Shmulik Sukkot’s Hanukkah Concert Cancelled After Gedolim Express Opposition

JERUSALEM (VINnews) — Following the letter from the Gedolim opposing gender-separated concerts, producer Nuta Levin announced on Monday the cancellation of a major  concert of singer Shmuelik Sukkot, which was scheduled to take place at Jerusalem’s Arena. Levin apologized to the thousands who had purchased tickets and promised a full refund. The cancelation was made in accordance with the request of the Rosh Yeshiva, Rabbi Moshe Hillel Hirsch.

In a statement published a short while ago, Levin wrote:
“‘Just as one is rewarded for pursuing, so too one is rewarded for withdrawing.’ After deep consultation and discussion with Gedolei Yisrael, the leaders of our community, whose guidance we follow, I decided to act and persuade the event organizers to cancel the planned Shmuelik Sukkot concert at the Arena on Motzaei Chanukah.”

Levin added:
“We see ourselves as fully subordinate to their opinion, dust at their feet, and in accordance with their ruling we will act. May it be G-d’s will that Heaven’s name be sanctified through all our deeds.”

Regarding ticket cancelations and refunds, Levin wrote:
“We sincerely apologize to the thousands of ticket purchasers (their money will be fully refunded by the ticketing site) for the distress caused. We are confident that the decision to obey the directive of the Gedolei Yisrael is understood and accepted by the community at large.”

Two weeks ago, Levin, the manager of singer Shmuelik Sukkot, had already announced that he was withdrawing from his involvement in producing the Arena concert in light of the rabbis’ demands.

Levin explained the reasons for his decision:
“To the many who contacted me privately, here is a brief explanation: In recent years, I have had the merit of organizing musical events in the charedi community intended for men only, this in coordination with the Gedolei Yisrael, with whom I regularly consult.

“I have consistently refused to organize events with gender separation, as other producers in the charedi world do. They would even chuckle and mock that I’m the only one doing strictly mehadrin men-only events, claiming that it’s impossible to fill a venue without a women’s section, etc., that I don’t understand how things work, and that anything is possible, as proven by the gender-separated events at Binyanei HaUma and elsewhere, all supposedly acceptable, contrary to the view of Gedolei Yisrael.

“By Heaven’s mercy, I stood firm as a solid wall and did not yield (despite the great temptation…), and thank God the halls were filled to capacity, with thousands wanting tickets even when everything was sold out!

“In recent weeks, I was approached about a concert at Jerusalem’s Arena, and the production hired from my office the star singer Shmuelik Sukkot. The understanding was that all children in Israel know and sing his songs, and that Chanukah vacation would be a perfect opportunity for families to attend. The event was not intended for yeshiva boys at all, but for families with children and for the national-religious charedi-leaning public, with artists suitable for that audience.

“I ensured that the event would feature full gender separation, with fencing outside the hall, extensive deployment of male ushers for the men’s section and female ushers for the women’s gallery, strict adherence to modesty, physical partitions, and dimmed seating to prevent line-of-sight between sections. But after consulting with the Gedolei Yisrael for nights and days, meeting their representatives, receiving their blessing, I decided to withdraw from the event entirely… It will proceed without my involvement in the production.

“Just as I was rewarded for the effort, so too I will be rewarded for the withdrawal!

“Under their instruction, I will continue to lead and ensure that today’s music is produced in a kosher and pure environment. I will continue to represent the star singer Shmuelik Sukkot exclusively for private events. Always yours, and may we merit to sanctify Heaven’s name, hoping that no mishap ever comes through my hands.”

The event in question had sparked tension with music producer Shalom Wagschal, who said he had been forced to cancel the women’s gallery at the launch concert of singer-composer Naftali Kempeh’s new album, Ad Sheyavo Mashiach, at Binyanei Ha’Uma.

The concert had been planned with full separation, including a women’s balcony with a partition, as had been done in Wagschal’s previous events. But unexpectedly, after several hundred tickets were sold, Wagschal announced that he had decided to cancel and refund all women’s tickets. This followed pressure surrounding the event and comparisons to the Sukkot Arena concert, with Wagschal claiming that the separation at Binyanei HaUma was preferable to what he considered the insufficient separation at the Arena.

A few days later, the production company VMP announced the complete cancellation of the Kempeh album-launch concert at Binyanei HaUma, following the intense public controversy that erupted over the decision to close the women’s gallery.