , 6 , 1993 , The Concert of a Lifetime , Mordechai Ben David, Shlomo Carlebach, Baruch Chait, Abie Rotenberg , Avery Fisher Hall , - , 7 , 1994 , The Next Stage , Mordechai Ben David, Miami Boys Choir, Gershon Veroba, Sandy Shmuely, Moshe Yess ,

Radio City Music Hall Radio City Music Hall (also known as Radio City) is an entertainment venue and Theater (structure), theater at 1260 Sixth Avenue (Manhattan), Avenue of the Americas, within Rockefeller Center, in the Midtown Manhattan neighborhood of New York C ...

, - , 8 , 1995 , Only Music , Mordechai Ben David, Miami Boys Choir , Avery Fisher Hall , - , 9 , 1996 , Cities Salute Jerusalem , Avraham Fried,

Prague Symphony Orchestra The Prague Symphony Orchestra ( ''FOK'') is a Czech orchestra based in Prague. The orchestra has traditionally been known by the acronym 'FOK', standing for 'Film-Opera-Koncert', reflecting the orchestra's fields of activity as envisioned by its fo ...

, Avery Fisher Hall , - , 10 , 1997 , Tenth Anniversary , Dedi Graucher, Mendy Wald, Yeedle Werdyger , Avery Fisher Hall , - , 11 , 1998 , The Next Decade , Mordechai Ben David, Dedi Graucher, Amit Listvand , Metropolitan Opera House , - , 12 , 1999 , Bar Mitzvah Celebration , Mordechai Ben David, Dedi Graucher, Abie Rotenberg, Toronto Kol Chaveirim Choir , Metropolitan Opera House , - , 13 , 2000 , , Mordechai Ben David, Avraham Fried, Amit Listvand , Metropolitan Opera House , - , 14 , 2001 , , Mordechai Ben David, Avraham Fried, Ruby Harris, Toronto Vocal Ensemble , Metropolitan Opera House , - , 15 , 2002 , United We Stand , Mordechai Ben David, Dedi Graucher, Baruch Abittan, Srully Williger,

Shlomo Simcha Shlomo Simcha Sufrin, better known as Shlomo Simcha (Hebrew: שלמה שמחה) is a UK-born Canadian Hasidic Jewish cantor and singer. Shlomo Simcha began his career in a small kollel in Montreal, where he was discovered by a local wedding band ...

, Abie Rotenberg,

Yossi Green Yossi Green (born May 30, 1955) is a Hasidic Jewish composer of contemporary Jewish religious music. he has written more than 1000 melodiesBleich, Chananya. "A Time to Sing: Well-known Chasidic musicians share some of the high points of their car ...

, Metropolitan Opera House , - , 16 , 2003 , Vintage MBD , Mordechai Ben David, Yaakov Shwekey, Srully Williger, Shloime Dachs, Shomo Simcha , Metropolitan Opera House , - , 17 , 2004 , Jerusalem - The Experience , Mordechai Ben David, Shalsheles, Srully Williger, Chaim Dovid,

Lipa Schmeltzer Lipa Schmeltzer (, ; born March 17, 1978) is an American singer, entertainer, and composer. He is a headliner in Hasidic as well as modern Jewish communities worldwide. He has released 19 solo albums. Family background Born March 17, 1978, Sch ...

, Benzion Miller, Yaron Gershovsky ,

The Theater at Madison Square Garden The Theater at Madison Square Garden is a theater located in New York City's Madison Square Garden (MSG). It seats between 2,000 and 5,600 people and is used for concerts, shows, sports, meetings, and other events. It is situated beneath the main ...

, - , 18 , 2005 , Chai - Eighteen Year Celebtration ,

, Yeshiva Boys Choir, Srully Williger, Ohad Moskowitz,

, The Rabbis' Sons, Piamentas,

Baruch Levine Baruch Levine (born December 28, 1977) is a Canadian-born American Orthodox Jewish composer and singer. His tunes have gained wide popularity at Shabbat tables and '' kumzits'' gatherings. One of his most successful compositions is "''Vezakeini''" ...

Matisyahu Matthew Paul Miller (born June 30, 1979), known by his stage name Matisyahu (; ), is an American singer, rapper, beatboxer, and musician. Known for blending spiritual themes with reggae, rock and hip hop beatboxing sounds, Matisyahu's 2005 sin ...

, Eli Gerstner,

, Rivie Schwebel, Dov Levine, Baruch Chait, Heshy Walfish, Itzel Weinberger , The Theater at Madison Square Garden , - , 19 , 2006 , , Yaakov Shwekey, Abie Rotenberg, Yeshiva Boys Choir ,

Carnegie Hall Carnegie Hall ( ) is a concert venue in Midtown Manhattan, New York City. It is at 881 Seventh Avenue (Manhattan), Seventh Avenue, occupying the east side of Seventh Avenue between 56th Street (Manhattan), 56th and 57th Street (Manhattan), 57t ...

, - , 20 , 2007 , , Avraham Fried, Yitzchak Meir Helfgot, Lipa Schmeltzer, Dovid Gabay, Ohad Moskowitz, Dedi Graucher, Baruch Levine, Shalsheles Junior , Avery Fisher Hall , - , 21 , 2008 , , Avraham Fried, Yitzchok Meir Helfgot, Ohad Moskowitz,

Dudu Fisher David "Dudu" Fisher (; born 18 November 1951) is an Israeli cantor and performer, best known for his Broadway performance as Jean Valjean in the musical ''Les Misérables''. Biography The son of a Holocaust survivor, Fisher was born in Petah Tik ...

, Shlomo Katz, Yeshiva Boys Choir, Eitan Katz , Avery Fisher Hall , - , 22 , 2009 , , Yaakov Shwekey, Yitzchok Meir Helfgot, Yehuda Green, Dovid Gabay, Baruch Levine, Abie Rotenberg, Piamenta , Avery Fisher Hall , - , 23 , 2010 , , Avraham Fried, Lipa Schmeltzer, Dedi Graucher, Yitzchak Fuchs , Avery Fisher Hall , - , 24 , 2011 , A Time for Duets , Abie Rotenberg, Baruch Levine, Ohad Moskowitz, Yehuda Green, Lipa Schmeltzer, Shloime Gertner, Shalsheles, Shalsheles Jr, Avraham Fried,

, Yonatan Shainfeld, Yeshiva Boys Choir , Avery Fisher Hall , - , 25 , 2012 , A Time For Celebration , Avraham Fried, Lipa Schmeltzer, Shloime Gertner, Ohad Moskowitz, Dedi Graucher, Dovid Gabay, Abie Rotenberg, Eitan Katz, Yehuda Green, Chaim Dovid, Uncle Moishy, Yoel Sharabi, Shalsheles, Shalsheles Jr, Maccabeats, Yitzchok Meir Helfgot, Journeys, Srully Williger, Mendy Wald, Shloime Dachs, Baruch Levine, Miami Boys Choir , Avery Fisher Hall , - , 26 , 2013 , We're Back , Mordechai Ben David, Avraham Fried, Abie Rotenberg, Michoel Pruzansky, Yeedle Werdyger, Benny Friedman , Avery Fisher Hall , - , 27 , 2014 , Celebrating 40 Years of Camp HASC , Avraham Fried, Abie Rotenberg,

Diaspora Yeshiva Band The Diaspora Yeshiva Band () was an American-Israeli Orthodox Jewish rock band founded at the Diaspora Yeshiva on Mount Zion, Jerusalem, by ''baal teshuva'' students from the United States. In existence from 1975 to 1983, the band infused Roc ...

, Ohad Moskowitz, Baruch Levine, Benny Friedman, 8th Day, Ari Goldwag, Ieshula Ishakis , Avery Fisher Hall , - , 28 , 2015 , , Yaakov Shwekey, Abie Rotenberg, Benny Friedman, Simcha Leiner, Dedi Graucher , Avery Fisher Hall , - , 29 , 2016 , , Yaakov Shwekey, Abie Rotenberg, 8th Day, Lev Tahor,

Yonatan Razel Yonatan Razel () is an American-Israeli singer, writer, composer, musical arranger and conductor. Biography Yonatan Razel was born in New York and moved to Israel at a young age with his family. Razel is the brother of musicians Aaron Razel a ...

David Geffen Hall David Geffen Hall is a concert hall at Lincoln Center on the Upper West Side of Manhattan in New York City. The 2,200-seat auditorium opened in 1962, and is the home of the New York Philharmonic. The facility, designed by Max Abramovitz, was o ...

, - , 30 , 2017 , A 30 Year Celebration , Abie Rotenberg, Rivie Schwebel, Baruch Levine, Avraham Fried, Yaakov Shwekey , David Geffen Hall , - , 31 , 2018 , , Avraham Fried, Ari Goldwag, Shalsheles, Meilech Kohn, Eli Gerstner, Yeshiva Boys Choir, Simcha Leiner, Baruch Chait , David Geffen Hall , - , 32 , 2019 , ,

Zusha The Zusha () is a river in Tula and Oryol Oblast in Russia, a right tributary of the Oka. The length of the river is 234 km. The area of its basin is 6,950 km².

, Pumpidisa, Matt Dubb, Abie Rotenberg, Shlomo Simcha, Mordechai Shapiro,

Beri Weber Shmiel Ber Weber, stage name Beri Weber (), is an American contemporary Jewish religious singer, songwriter, and educator. He has been described as "the heir to Mordechai Ben David". Early life Shmiel Ber Weber was born in 1984 and grew up in a ...

, Or Chodosh, Eli Gerstner, Shlomo Schachter, Yishai Lapidot, Yaakov Shwekey, Abie Rotenberg , David Geffen Hall , - , 33 , 2020 , , Avraham Fried, Ishay Ribo, Benny Friedman, Simcha Leiner, Joey Newcomb , David Geffen Hall , - , 34 , 2021 , , Beri Weber, Matt Dubb, Joey Newcomb, Baruch Levine, Yaakov Shwekey, Avraham Fried ,

American Dream The "American Dream" is a phrase referring to a purported national ethos of the United States: that every person has the freedom and opportunity to succeed and attain a better life. The phrase was popularized by James Truslow Adams during the ...

, - , 35 , 2022 , , Avraham Fried, Chaim Yisrael, Joey Newcomb, Mordechai Shapiro, Ishay Ribo, Lipa Schmeltzer , Bell Works , - , 36 , 2023 , , Yaakov Shwekey,

Akiva Akiva ben Joseph (Mishnaic Hebrew: ; – 28 September 135 CE), also known as Rabbi Akiva (), was a leading Jewish scholar and sage, a '' tanna'' of the latter part of the first century and the beginning of the second. Rabbi Akiva was a leadin ...

Shulem Lemmer Shulem Lemmer (born November 6, 1989), known professionally simply as "Shulem," is an American Belz Hasidic singer from Borough Park, Brooklyn, in New York City.Irene Connelly (December 9, 2019)"An Unexpected Hasidic Pop Star Takes The Stage,"''The ...

, Itzik Dadya, Eitan Katz, Yitzy Waldner, Miami Boys Choir ,

, - , 37 , 2024 , A Time for Unity , Shulem Lemmer, Benny Friedman, Ari Hill, Shalom Berholtz, Shmuel, Mordechai Shapiro, Baruch Levine,

Alex Clare Alexander George Clare (born 14 September 1985) is a British singer and songwriter based in Jerusalem, Israel. His debut album, ''The Lateness of the Hour (Alex Clare album), The Lateness of the Hour'', was released in the UK on 8 July 2011 on ...

, Avraham Fried, Matt Dubb{{Cite web , last=Zweig , first=Yossi , title=A Time For Music 37 , url=https://www.camphasc.org/past-concerts/a-time-for-music-37 , access-date=2025-01-25 , website=Camp HASC , language=en , New Jersey Performing Arts Center , - , 38 , 2025 , Beyond Words , Eli Schwebel, Rivie Schwebel, Benny Friedman, Avraham Fried,

Shuli Rand Shalom "Shuli" Rand (also spelled Shuly; ; born 8 February 1962) is an Israeli film actor, writer, and singer. He is a Breslover Hasid and is best known in the English-speaking world for his role as the protagonist in ''Ushpizin'' (2004), for w ...

, Zusha, Yonatan Razel, Yaakov Shwekey , New Jersey Performing Arts Center

References

Jewish music festivals Hasidic music Benefit concerts in the United States Recurring events established in 1988