Moshav Band and Moments of Wrong ready to rock Union Transfer
This article, (published in examiner.com)[http://www.examiner.com/article/moshav-band-and-oh-yes-moments-of-wrong-ready-to-rock-union-transfer-sat-nt], publicizes Mekor’s benefit concert featuring Moshav and the shul’s own band, Moments of Wrong:
Israel-rooted Moshav will headline a concert tomorrow night whose proceeds will benefit Center City’s Congregation Mekor Habracha (Center City Shul). The 9 PM concert (doors open at 8:30 PM) will be held at the club Union Transfer, located at 1024 Spring Garden Street in the general Center City/Chinatown area.
Members of Moshav (formerly known as “Moshav Band”) are openly proud of their Jewish faith and heritage. Its members grew up on Moshav Mevo Modiim, a musical village located in the hills between Jerusalem and Tel Aviv. Their hometown, founded by the late Rabbi Shlomo Carlebach, was and continues to be the birthplace of many Jewish songs enjoyed the world over. The members of the Moshav Band were under the spiritual guidance of Rabbi Carlebach while immersed in his musical world, often performing with him at his concerts.
General admission tickets to the concert are $25.00 each. VIP tickets (which include the use of tables and chairs) are $54.00 each. Tickets can be purchased via this link. Tickets also can be purchased at the door.
It is no longer much of a secret in the Center City Philadelphia Jewish community that Congregation Mekor Habracha (located at 20th and Chestnut Streets) is the “hot” synagogue in town, particularly for young adults. Just several years old, Mekor Habracha gets over 100 congregants most Saturday mornings for shabbas services. A large proportion of those congregants not only fit in the general category of the sadly played-out and somewhat euphemistic marketing term “young professionals” … but actually are both “young” and “professionals.”
As of just last week, there is now a daily morning minyan (at which Philadelphia Jewish Culture Examiner, while not necessarily an “altacocker” at 40 years old, is almost always one of the more senior participants).
Additionally, it is not far-fetched whatsoever to say that the growth of the Mekor Habracha community and the efforts of the synagogue’s spiritual leader, Rabbi Eliezer Hirsch, are directly responsible for the dramatic recent growth of kosher eating establishments in Center City Philadelphia.
Congregation Mekor Habracha has a definite personal connection to Moshav. Dr. Bruce Taubman, the president of the congregation, is the father-in-law of Moshav’s lead singer, Yehuda Solomon. Not exactly coincidentally, Solomon will be leading tonight’s Shabbas services at 5 PM, and (presumably) playing at least some role in leading Shabbas services tomorrow morning (which start at 9:15 AM).
Moshav will be preceded by opening act Moments of Wrong, otherwise known as the Congregation Mekor Habracha “House Band.” For the sake of potential audience members who are weighing whether to go hear Moments of Wrong’s opening performance versus the simultaneous performance of cellist Yo-Yo Ma at the Philadelphia Orchestra’s Anniversary Concert, Moments of Wrong members are quick to emphasize that they are amateurs whose livings are made via non-musical jobs.
In any case, Moments of Wrong mandolinst Jon Gradman (a cider brewer by trade) says: “It’s great to be able to do this event with Moshav. They have a lot of musical experience and being able to open for them is really a great honor for us.”
More generally, he adds: “I’m glad we could help out the fundraising for the shul. It’s great to be able to do what you love and help out at the same time.”