Neta Levin, a leading Chareidi music producer, announced on Monday that following consultations with Gedolei Yisrael, he has informed the production team that he is canceling the mega Chanukah concert featuring Shmulik Sukkot.

The concert, which was scheduled for Motzaei Shabbos Chanukah at the Jerusalem Arena, was to be held for men and women, but with a full mechitza.

The reason for the cancellation is pressure from Rabbanim to refrain from holding concerts for both men and women, even with a mechitza, due to the inherent michsholim.

Levin will incur a heavy financial loss, as he will have to reimburse 7,000 ticket holders.

In a post published by Levin, he wrote, “Just as one receives reward for acting, so one receives reward for refraining. After in-depth consultations and discussions with Gedolei Yisrael, the leaders of the community whose guidance we follow and in whose direction we walk, I decided to act and influence the event producers to cancel the planned Shmulik Sukkot concert at the Arena on Motzaei Chanukah.”

“We see ourselves as subordinate to their opinion, as dust at their feet, and we will act in accordance with their directives. Yehi Ratzon that we be Mekadesih Shem Shamayim in all our actions.”

He also apologized to the many thousands of ticket holders: “We apologize from the depths of our hearts to the thousands who purchased tickets (their money will be fully refunded) for the agmas nefesh. We are confident that the decision to obey the directive of Gedolei Yisrael is understood and accepted by the public.”

A concert by singer Naftali Kempeh, planned on a smaller scale at Binyanei HaUma, was also recently canceled for the same reason. Initially, only the women’s section of the concert was canceled, but after public uproar over the event being restricted to men, it was ultimately called off entirely.

(YWN Israel Desk—Jerusalem)