A historic Torah completion ceremony in New York’s Times Square honored victims of the recent Parkland, FL shooting, following an emotional Havdalah by singer Yoni Z and rousing concert by rapper Nissim Black and Gad Elbaz.

CTeen made history with a inspirational Siyum Sefer Torah and concert in Times Square.

The moving and emotional havdalah was hosted by Yoni Z, with a special performance by Jewish Rapper Nissim Black, and surprise guest, superstar Gad Elbaz. The highlight of the event included a Siyum Sefer Torah, with Torah letters dedicated to CTeen shluchim, teens, as wells as the survivors of the Parkland shooting.

“The energy was palpable,” shared Sarah Salles of Cooper City, Florida. “Our lives were so closely affected by the shooting; knowing that we have our CTeen family to turn to in times like these makes all the difference.”

“I’ve never experience anything like this in my life!” shared Aby Singer, teen leader from Panama City, who was chosen to lead the crowd of over three thousand people in singing Shema Yisroel. “The energy was palpable.”

“Tonight’s event was a Kiddush Hashem and a Kiddush Lubavitch,” shared Rabbi Moshe Kotlarsky, CTeen’s Chairman, who filled in the last letter of the Sefer Torah. “Tonight, CTeen took their outreach to a new level, and we expect it to continue growing from here.”

  Courtesy of Colive.com

Photos by Itzik Roytman