Watch Avraham Fried perform with Cong. Beth Jacob cantor, Arik Wollheim; Duo Re'im scheduled

Nearly 1,800 people packed the Saban Theatre in Beverly Hills on Jan. 11 to see Avraham Fried in concert during a musical extravaganza presented by the Modern Orthodox Beth Jacob Congregation and the synagogue’s Cantor Arik Wollheim. Israel’s Ashkenazi Chief Rabbi David Lau also took to the stage and delivered an impassioned address, according to a press release.

Photo: Jewish Home L.A.

Orthodox Jewish singing star, Avraham Fried, is joined by Cantor Arik Wollheim of Cong. Beth Jacob of Beverly Hills, who organized this concert at the Saban Theater, Jan. 11, 2015 in Beverly Hills.

Born and raised in Crown Heights, Brooklyn, Fried is a Jewish singer, songwriter and musician whose musical style integrates variations of rock, pop and jazz, and features Jewish lyrics and themes. His hits include works sung in English, Hebrew and Yiddish. He has performed worldwide to large audiences, including a 2007 show in Jerusalem with Charedi superstar Yaakov Shwekey commemorating the 40th anniversary of the reunification of the city. 

The event attracted large groups from Beth Jacob, Chabad yeshiva schools, Harkham Hillel Hebrew Academy, Maimonides Academy, Beverly Hills High School, and YULA boys and girls high schools, as well as casual Jewish music fans, the press release stated. 

The Sunday night concert was a festive occasion, as Fried and Wollheim involved the audience from the outset, imploring them to participate by singing along, dancing and forming conga lines in the aisles. Wollheim asked why a city like Los Angeles, with such a vibrant Jewish community, isn’t host to more events like this. 

“What is it about Jewish-American culture that prevents this from happening, and why does Jewish music tend to be limited to weddings in this city?” the Israeli-born cantor asked, according to the press release. “Why are we not a major consumer of Jewish music?” 

Wollheim indicated that he hopes to change this trend in Los Angeles and will be hosting The Duo Re'im on Sunday, January 10th at 7pm at Congregation Beth Jacob. 

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- Video by Scott Jacobs; Story by Ryan Torok, Correspondent Jewish Journal of L.A. and Oren Peleg, Contributing Writer.