Hanukkah Entertainment for IDF Soldiers

Hanukkah 2009 -- Elazar "Doctor Jazz" Brandt assembles a crew of entertainers for 3 events to treat Israeli soldiers who are on duty during the holiday week. Working with David Landau's organization, Standing Together, they make the parties, and we make the entertainment.

Monday evening starts the week with a party for lone soldiers at the Orthodox Union Center in Jerusalem. About 100 people attending, including both the soldiers and friends of Standing Together. Classic jazz favorites are played by the Doctor Jazz Dixieland Trio, while the guests enjoy a catered dairy dinner. The soldiers are presented with gifts, and the entertainment continues with comedian Yehezkel Laing.

Wednesday brings the crew to an IDF base in the West Bank. David's mobile food kiosk is equipped with a donut machine to keep the holiday donuts coming hot and fresh. Elazar Brandt (banjo), Avi Schwartz (trumpet) and Yoav Elkayam (washboard) add to the festivities with jazz tunes, Israeli favorites and some traditional Hanukkah songs. The several hundred soldiers serving at the base come out to take a break and enjoy the celebration. They tell us that these events make the holiday for them.

Thursday we do a repeat performance, this time at another IDF base in the Judean Desert. It's a much colder, windier day, and we get there only to discover that the donut machine is not working. David quickly located an IDF engineer, who came and made the necessary repairs so the show could go on. Today Elazar and Avi are making the music, but we brought along our washboard to let the soldiers themselves get into the act.

We enjoy working with Standing Together, who get out into the field year round to bring treats and encouragement to the soldiers who defend Israel. We wish to thank JNEF in the Netherlands for sponsoring our shows this week. JNEF are also frequently sponsor Elazar and Doctor Jazz to bring entertainment to Israeli soldiers, to towns and settlements living under the threat of terrorism, and to citizens living in shelters during wartimes.

To sponsor a show, or for more information, please contact Elazar at jazzmin@actcom.net.il, or see our website at www.doctorjazz.co.il.

Category:

Entertainment

Tags:

• elazar
• brandt
• israel
• dixieland
• banjo
• hanukkah
• IDF
• ישראל
• צהל
• אלעזר
• ברנדט
• דוקטור
• ג'אז

[nhoj557]

Way to go Avi, Your friend in NY John

[Menukha]

Praise God! How wonderful that you all could give the soldiers, those beautiful young people, some fun on the holiday! The donuts look yummy!