concert Review: Avraham Fried and Yaakov Shwekey United Hatzalah at benefit concert

The concert, held on Hol Hamoed, or the intermediate days of Succot, was the 12th annual fund-raiser for the nonprofit organization.

By MENASHE KOREN
SINGERS AVRAHAM FRIED (right) and Yaakov Shwekey performing at a benefit concert for United Hatzalah in Jerusalem (photo credit: ITZIK ROSEK)
SINGERS AVRAHAM FRIED (right) and Yaakov Shwekey performing at a benefit concert for United Hatzalah in Jerusalem
(photo credit: ITZIK ROSEK)
To a sold-out crowd at the International Convention Center in Jerusalem this past Thursday singers Avraham Fried and Yaakov Shwekey performed a benefit concert for United Hatzalah.
The concert, held on Hol Hamoed, or the intermediate days of Succot, was the 12th annual fund-raiser for the nonprofit organization. Eli Beer, Hatzalah founder and president, chose to honor Chilean Jewish businessman and philanthropist Leonardo Farkas, who funds the medical service in Safed and Tiberias, at the event.
United Hatzalah is a volunteer- run first responder group that uses ambucycles, or motorcycles that have all the facilities that an ambulance has except for the ability to bring the sufferer to the hospital. Beer created the organization to reduce the time it takes for medical personnel to arrive on the scene of emergencies. According to Beer the ambucycles can reach anywhere in the country within three minutes, averaging 90 seconds.
The concert tickets ranged from $100 to $1,000 and around 3,000 seats were sold. The annual event, held on Succot, is the only fund-raiser Hatzalah has each year. All proceeds went to support the organization.
Fried and Shwekey, who have not performed together often, were accompanied by the famous Moetzet Hashira Hayehudit choir.
Fried spoke of how in the same way that Hatzalah saves people’s bodies, he and Shwekey were trying to save people’s souls through Jewish music.
Shwekey had the crowd on its feet with his new single “A Time to Dance.”
The concert at close to three hours was filled with music and inspirational stories as well as an enthusiastic audience singing along.