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Video of Flash Mob-Esque Hanukkah Performance in Daley Plaza Goes Viral

By Benjamin Woodard | December 16, 2014 5:57pm
 The Key Tov Orchestra filmed a video in Daley Plaza that's gone viral.
The Key Tov Orchestra filmed a video in Daley Plaza that's gone viral.
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CHICAGO — A Jewish wedding band's Hanukkah video filmed in Daley Plaza and posted to YouTube late last month had garnered more than 430,000 views as the holiday began Tuesday night.

More than 50 dancers and the Key Tov Orchestra, based in West Rogers Park and headed by Elliot Dvorin, joined in a flash mob-esque performance Downtown.

The song mashup used lyrics from a few songs, including Adam Sandler's "The Chanukah Song" and a Jewish-infused parody of Taio Cruz's "Dynamite" as surprised passersby looked on.

"Hanukkah is a perfect time for us to get our music out there," Dvorin said when reached by phone Tuesday night. "A lot of people are looking for fresh-sounding Hanukkah music."

He said his group obtained a permit from the city for the performance and ran through the act a few times to get all the footage it needed for the video.

The plaza is empty as the performance begins, but begins to fill in with on-lookers shooting cell-phone videos as his band performs on a stage in front of two large menorahs.

Then, the production was posted to YouTube — and it took off in the Jewish community, he said.

"We’re just so happy. We keep getting messages and comments on it," he said. "I know it's been around the world many times."

But now, Dvorin said, the video is beginning to go mainstream.

This isn't Dvorin's first foray into the world of viral video production. Earlier this year, his group made another video, also in the Daley Plaza, performing "Hashem Melech," by Gad Elbaz and Benny Elbaz.

That video hasn't received the same amount of attention, however, garnering 137,000 views.

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