By Howard Warner

Temple Israel held a Concert for Ukraine featuring the band Klezmer Local 42, of Athens, GA, on April 3. About 100 people attended the event in person and on Zoom. It included a silent auction, a bake sale, refreshments and dancing. The event was sponsored by the Rozen Foundation and the Klezmer Local 42 band. All proceeds were donated to helping Ukrainian victims of the current war. More than $4,000 was raised at the event.

The band performed for almost two hours playing 11 songs in the first set and eight after the short intermission. They ended with a Klezmer rendition of the Rolling Stones’ “Paint It Black.” The band included Dan Horowitz (bass, vocals), Noel Beverly (mandolin, vocals), Bud Freeman (clarinet), Eddie Glikin (percussion, vocals), Philip Kohnen (accordion, vocals) and Gregory Sanders (drums). They were joined by guest musician Allen Lutins (clarinet) from Binghamton. Rabbi Moshe Shmaryahu joined in the Jill Jackson-Miller and Sy Miller song “Let There Be Peace on Earth.”

“This was the first event since the COVID pandemic erupted in 2020 open to the general public at the Temple Israel building,” said organizers of the event. “It is truly great to be able to resume some level of normalcy again. And let us hope that peace will return to Ukraine soon.”