Featuring Shireinu Choir of Long Island, Deborah Tartell, Conductor and Voices of Victory, the St. John's University Gospel Choir, Dr. Nigel W. Gretton, Conductor
Speaker: Dana Arschin, Storyteller, the Holocaust Memorial and Tolerance Center of Nassau County
Profits will be donated to the Holocaust Memorial and Tolerance Center of Nassau County and St. John's Bread and Life, a nonprofit serving free meals to the needy.
LOCATION:
Temple Beth El of Great Neck
5 Old Mill Rd
Great Neck, NY 11023
Two local choirs and a noted speaker will headline a special program honoring the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. during Black History Month. “Joining Voices” will take place on Sunday, February 4, and will feature the voices of the Shireinu Choir of Long Island and Voices of Victory, the Gospel Choir of St. John’s University. Dana Arschin, three-time Emmy-awardwinning journalist and the first ever storyteller for the Holocaust Memorial and Tolerance Center (HMTC) of Nassau County will be the keynote speaker.
Proceeds from the event will be donated to the Holocaust Memorial and Tolerance Center, a museum and center dedicated to building a better tomorrow by teaching about the dangers of antisemitism, racism, bullying and all manifestations of intolerance, and a food bank that has been in existence for over 4 decades. In addition to teaching about the Holocaust, the HMTC
promotes a resistance to prejudice and advocates respect for every human being which are sentiments held dear by Dr. King. St. John’s Bread and Life, established over 40 years ago to combat food insecurity in Brooklyn and Queens, has served over 20 million meals to those in need.
“Joining Voices is a beautiful example of what can happen when people unite under the umbrella of shared values,” comments Dr. Nigel W. Gretton, conductor, Voices of Victory. A key part of the concert will be a performance of “Martin’s Dream” by David Burger, based on Dr. King’s “I have a dream” speech. “Even though this work has been performed many times, it has always been the composer’s dream to see a Jewish choir and a Gospel choir combine in fellowship to perform the piece publicly,” shares Deborah Tartell, conductor, Shireinu Choir of Long Island. “I am honored to have had the opportunity to work alongside Dr. Gretton to make the composer’s dream a reality,” she concludes.
Keynote speaker Dana Arschin, three-time Emmy award winning former on-air TV reporter and fill in anchor for Fox 5 and News 12, is the first ever Storyteller for the HMTC. As a grandchild of a Holocaust survivor, Ms. Arschin interviews survivors to preserve their unique and compelling stories for future generations. For the concert, she will discuss the longstanding relationship between the Jewish and Black communities and how their music has always shared elements.