This past Wednesday evening, July 6, upwards of 1,000 Jewish residents hailing from 61 Bergen and Hudson County municipalities gathered at the Bergen PAC for a program and concert uniting the entire community and sponsored by the nine Chabad Centers located in the towns above.

The evening’s program was conceived as a modern celebration of Hakhel, an ancient Biblical tradition at which the entire Jewish nation—adults, children and even infants—would gather together in Jerusalem for a “re-enactment” of the revelation at Mt. Sinai and to reinvigorate their Jewish devotion and commitment.

Concert goers listened in rapture as Rabbi Moshe Bryski, a leading scholar and sought-after speaker from the West Coast gave tribute to the Lubavitcher Rebbe, whose 22nd Yahrtzeit was commemorated that weekend. Bryski spoke about the Rebbe’s compassion and love for every individual, which gave rise to Chabad’s global outreach phenomenon encompassing thousands of centers the world over. This, he said, is the principle behind the evening’s “Hakhel-Unity” theme: You truly love God when you love mankind—the ultimate purpose of His creation—and do everything in your power to raise them up materially and spiritually.

But Bryski was just the opening act.

Dudu Fisher, the Israeli tenor who received international acclaim for his starring role as Jean Valjean in the Broadway production of “Les Miserables” and has been recognized as one of today’s most vibrant, varied and talented Jewish performers, was on next.

Dudu charmed and thrilled the crowd with his humor, stories and entertaining Jewish and Broadway songs, including mash-ups, which he creatively used to share his personal journey from childhood to Broadway.

While he idolized Elvis Presley, it was the Lubavitcher Rebbe who he turned to at a major crossroad in his life when his personal Sabbath observance conflicted with his Broadway dreams. The Rebbe’s advice: If you strengthen your spiritual foundation, your career and everything else will fall into place. After a wildly successful 35-year career, which has included on- and off-Broadway productions, performances for presidents, royal families, and in hundreds of cities the world over, the advice he received couldn’t have been more prescient.

About Chabad:

Chabad is a grassroots Jewish organization serving residents of Bergen and Hudson Counties with hundreds of diverse programs encompassing Jewish education, religious and social services. For more information about Chabad please call or visit your local center.