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Hasidic singing sensation Lipa Schmeltzer was set to perform last March before a crowd of thousands at Madison Square Garden’s WaMu Theater in New York. The concert, a charity fundraiser, was billed as “The Big Event.”

Then, less than three weeks before the concert date, 33 ultra-Orthodox rabbis — including some of the community’s most prominent figures — issued an edict banning attendance. The event, they warned, was likely to cause “ribaldry and lightheadedness.”

Deferring to the rabbis, organizers promptly canceled the concert. The ban, however, roiled the ultra-Orthodox, or Haredi, world, sparking an unusual public outcry in a community known for its scrupulous obedience to rabbinic authority.

“Last year was going to be a big event,” said Sheya Mendlowitz, the producer behind the concert. “It really did turn out to be a big event, but not the one that I intended.”

This year, Schmeltzer is once again set to perform before a crowd of thousands at Madison Square Garden’s WaMu Theater. The March 1 concert, again a charity fundraiser, is being billed simply as “The Event.”

This time around though, there have been no edicts or rabbinic outcries. Concert organizers are pulling out all the stops and express optimism that “The Event” will go off without a hitch.

“We’ve had responses from all over the world,” said Mendlowitz. “We have people flying in from England. There’s going to be I don’t know how large a contingent that will be coming in from Israel — let’s hope. Because it was so publicized last year, people are looking forward to it.”

http://www.forward.com/articles/14903/