Watch: Four Tevyes sing ‘To Life’ for £120k Chai virtual dinner
Chaim Topol, Dudu Fisher, Andy Nyman and Yehezkel Lazarov sang the Fiddler on the Roof anthem, while Jewish celebs performed a play written by the late Jack Rosenthal
Jack Mendel is the former Online Editor at the Jewish News.
Four actors who have portrayed Fiddler on the Roof main character Tevye sang the musical’s famous anthem ‘To Life’, in aid of a Jewish cancer charity’s fundraiser.
They were joined by Jewish A-listers who performed a recently unearthed manuscript of the last play written by the late Jack Rosenthal, helping Chai Cancer Care to more than £120,000.
More than 500 households from around the world tuned into the event which took place online due to coronavirus.
Actress Maureen Lipman, comedian David Baddiel and author Howard Jacobson performed the first ever showing of Rosenthal’s ‘Tell Me On a Friday’ as part of the Chai Manchester virtual dinner, last Thursday.
Lipman, who is honorary Chai patron, was married to Rosenthal who passed away in 2004 due to cancer.
She told guests: “I am very proud to be associated with Chai- a charity like no other.”
As well as a dramatic performance of ‘Tell Me On a Friday’, four actors to have played Tevye from Fiddler on the Roof – Chaim Topol, Dudu Fisher, Andy Nyman and Yehezkel Lazarov – performed ’To Life!’, the charity’s unofficial anthem and track from the much-loved musical, to conclude the evening.
Thanking people for donating during the online event, Louise Hager, Chai Cancer Care chair, said: “The loyal support and generosity of this community is so encouraging, especially in this uncertain financial situation.”
Watch the four Tevyes’ ‘To Life’ here:
Thank you for helping to make Jewish News the leading source of news and opinion for the UK Jewish community. Today we're asking for your invaluable help to continue putting our community first in everything we do.
For as little as £5 a month you can help sustain the vital work we do in celebrating and standing up for Jewish life in Britain.
Jewish News holds our community together and keeps us connected. Like a synagogue, it’s where people turn to feel part of something bigger. It also proudly shows the rest of Britain the vibrancy and rich culture of modern Jewish life.
You can make a quick and easy one-off or monthly contribution of £5, £10, £20 or any other sum you’re comfortable with.
100% of your donation will help us continue celebrating our community, in all its dynamic diversity...
Engaging
Being a community platform means so much more than producing a newspaper and website. One of our proudest roles is media partnering with our invaluable charities to amplify the outstanding work they do to help us all.
Celebrating
There’s no shortage of oys in the world but Jewish News takes every opportunity to celebrate the joys too, through projects like Night of Heroes, 40 Under 40 and other compelling countdowns that make the community kvell with pride.
Pioneering
In the first collaboration between media outlets from different faiths, Jewish News worked with British Muslim TV and Church Times to produce a list of young activists leading the way on interfaith understanding.
Campaigning
Royal Mail issued a stamp honouring Holocaust hero Sir Nicholas Winton after a Jewish News campaign attracted more than 100,000 backers. Jewish Newsalso produces special editions of the paper highlighting pressing issues including mental health and Holocaust remembrance.
Easy access
In an age when news is readily accessible, Jewish News provides high-quality content free online and offline, removing any financial barriers to connecting people.
Voice of our community to wider society
The Jewish News team regularly appears on TV, radio and on the pages of the national press to comment on stories about the Jewish community. Easy access to the paper on the streets of London also means Jewish News provides an invaluable window into the community for the country at large.
We hope you agree all this is worth preserving.
