Francesca Sund
Baltimore Watchdog Staff Writer
Members of the Jewish community crammed into Kraushaar Auditorium at Goucher College to attend a concert by world-renowned artists Uri Davidi and Yoni Zigelboum, who delighted in raising money for special needs children.
“Over 1,000 people are packing this place for Menucha,” said Zevi Daniel, the MC for Wednesday night’s concert. “We are oversold!”
Menucha, which provides extracurricular services to children with special needs, is the organization that annually sponsors the event. With this year’s tickets selling for $18 to $100, the money raised helps provide the children and their families with the resources they need.
“We provide anything beyond formal education,” said Rabbi Aryeh Richter, director of Menucha. “So if it’s after-school activities, if it’s Sunday activities, if it’s sending volunteers to the home to help the parents and families, that’s the base of what our organization does.”
Taking place on the third day of Sukkot, a Jewish festival commemorating the biblical pilgrimage to the Promised Land, Menucha invited Davidi and Zigelboum (also known as Yoni Z) to perform. Well known to the Jewish community, the musicians needed only moments to excite the crowd to jump to their feet to dance and sing along.
“I’ve traveled all over the world performing but actually this is my first show in Baltimore,” said Yoni Zigelboum, a native of Brooklyn, New York. “There are so many families here that have children with special needs and just to see the smiles on their faces really is what does it for me.”
Once the lights turned down and the auditorium stage lit up, the Menucha children in the front row started to cheer. Davidi walked out and sang his hit songs “Muchanim” and “Nu Nu” while the children danced.
“It’s super inspiring to watch,” said Joseph Zigelboum, brother of Yoni Zigelboum. “I think music is just such a great way to connect with people.”
When Davidi finished, the excitement of the crowd continued as Yoni Zigelboum took over the stage. Singing his songs, including his biggest hits “Up!” and “Power,” the energy in the room never stopped.
“Singing is my vehicle to really reach out to people and be like ‘Hey you’re good, you’re awesome, you’re great,’ and music is just the way I do that,” Yoni Zigelboum said. “I hope that I can inspire the people as much as Menucha has inspired the people.”
When Yoni Z’s performance ended and the lights turned back down, the crowd did not know that the show continued. Seconds later, both Uri Davidi and Yoni Zigelboum took over the stage for a duo performance where they invited the children of Menucha to dance on stage with them.
After the concert, the smiles of the children continued as they exited the auditorium.