Proceeds from an upcoming cantorial concert at Adath Israel Congregation will go to UJA Federation's Jewish Poverty Relief Fund to assist Toronto's hungry and vulnerable who are among the city's 20,000 Jewish Torontonians living below the poverty line.
   
The Toronto Council of Hazzanim, representing cantors from all streams of Judaism, has teamed up with UJA Federation for The International Stars of the Cantorate, scheduled for Sunday, October 31 at 7:30 p.m. The concert will feature four internationally renowned cantors: New York's Ben Zion Miller, Chicago's Alberto Mizrachi, Ramat Gan¹s Israel Rand and Florida's Benjamin Warschawski.
    
"We decided that part of our mission should be to use our talents to help both our local Jewish community, as well as Israel," says Adath Israel's Cantor Eliezer Kirshblum, chairman, Toronto Cantorial Trust Fund.

"We met with representatives of UJA Federation and we were absolutely astounded to hear of the 3,000 children who are living without. Nobody in our community should go hungry or homeless. We knew then that it was important to contribute to UJA's Relief Fund."
   
"This concert will not only provide people with a tremendous evening of entertainment and culture, but it will also make them feel good as their dollars go to help those less fortunate," says Samuel Cohen who is chairing the event with Alex Eisen. Eisen, who has already raised close to $60,000 through ticket sales, is happy to be involved.
   
"When the cantors approached me to help, I told them ‘how can I say no, I was once hungry myself,' says Eisen referring to his days in a concentration camp.
   
Funds raised for the Jewish Poverty Relief Fund will be administered by Jewish Family and Child Service (JF&CS) - a beneficiary agency of UJA Federation  ensuring that all the money will directly benefit vulnerable Jewish families.
   
"We hope to use these funds for a number of initiatives, that include helping to send poor children to summer camp," says Teri Kaye, director of family and community service, JF&CS. "Also, depending on the amount of money raised, we hope to assist large Jewish families around holiday time, when things become so expensive that the poor can't afford to celebrate the Jewish holidays the way the rest of us can."
   
"As it is in our Jewish traditions and values, we must always take care of one another," says Kirshblum. "This is our mission by making the Jewish Poverty Relief Fund known throughout the community."
   
For more information, or for tickets, call Adath Israel at 416.635.5340 or visit www.feduja.org/evites/cantors