Ethiopian Jewish Performer Alula Tzadik at the Old Broadway Synagogue

Ethiopian Jewish Performer Alula Tzadik at the Old Broadway Synagogue

This past November 26th, Dr. Eliott Kahn brought the Ethiopian Jewish performer, Alula Tzadik from Los Angeles to perform the final concert of the year for the Upper Manhattan Jewish Music Series. Alula is a dynamic, lively performer who played a guitar, something that looked like a lyre as well as a keyboard. He sang Jewish standards to a kind of a reggae beat and also sang Ethiopian Jewish songs. And he showed us an unusual "shoulder dance" that was like nothing I had ever seen before. Eliott arranged all the music, hired a keyboardist and sang together with Jemel Asten. We were pleased that Beejhy Barhany, the president of BINA (Beta Israel of North America) Cultural Foundation spoke as well. A great time was had by all. Eliott will be having his Jewish music series in 2012 as well. We look forward to continuing to explore our rich Jewish musical heritage. Below are a few photos from the November 26, 2011 concert.