VIDEO: The 5th Annual “Chanukah with Elli thekingofbroadway & Friends 2017 – 5778 Edition

Video is at the bottom!

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I am humbled ב״ה to be presenting

The Video of

The 5th Annual
“Chanukah with Elli thekingofbroadway & Friends”
2017 – 5778 Edition

Which was Performed
Tuesday, December 19th (8th Light Chanukah) @ 7:00pm

The theme was, of course,
Chanukah the Festival of Light & Freedom!

There was Music, Song, Comedy, Menorah Lighting, Sufganiot, Dreidels, Chanukah Gelt & MORE!

Featuring:
Elli Thekingofbroadway
and an all-star Broadway cast!

Stuart Marshall
Tommy Vance
Ari Axelrod

with Music by “The Drey-dels”
Alex Rybeck – Piano (MD)
David Backer – Bass
Dmitri Z!sl Slepovitch – Clarinet/Sax
Michael Bellusci – Drums

www.triadnyc.com

-elli-
********

Here’s this year’s 2nd Show Dec. 19th 7pm
@ The Triad NYC

Interview with Keith Andrew – 12.29.17

I am very pleased to present my
Interview with Keith Andrew
of the
KeithAndrewNetWork.com
December 29th, 2017

Enjoy!

‪KeithAndrewNetWork Season Five #419
with Elli TheKingOfBroadway
https://youtu.be/BjXSbbMpcIk

#Disabilities #KeithAndrewNetWork
#YouTubeTalkShows #YouTubeShows
‪#keithandrewnetwork‬
#NeverGiveUp #ProvePeopleWrong #mentalHealth #Passion #Entertainer#Entertainment ‬

https://www.facebook.com/KeithAndrew88
KeithAndrewNetWork.com

5th Annual “Chanukah with Elli thekingofbroadway & Friends 2017

WOW!

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I am humbled ב״ה to be presenting

The 5th Annual
“Chanukah with Elli thekingofbroadway & Friends”
2017 – 5778 Edition

We are privileged to present it twice:

Monday, December 18th (7th Light Chanukah) @ 7:00pm
Tuesday, December 19th (8th Light Chanukah) @ 7:00pm

The theme is, of course,
Chanukah the Festival of Light & Freedom!

There will be Music, Song, Comedy, Menorah Lighting, Sufganiot, Dreidels, Chanukah Gelt & MORE!

Featuring:
Elli Thekingofbroadway
and an all-star Broadway cast!

Stuart Marshall
Tommy Vance
Ron Orlovsky
Ari Axelrod

with Music by “The Drey-dels”
Alex Rybeck – Piano (MD)
David Backer – Bass
Michael Bellusci – Drums
Daniel Bennett – Clarinet/Sax (Dec 18th)
Dmitri Z!sl Slepovitch – Clarinet/Sax (Dec 19th)

TICKET INFO:
$18/Chai Cover Charge – 2 Drink Min
RESERVATIONS A MUST!!!
(212) 279-4200
www.triadnyc.com

-elli-
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Here’s a clip from last year’s 2nd Show Dec. 28th 7pm
@The Metropolitan Room NYC

Thanks for watching and make your reservations NOW

Elli does Reggae with The Amazing Bottle Dancers

Elli does Reggae
with The Amazing Bottle Dancers

Upside Down

Vincz Lee feat Popcaan, Cali P, FireFly & Riga


Filmed in Crown Heights, Brooklyn

Available on Itunes https://itunes.apple.com/ch/album/ups…
Video directed by Goodwiine
© Hemp Higher Productions

The Amazing Bottle Dancers
2015-10-14 11.32.09
Cheyenne GrossElliBrian Henry
Spencer Ryoma Baumgart

https://www.facebook.com/bottledancers/
https://twitter.com/BottleDancers

Vincz Lee:
http://www.vinczlee.com

FireFLY:
https://www.facebook.com/fireflylifei…

Riga:
http://www.hemphigher.com/

Elli sings at “Honor Thy Father” at The Metropolitan Room 01.12.16

Elli was asked to sing at
The Metropolitan Room
Tuesday, January 12th 2016
for

“HONOR THY FATHER”
A celebration of all fathers
and the story of the life of one sole survivor in particular, Bernie’s Father, Murray Furshpan
with the always amazing, Barry Levitt on the piano

The evening featured Julie Budd, Anita Gillette, Mark Nadler, Sara Zahn, Jim Brochu, Tom Gamblin, Elli thekingofbroadway, Lina Orfanos, Liz Mckendry, and Gary Crawford, Denise Spann-Morgan and Steve Schalchlin with Barry Levitt on the Piano

“The evening featured many singers who had relatives that experienced the horrors of the Holocaust, some relating their own family histories.

Steve Schalchlin, at the piano, opened with self-penned “Somebody Save Me a Seat,” the evening progressing as musical director Barry Levitt took over; singers offering up songs centered around love of family with great heart, emotion and memories such as Gary Crawford’s rendition of Steven Lutvak’s “Museums;” Lina Orfanos sung in Hebrew; Mark Nadler offered a one-of-a-kind “Ragtime;” Elli the King of Broadway sang Jerry Herman’s “Shalom” and “Milk and Honey” and Denise Spann-Morgan soared on the Exodus song, “This Land is Mine.”

Throughout, Bernie continued speaking about the man with endless soul and talent as a plasterer and craftsman – who plied his skills to such a degree that he was sought after to renovate John Lennon’s kitchen and bath. But most importantly, Murray was a Mensch (a person of integrity and honor).” from http://www.theaterpizzazz.com/honor-thy-father/

Original Video taken by Brad Naprixas

Elli sings a medley from Jerry Herman’s “Milk and Honey”

You just never know…

B”H – Thursday Sept. 24th 2015 – The day after Yom Kippur 5776

You just never know..

Rabbi Deutsch & Sons Esrog

No, this is not me….

Today, on my way home from shopping for a Lulav & Esrog and some food supplies for Sukkos I had an interesting ride in a LYFT car. (Use Code Elli49 to sign up and get $20 toward a ride!)

While chatting with the driver, he said he is only in NYC 5 years and is originally from Tajikistan (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tajikistan) where they speak Tajik a dialect of Farsi (Persian) and Russian!

We had a wonderful discussion about the Jewish things he knows of, he asked me to tell him about “the coming holiday called Sukkot”. He said that he lives in Midwood near an Iranian Synagogue and can understand everything that everyone is saying on their way to/from Shul! (Note to self….)

While in the car, a friend called me sounding a little depressed, so I did my best to try and cheer him up and at one point in the conversation he asked me for my opinion on, “what’s the meaning of life? Is there a purpose?”

I explained to him that every person he asks will have a different outlook but my outlook is I was born a Jew and the purpose of my life is to follow HaShem’s Torah and do as many of the 613 mitzvahs as I can in my lifetime.

I was surprised that he understood what I was talking about and asked me if I could count how many mitzvahs I had done in the past week. I explained that it doesn’t actually work like that – we don’t keep a running count – but that I did attend services on Rosh HaShanah, the Jewish new year, I kept the Sabbath in between Rosh HaShanah and Yom Kippur, I fasted on Yom Kippur, spent the entire day in the synagogue and didn’t return home until almost an hour after the fast ended. I only eat kosher food, tried to be kind to my fellow man and generally spread as much joy as possible.

He then asked me how I know if I’m actually doing anything good and being effective?

I told him that not always is the purpose for everything you do open & revealed. Most of the time you just do what needs to be done and hope that along the way you affect somebody positively.

I related a story from just this past week. I met Brad in the city and we only had a few minutes from the time he got there until we had to be at our event. We decided to eat dinner after the event and to just go into Walgreens and get a quick nosh to hold us over.

We looked for a place to sit down and eat and finally found a ledge on the corner of the store that we could kind of squeeze onto.

While we were sitting there a couple from Israel noticing my beard and Yarmulkah came over to us looking very confused and asked if I could help them get to 770 Eastern Pkwy. the Lubavitcher headquarters in Brooklyn? Chabad-Lubavitch-Orthodox-Jewish-spiritual-center-770-Eastern-Parkway-Crown-Heights-Gran-Rebbe-Manachem-Mendel-Schneerson-Andrea-Robbins-Max-Beecher-Photography-Crown-Heights-Brooklyn-NYCI was only too happy to help and proceeded to give them the fastest route. The conversation was in Hebrew, and the lady had scribbled some numbers on a piece of paper from someone else that had given her instructions that confused her. She couldn’t seem to understand why my instructions differed from the ones she’d been given. I explained again and thankfully we were close enough to Times Square that I could point and show her where the 3 train would take her quickly to her destination. With a smile they thanked me and went on their way.

Without missing a beat, Brad turned to me and said, “See! That’s why we sat here!”

We can’t always wait for those moments to come. We always have to live **as if** that moment will always come.

“…and that’s what life is all about for me”, I said.

The Baal Shem Tov said “For 70, 80 years a Neshama (Soul) wears and tears just to do a favor for another.”

Our conversation came to an end as I arrived at my home, and I believe that it had a positive effect on my friend. I also believe it had a positive effect on my driver as well, as he insisted on carrying all my packages into the house for me!!!

You just never know what one kind word can do…

The Lubavitcher Rebbe quoted many times that it takes “JUST ONE MITZVAH to tip the scales and bring…

MOSHIACH NOW!”

Moshiach Now 1

-elli-

Jerusalem’s Pride Parade – Who should we blame for the stabbing?

First let’s clear up some terminology:

Ultra-Orthodox is a derogatory word used by American Media and those against what I call Observant or Religious Jews. (Haredi is the Hebrew equivalent of Ultra-Orthodox.)

I dislike BOTH of these terms equally as they are slang for ‘fanatic’.

When I say Observant/Religious Jew I am referring to Jews who follow Torah law and observe the *mitzvot* associated with Jewish tradition/law (ie keeping Shabbos and keeping Kosher). It is NOT meant to mean anyone else is in any way less of a Jew (providing they are born to a Jewish Mother or converted according to Jewish law.

Who exactly is an Ultra-Orthodox Jew? Do they mean ALL Hasidic Jews? A few of the groups? All of the groups? To a secular Jew (and many non-Jews) any Observant Jew – visually defined by having a beard and wearing a black hat and a black coat, whether a suit or a long Hasidic one – is looked at as a fanatic.

Note: Here in the USA there is no such distinction made. Observant Jews are usually categorized as Hasidim, Orthodox and Modern Orthodox.

Now to address fundamentalism and Judaism.

Let’s begin by defining Jewish law as “laws according to the Torah” and in Hebrew, “Halacha” – which is all 613 Commandments of the Torah codified into a book called, “Shulchan Aruch” The Code of Jewish Law. For this discussion I’m going to use “Halacha”.

Torah: Leviticus 18:22, “You shall not lie down with a male, as with a woman: this is an abomination.” and the punishment for violating this law is: 29: For anyone who commits any of these abominations, the persons doing so shall be cut off from the midst of their people. Click here to see the whole Torah passage

Anyone who follows Biblical law may see this as black & white. People who are learned in Halacha understand that this refers to ONE specific act (anal sex). Over the years the Rabbis included any Homosexual act in this prohibition. There are myriads of opinions, commentaries and discussions on all the details of what can and cannot be done according to Halacha. This really has no bearing on our discussion, but it does merit mentioning so we have a baseline to measure from. That being said, ANY punishment for violating this Torah prohibition is DIVINE. Not by man. Only G@d can enforce this punishment.

Judaism, in ANY form, absolutely FORBIDS harming another Human being. This prohibition goes so deep as to include “Lashon Hara” slander as a form of harm to another. Halacha says that slander kills THREE people: the one who says it, the one who hears it as we’ll as the one who it is about. To suggest that ANY Rabbi or individual would have condoned yesterdays attack shows a complete lack of knowledge concerning Halacha and Judaism itself.

Are there individuals who secretly wish harm on those who violate Halacha? Sadly, and as evidenced by the horrific attack yesterday, yes there are – are they in the majority? Absolutely not. As I said above, harming any Human is absolutely forbidden. Preservation of life is THE single most important rule in Halacha – so much so as ALL of Halacha is suspended in order to save a Human life.

Indeed Israel’s Chief rabbis David Lau and Yitzhak Yosef denounced the attack, stating that it violated Jewish law, and called on the legal authorities to deal with the attacker with utmost severity.

“The Torah of the Jewish people forbids all violence and [attempts to] injure any person, and especially someone who tries to kill another person,” said Lau. Yosef said the attacker should be considered like “any other murderer. It’s unthinkable that a man can lift up his hand against another Jewish soul in the name of religion,” said the rabbi. “I am praying from the bottom of my heart for the full recovery of those who were injured, and in the face of this type of hatred I call on the entire Jewish people to return to unity in kindness and tolerance.”

Fundamentalism has been defined as, “unwavering attachment to a set of irreducible beliefs“.

Are observant Jews fundamentalists because they keep kosher or don’t turn on of off appliances and lights for the 25 hours of Shabbos (Sabbath – from Fri sunset to Sat 1 hour after sunset)? Are observant Jews fundamentalists because they pray 3 times a day? Wash their hands before eating bread? Because they dress in what they consider Modest colors (B&W) to humble themselves before G@d?

Fundamentalists? Perhaps in the literal sense, but not militant, not violent. Never suggesting harm come to another because they are a non-believer or ‘sinner’ if you will. 100% the opposite. Judaism teaches “Love your fellow as yourself” (Hillel) and challenges it’s practitioners to embrace those who are “not yet observant” and encourage them to see the beauty in observing Torah and doing it’s Mitzvos (commandments).

The recent stabbing at the Jerusalem Gay Pride Parade was done by an extremely disturbed individual acting alone. He had been convicted of the same crime in 2005 and was sentenced to 10 years in prison from which he was released only 3 weeks ago. He reportedly wrote and published a letter last week saying that there is an obligation to stop the “parade of sin” at all costs. “It is the obligation of every Jew to keep his soul from punishment and stop this giant desecration of God’s name next Thursday,” he wrote according to Ma’ariv. He said the parades were happening “because of our enormous sins.”

Where was the Justice system? How did they not monitor this convicted criminal better? How did he get past the security at the Parade itself? Why wasn’t he stopped before he stabbed 6 people?

THESE are the questions to be asking. This is where the onus lies.

Were there Observant Jews at the Parade protesting? Yes and that’s their right. They see this is something against Halacha and have the right to voice their disapproval. But by eyewitness accounts those same observant Jews were the first to rush to the aid of those injured. Those same observant Jews run Israel’s emergency services as shown in the pictures of the event. Those same observant Jews voiced concern that such a horrific crime took place in the holy city of Jerusalem.

So, are the ‘fundamentalist’Jews responsible for this attack? 

ABSOLUTELY NOT. Hatred and violence are antithetical to Halacha.

“Then who CAN I blame? I mean SOMEONE has to take responsibility for this HEINOUS act of violence!!!”

Unfortunately, that is our tendency as Human beings. We need to assign blame in order to try and justify violence like this.

I pose that responsibility lies with the Justice system. The attacker was obviously not rehabilitated in his 10 year prison term – which is what prison is supposed to do. Was there no psychological testing done before he was released into the free world again? Why was he not monitored and apparently allowed to attend ANOTHER Pride parade with his known violent tendancies in tow? Perhaps an ankle bracelet was called for in this instance?

I hope the outcome of this abhorrent act against both man and G@d will result in a reformation of the Justice system that failed him. Our Torah sages have said, “”Kol Yisrael arevim zeh la-zeh” which means “all Jews (literally: the people of Israel) are responsible for one another.” But to assign blame to the Ultra-Orthodox ‘fundamentalists’ is just ridiculous and uncalled for.

-e-

Elli is an actor, singer, comedian and voice-over artist lovingly referred to as “The King of Broadway”. A Chabad trained Rabbi and Cantor turned entertainer, Elli has appeared in numerous films and TV shows (IMdB Elli (V)). Elli has performed at most Cabaret Cabaret venues in NYC and is also the force behind the Celebrity Video Interviews and Entertainment Reviews at: www.broadwaykingdom.com. Elli is currently working on his fourth one-man show. For more about Elli go to www.thekingofbroadway.com