Rocker Kleinstein and Hassidic Fried team up

Unlikely duo get together for concert to benefit Jerusalem's Shaare Zedek Medical Center.

By DAVID BRINN
Kleinstein and Fried (photo credit: Jeremy Wimpfheimer)
Kleinstein and Fried
(photo credit: Jeremy Wimpfheimer)
Benefit concerts can make for unexpected bedfellows. For example, Israel’s everyman pop rocker Rami Kleinstein and American Orthodox Hassidic singer Avraham Fried.
Fried, who is on a world tour to mark his 30th anniversary as a performer, and Israeli singer and composer Kleinstein will perform together for the first time at a concert on Thursday night to benefit Jerusalem’s Shaare Zedek Medical Center. The hospital will mark its 110th anniversary with the event.
The show will feature Fried and Kleinstein performing separately and in a duet.
Kleinstein, who’s no slouch himself in the “long and varied career” department, explained that what looked on paper to be an odd coupling actually made musical sense.
“Avraham Fried is a very talented singer and a star among lovers of Hassidic music – whether they’re haredim or not,” Kleinstein told The Jerusalem Post. “From my point of view, this is a fascinating musical and cultural collaboration that brings together different styles and world viewpoints.”
According to Danny Kaizler, director of Bama Kehalacha- Israevents, the official event producers for the evening, Fried is equally excited about performing with Kleinstein.
“Avraham knows that Rami is one of the most popular and creative acts on the Israeli music scene and believes that there is no more appropriate way to launch his anniversary tour than here in Jerusalem and in tribute to a special institution like Shaare Zedek,” said Kaizler.
Kleinstein added that the musical similarities between the two will overcome any differences in style and appearance, the common bond being love of performing.
“We’re musicians and performers who love the stage and the audience, and anyone who comes will feel that,” said Kleinstein. “If we succeed in conveying the message about tolerance, respect and love of our fellow man, then we’ll have done our part.”
The show will be held at Jerusalem’s International Convention Center, with proceeds going for the Wilf Children's Hospital (now under construction), the new Digestive Diseases Institute and the development of the MRI center.