1,800 Strong Celebrate in the Conejo with Dudu Fisher and Tony Orlando

THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. - June 15, 2015 - PRLog -- “Stand Strong! Stand Proud!”--that was the theme of “An Evening of Song and Solidarity” held on Wednesday, June 10, at the Thousand Oaks Civic Arts Plaza.  Featuring headliner Dudu Fisherin concert, with a special appearance by the recipient of Chabad’s “Voice of Courage Award,” Tony Orlando, the program saw the sold-out crowd of 1,800 jump to their feet for repeated ovations throughout the night.

“That was definitely one of the most inspiring and entertaining Jewish concerts I’ve ever been to,” remarked Noam Lotan, an enthusiastic audience-member.

“If you come away from this evening feeling a little prouderof your identity, a little closerto your extended Jewish family and a little strongerabout your connection to Israel – its history, its vitality and its destiny as the eternal homeland of the Jewish People – then we will have achieved our goal,” said Chabad’s Director of Development, Rabbi Yisroel Levine, at the opening of the program.

Jerusalem-born singer and Broadway star, Dudu Fisher, took to the stage, singing four opening numbers, including a Chassidic Niggun (melody) which he prefaced with a moving story about a woman in Riga, Latvia, who, back in 1932, was told that the baby she was carrying would be stillborn. Undeterred, she sent for a blessing from the Previous Lubavitcher Rebbe, who was in Riga at time, which she received along with assurances that a healthy child would be born. Thus it was. That child would go on to be Dudu Fisher’s mother. The handwritten message from the previous Rebbe’s secretary was then displayed on the auditorium’s large screen.

Following that, Rabbi Moshe Bryski, executive director of Chabad of the Conejo, appeared at the podium. “I think that we are all acutely aware that these are precarious times for the civilized world, in general, and for the Jewish People, in particular,” he said. “With the recent renewed threats of terrorism, a nuclear Iran and a spike in anti-Semitism, I think it is essential that we, as proud Jews and patriotic Americans, come together, to express our common resolve to stand for principle, for truth, for liberty, for human decency, and above all, to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with our brothers and sisters who are living in our beloved homeland, Israel. But let me clear: We do not do so in a spirit of fear or dread. We are neither cowered nor intimidated by the enemies of peace and civility! We do so in a spirit of strength and courage, resilience and fortitude, dedication and determination!”

After pointing out how the programs of Chabad of the Conejo serve to saturate the  the world with light even as others seek to engulf it in darkness, Rabbi Bryski went on to invoke the memory of the three Israeli teenagers, whose yahrtzeits (anniversary of passing) had been marked by World Jewry just one week earlier.

“For all of the hypocritical condemnations and double-standards coming from so-called human rights commissions and proponents of BDS,” he said, “anyone who knows their history and can see a foot in front of them recognizes that Israel is but the ‘Canary in the coal mine’ as civilization’s first line of defense… Israel has nothing to apologize for – to anybody – for what it must do to ensure its survival. On the contrary! It is Israel that deserves the world’s apologies!”

From there Rabbi Bryski hailed Israel’s loyal friends and staunch advocates who speak with honesty and courage in its defense – one such individual being among America’s most popular entertainers over the past five decades, Tony Orlando. Orlando – who has never shied away from speaking boldly about the greatness of America, the land of the free, nor from extoling the virtues of Israel and the righteousness of its cause as the sole democracy and haven of human rights in the Middle East – had taken the time to visit with the families of the kidnapped boys last summer to share in their grief and to show his support.

After his visit with the families, he had gone before the international media to denounce and condemn anyone who would use children as pawns and to call upon his fans all over the world to tie three yellow ribbons on the outside of their homes in solidarity with the missing boys.

Bryski then explained Chabad’s decision to present Tony Orlando with the Voice of Courage Award as an expression of “Hakorat Hatov” (recognition of gratitude)for a man who well deserves the appellation of being a member of the “Chassidei Umot Ha-olom – the righteous among the nations.”

Joining in the presentation of the award was Tony’s good friend, world renowned philanthropist and champion of Israel, Bob Book, who along with another close mutual friend of Orlando’s, Jay Schottenstein, served as an Honorary Chairperson of the tribute.  Book read aloud a letter from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, congratulating Orlando on receiving the award for his “unwavering support for the people and State of Israel.”

Though born to a Greek father and a Puerto Rican mother, in his acceptance remarks, Orlando recalled the high praise his father would always have for the Jewish people and how that perspective would be reinforced throughout his own life experiences.

At that point, he walked to center stage and launched into singing songs of pride and patriotism.  He was then joined on stage by Dudu Fisher and the two performed “Tie a Yellow Ribbon” as a duet, with Orlando singing the original English lyrics and Fisher exchanging lines in the Hebrew version.  They then sang a popular Hebrew song together.

Dudu Fisher then rounded out the concert with a journey of songs and stories that evoked both laughter and tears, but above all, Jewish pride and inspiration.  After two encores, Tony Orlando joined Dudu for one final duet to the delight of an audience that had been treated to a two-and-a-half hour celebration of music and solidarity that also served as an impactful and unforgettable Kiddush Hashem.

Other highlights of the evening included the presentation of the “Champions of the Spirit Award” to Martin Glade, a courageous and resilient Holocaust Survivor, and his wife, Sandi Glade – both of whom spoke at an outdoor pre-concert cocktail reception chaired by Chabad of the Conejo’s Rabbi Yitzchak Sapochkinskyand Rabbi Shlomo Bistritzky.

Other Emissaries (Shluchim) of Chabad of the Conejo include Rabbi Eli Laber, Rabbi Leibel Kahanov, Rabbi Mendel Friedman, Rabbi Chaim Bryski and Rabbi Schneur Schneerson.