The thousand person Coconut Creek Township Hall was filling up fast, as the children from six different camps from across Southern Florida filed in. The happening, featuring Chassidic performer Chaim Fogelman, had the young audience clapping hands, singing along and eventually up on their feet and dancing in the isles.

Concert organizer Chabad emissary Rabbi Yosef Biston had wanted to stage a musical event focusing on Jewish unity for campers from Dade, Brower and West Palm counties.

"Every summer the Jewish camps all run their own separate programs without any joint activities," said Rabbi Biston. "This year, on the occasion of the Rebbe's yahrtzeit, we decided to bring all the area campers together to participate in a musical performance."

Along with his wife and Chabad co-director Bayla and his eight children, Rabbi Biston established the Chabad Center of Margate in 1985. The Center, located next door to the Lubavitch Hebrew Academy Community School, serves the largest Jewish communities in Southern Florida.

In addition to the musical performance the concert featured children reciting Torah verses, readings of Chassidic tales and a video presentation. But it was clearly the music that stole the show. After the concert several of the camps stayed on to participate in a joint luncheon for the children. Moved by the excitement of so many campers and counselors coming together, Fogelman decided to pick up his guitar again and perform some additional tunes during the meal.

"One of the camps was a little late in arriving and the performance had already begun," relates co-director Bayla "Rather than have the children miss out, Chaim Fogelman decided to re-play the songs that he sang at the beginning of the concert and the youngsters were thrilled."

Rabbi Biston predicts that the concert will now be an annual summer event.