Many thousands participated last Thursday in a production never before seen in the world of Jewish music: The historic concert 'Above the Mount of Olives', with the participation of 120 voices, cantors Yitzhak Meir Helfgot and Dovla Heller, 90 musicians of the Jerusalem Symphony Orchestra-Israel Broadcasting Authority, 3 choirs - 'The Jerusalem Cantor Choir', 'Zimerat Ya' and the 'Binyamin' Choir', all conducted by Maestro Eli Yaffe.
The event was held to mark the 82nd anniversary of the passing of the 'King of Cantors', Cantor Yossele Rosenblatt, on the plaza of the 'Seven Arches' Hotel across from the site of the Temple, close to and visible from his grave.
The production was directed by Shiral Bleicher, on behalf of Yesh Shahar Productions - who received much praise for the impressive production, which, as mentioned, has never been seen before in the world of Jewish music. The musical direction was entrusted to Yaakov Grodka.
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The unique concert and the extraordinary location created a huge demand for tickets, which sold out about two weeks before the event. The audience that came was not just the usual audience for concert halls, but a very wide and diverse audience who wanted to enjoy the special experience.
The preparations for the concert were also different from usual. First, for reasons of security and convenience and to prevent parking congestion, all guests were asked to park their vehicles in the Ammunition Hill parking lot and from there they arrived via buses, which operated free of charge and very efficiently, going there and back to the satisfaction of all parties.
The venue itself is actually an open field that has been "converted" into a concert hall for one evening. The special stage, lighting and multimedia screens, and of course all the chairs and stands, were set up especially for this evening, with over 1500 comfortable and well-arranged seats.
Partitions to reduce the winds on the mountain were also placed for the benefit of the audience and the artists, but to allow for enjoyment of the amazing view, they were transparent. The thoughtfulness of the small details was evident throughout the event, including the distribution of 'carbohydrates' to the audience and the bringing of a free hot drink truck for everyone, organized by Hebron resident Baruch Marzel.
Among the pieces performed by the cantors were the duets "And Even He," "Prayer for the Peace of the State," and solo pieces performed by Cantor Yossela Rosenblatt, including "Ad Hana" in Yossela's special melody and performed by Cantor Yitzhak Meir Helfgot, and a special arrangement for this evening of the piece "Kol Berama Neshem" - performed by Cantor Dovla Heller.
The cantor episodes were presented with emotion and professionalism, combined with multimedia on a giant screen that completed the experience for the large audience of cantor and Jewish poetry enthusiasts.
In the last performance of the special event, Maestro Eli Yaffe invited the regular conductors of the choirs to sing together the Song of Hope to the tune of Yossele Rosenblatt: Dr. Uri Aharon, conductor of the 'Zimerat Ya' choir, Yotam Segal, conductor of the choir, and Paul Salter, conductor of the Jerusalem Cantor Choir.
The concert was honored with their presence by the Chief Rabbi of Israel, Rabbi David Lau, the Rabbi of Jerusalem, Rabbi Aryeh Stern, Deputy Minister of Defense, MK Eli Ben Dahan, Deputy Minister of Welfare, MK Meshulam Nahari, MK Nissan Slomiansky, Chairman of the Constitution Committee, MK Moti Yogev, Deputy Rabbis of Jerusalem and Council members Dov Kalmanowitz, Israel Kellerman and Yaakov Halperin, Itiel Bar Levi - Director of the Department for Torah Culture in the Ministry of Education, Shmaryahu Herman - Former Director of the Department for Torah Culture in the Ministry of Education, Director of the Israel Heritage Department, Yehuda Naftali, Aryeh Froman - Supervisor of the Jerusalem District in the Ministry of Education, the management of the Ministry of Religious Affairs headed by Deputy Director of the Ministry of Religious Affairs, Moti Zisser, Meir Gurvitz and many others.
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