The ever-regal Stern Auditorium / Perelman Stage at Carnegie Hall was filled to the rafters on Sunday afternoon, March 23, when exuberant family, friends and supporters came out in huge numbers to cheer on the nearly 400 young singers gathered together for their annual HaZamir Gala Concert.Through artistic renditions of classical musical pieces, many based on biblical and Talmudic texts, the two-hour performance was an enactment of the mantra “Jewish Strong,” so vital in these troubling times.

Founded in 1993 under the rubric of the Zamir Choral Foundation led by Founder and Director Matthew Lazar, HaZamir is “a musical youth movement that welcomes Jewishly identified and musically talented teens from all denominations, providing the opportunity to learn and sing Jewish choral music at the highest musical standard and on the world’s greatest stages.”

A Teaneck resident since 2018, Marsha Bryan Edelman has been involved with HaZamir since 1995 when she established a HaZamir chapter in Philadelphia. She currently serves as the Zamir Choral Foundation’s director of education and the conductor of the Long Island and Westcherster chapters. A highly talented singer and arranger, Edelman beams when speaking of the unifying power of the organization. “HaZamir changes lives through passion. Our choirs throughout the U.S. and Israel revel in diversity yet we know that we need each other. Sopranos need altos, tenors need bases. We as a Jewish nation need each other. And what better way to come together than by making beautiful music!”

HaZamir is directed by Vivian Lazar. Since 2004 she has brought her extensive knowledge of Jewish choral literature to the choir, combined with her understanding of the musical, educational and communal value of choral singing. Lazar has built HaZamir into an international youth movement that has performed in some of the world’s most noted venues including the Metropolitan Opera House, David Geffen Hall at Lincoln Center and Carnegie Hall. HaZamir has chapters in 25 American cities and nine Israeli communities.

From Los Angeles, California, to Providence, Rhode Island, and from Hod HaSharon to Yerucham in Israel, HaZamir chapters gather weekly to learn the contexts and study the texts of the same musical pieces. Each chapter has its own conductor who works closely with the central HaZamir administration. From September until March, each chapter is taught the repertoire that will be presented at the annual HaZamir Gala. In March, the Israeli chapters converge in the U.S. approximately one week before the actual concert. Housed in Jewish homes around the metropolitan area, the teens visit local Jewish high schools where they interact with local teens. This year, members of HaZamir Israel paid visits to Ben Porat Yosef, Kushner, Solomon Schechter and Frisch in New Jersey and Flatbush in New York.

The Ashkelon chapter will be remaining after the concert for a few more days so that they can perform with their sister city in Baltimore on Tuesday.

Second only to the actual concert in generating anticipation and excitement is the Shabbat of the HaZamir Festival. This year, HaZamir celebrated Shabbat in the lovely Sleepy Hollow Resort in Tarrytown, New York. From Thursday night until their departure on Sunday, the teens connected with HaZa-buddies during davening, Shabbat meals, fun sessions and workshops, and rehearsals. Teen leaders led activities designed to facilitate the U.S. and Israeli participants getting to know each other and form bonds that could be maintained well after the event. Historically, many fond friendships have been formed, with American HaZamir members connecting with Israeli friends during their gap year studies and well beyond.There have also been known to be HaZamir marriages on record.

The musical selections presented at Sunday’s concert featured different subsets of HaZamir singers, including the HaZamir Chamber Choir, the singers of HaZamir Israel, the HaZamir seniors (who offered their special “swan song”) and some 70 HaZamir alumni who eagerly returned to reconnect with each other and with HaZamir. Introducing each segment were members of individual chapters from the U.S. and Israel who were greeted with great applause.The first part of the program featured the International Teen Choir in renditions including “Dayenu” from the Passover Haggadah, “Sayings From the Ethics of the Fathers” and a highly moving rendition of the “Mi Shebeirach” for Tzahal, arranged by Marsha Edelman. Several selections were conducted by Matthew Lazar and accompanied by Elliot Roman, Director of HaZamir Bergen County.

The HaZamir Alumni Choir sang renditions of “L’Eyla,” a text by Rav Abraham Isaac Kook, “Katonti” from Psalms and “Yah Ribon Alam” from the Sabbath Zemirot. The HaZamir Chamber Choir, consisting of the “cream” of the HaZamir singers, sang texts from Psalms and Ethics of the Fathers. HaZamir Israel sang a medley including “Hurricane” (sung by Eden Golan at the 2024 Eurovision Festival), and was received with a standing ovation.

The final portion of the program brought the entire HaZamir International Choir together again for four timely and inspirational pieces, including “Yesh Kochavim” with text by Hannah Senesh; “Netzach Yisrael” from the Book of Samuel; “LaUf,” an inspirational Israeli song about the need to fly; and the passionate “Tfilah LiShlom Medinat Yisrael,” the perfect anthem for our current situation in Israel. The program concluded with the entire audience on its feet in a heartrending “Hatikvah.”

Then they were off to the various buses and airports for the trip home, with many precious memories and cellphone numbers to last until the next HaZamir Festival.

For information about local chapters and upcoming programs contact the Zamir Choral Foundation at zamirchoralfoundation.org or hazamir@zamirchoralfoundation.org