NO ONE BRINGS THE ENERGY, THE CROWD, THE UNITY OR THE LOVE LIKE OUR OWN YAAKOV SHWEKEY
SOPHIA FRANCO
AS MANY OF US WERE PACKING UP, PREPARING FOR THE LAST WEEK OF SUMMER 2022, YAAKOV SHWEKEY AND THE SPECIAL CHILDREN’S CENTER WERE PREPARING AS WELL—TO MAKE IT A SUMMER WE’D NEVER FORGET.
Years ago, as I sat in a doctor’s office striking up conversation with a frum assistant at the front desk, Yaakov’s name came up. Bragging, just a little, I said “I write lyrics for Yaakov Shwekey. You know, ‘We are a Miracle,’ and ‘I Can Be;’ I wrote those…” The woman proceeded to get up off her chair and wrap her arms around me in a hug I neither anticipated nor expected. She said, “When my mom was in the hospital, Yaakov’s music saved her. It really did. It gave her strength and happiness—it gave her the chizuk (emotional or spiritual support), and the push she needed to fight. G-d bless her, to this day, it brings a smile to her face like nothing else. Can you tell him I said thank you?”
To think about what goes into a night like this—the hundreds of staff members, the commitment of the Deal Police and Homeland Security, the helicopters flying above—this was not an easy feat to pull off! But as promised, on Wednesday, August 31st, Yaakov Shwekey delivered an evening of entertainment to a sold-out venue, second to none. The weather was perfection. The crowds arrived early, anticipation in the air and enthusiasm at their feet. The special children were ready and waiting, bright yellow t-shirts and smiles in tow. The counselors, each incredible one of them, were as fired up as the kids. With the lights and sounds in place, the guests arrived by car, bike and on foot to get up close and personal with a man, who is for many, their hero. Six thousand four hundred people came from near and far to reverberate that woman’s, “Thank You” to Yaakov Shwekey. And when he arrived on stage, the love for him and his music was palpable.
Every age, from tiny babies sporting giant headphones, to teenagers sporting glitter, to grandparents sporting energy they didn’t know they had, and everyone in between, filled the incredible space. This is what is beautiful about Yaakov’s music. He sings to you, and he sings to me. He sings to the mother of a special child, and he sings to a cancer patient struggling to push through one more day of misery to get to the other side. The music is the cure and the calm, and to hear it live—in person—is just an experience like no other.
When I arrived, I went straight to the kids. Olivia, Joyce, Emily, and Ruthie—all my old friends were jumping and swaying to the beats. And then, I met some new friends too! Tammy, Shana, Yehuda, Abby—so many new faces. Each of them beautiful, each of them special, and each of them alive with the electricity of the night. This is how I first met Yaakov, through these incredible kids. Jenine Shwekey and Chaya Bender welcomed me with open arms. “You’re here!” they said. I wouldn’t miss it for the world.
Once the concert started, we were in it—totally inside the music. Smoke poured out from the stage; lights flashed, and when Yaakov shouted out my name as the notes and “na na na’s” from “I Can Be” filled the air, the people around me exploded into cheers. The song is not new, but it sounded fresh and alive as the very first time at that moment. As I walked through the crowd, you could feel it- the camaraderie beaming—the energy and the vibration pumping. Everyone knows the words to every song—each person singing to the person next to them, “Fighter,” “It Could be You,” “Et Rikod,” and so many other hits. The sincerity of “A Mother’s Promise,” hit home, as Yaakov sat on a stool and quietly belted out the deep hearted ballad. Even the policemen and women perched throughout the arena were loving the night. “This is magnificent,” one officer told me. “They don’t even get these kinds of crowds when Bruce plays at the Stone Pony!” This chain of love, this music—it connected the crowd—huge as it was—creating a commonality—a harmony, to use a word perfectly suited to this night.
G-d bless Yaakov for sharing his gift of music with us. G-d bless him more for sharing it with the special children. As they mouth the lyrics, shake their hips and clap their hands I watch, with tears in my eyes and a smile on my face. This is what it’s all about. Young and old, weak and strong, we are all one. And the music reminds us of that, always.
We could not have done this massive event without our amazing dream team: Harry Adjmi, Richie Dweck, Elliot Tawil, Elliot Aizer, David Hillel, Bella Levitan, and Yitzy Shoner!
Scan this QR code to see a video of the concert and feel like you were there.
Sophia Franco is a mom and grandma, and a lover of the written word in all forms. She has been an author, lyricist and poet for our community for more years than she can count.
