Don't Miss: NY Klezmer Concert for Ukraine's Children of War

Common Man for Ukraine is helping organize an upcoming October 13 benefit concert in New York for Ukraine children affected by the war. Kommuna Lux, a lively band from Odessa, will play klezmer and Ukrainian music Tuesday, October 13 at 7:30 p.m. at Hudson Yards Synagogue.

The $36 advance ticket includes a reception following the concert. There is no-charge registration for refugees, recent immigrants and anyone for whom cost is an obstacle. Proceedsmupport Common Man for Ukraine’s work, including trauma-counseling retreats for children.

For more information:
https://givebutter.com/NYC10-13-26

About the Performance

Kommuna Lux performs the joyful, high-energy music of Ukraine’s Black Sea port city of Odesa—a vibrant blend of Klezmer, Balkan, and Ukrainian folk traditions. This genre, often called “Odesa Music”, was banned as subversive in the later years of the Soviet Union. Since Russia’s invasion, the band has become a powerful cultural ambassador for Ukraine, earning international recognition while raising support through music.

Klezmer is a vibrant tradition of instrumental folk music with roots in Ukraine, historically played in Jewish communities throughout Eastern Europe. Joyous – yet often wistful or even melancholy – it was the music of weddings and other celebrations. Klezmer features prominently in Fiddler on the Roof and is now enjoyed and performed by people of all backgrounds.

About the Common Man for Ukraine

Russia’s invasion has created one of the greatest humanitarian crises for children in Europe since World War II. Tens of thousands of children have lost one or both parents in the war. Over 730,000 children remain displaced within Ukraine. They face not only overwhelming grief, but also economic hardship, interrupted education, and lasting emotional trauma. They need hope!

Since 2022, the Common Man for Ukraine has delivered more than 4.5 million pounds of aid through an all-volunteer network working with Rotary partners in Ukraine and Poland. They brave minefields and drones to deliver aid to frontline communities often within sound of the explosions. But its work includes far more than humanitarian supplies. As shown in this video, they help to heal the invisible wounds by providing three-week trauma-counseling-retreats for children who have lost a parent in the war and healing retreats for their widowed mothers. More than 1,600 children have already participated, but many more are still waiting.

Food keeps children alive. Love, safety, counseling and hope will help them to truly live again.

Special thanks to our host The New York Klezmer Series and for the generous support of Self Reliance Financial and to our community sponsors, including the