Kosher Superbowl Halftime Show

If you are looking for a more wholesome alternative to a Super Bowl halftime show that has been marked by raunchy dance moves and at least one wardrobe malfunction, the Kosher Halftime Show coming to Atlanta this week may just be the ticket.

A violinist, Orthodox Jewish rapper and social media influencer are in the lineup, along with commercials for kosher food and Jewish organizations. Hosting the pre-recorded show is Nachum Segal, a Jewish radio personality who has been broadcasting a morning program from New York, JM in the AM, geared toward the Jewish community, for 35 years.

Segal said some Jews are hesitant to expose their children to the traditional Super Bowl halftime show, so his Jewish “shtick” version offers a worthy substitute. “It’s a very powerful statement of values and interests that are not always the same as the NFL.”

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He described the Super Bowl halftime show as “one of the hyped-up performances of the year in the American media.” But the presentation is not always as wholesome as some Jewish families would like.

Although this is the sixth year of the Kosher Halftime Show – last year it was recorded in Israel – it’s the first time the show has come to the site of the Super Bowl, Segal said.

The Kosher Halftime Show, accessible at www.nachumsegal.com, will coincide with the game’s performance, at 8 p.m. Sunday. Viewers can follow along with the show on social media at #KHS2019.

It will include Hasidic violinist Daniel Ahaviel, Orthodox Jewish rapper Sammy K, and social media influencer Meir Kay, known for providing Super Bowl parties for the homeless.

Hosting the show is Nachum Segal, a Jewish radio personality who has been broadcasting for 35 years.

In addition to the halftime show, the Nachum Segal Network has been broadcasting live this week from Atlanta featuring interviews with Jewish community leaders from the Southeast. Live broadcasts included four of the network’s JM in the AM shows in addition to “That’s Life” with Miriam Wallach and “Table for Two” with Naomi Nachman.

Among the 40 guests featured on the shows were Ambassador Judith Varnai Shorer, Israel Consul General to the Southeast; Eric Robbins, president and CEO of the Jewish Federation of Greater Atlanta, Rabbi Ilan Feldman of Beth Jacob Atlanta, and Rabbi Adam Starr of Young Israel of Toco Hills.

Segal got his start in broadcast radio at the station at Yeshiva College in New York. His professional morning radio show was originally geared for a local New York-New Jersey audience, but has since become global, he said. It has broadcast from New York, New Jersey, Israel and Toronto. But Atlanta is a first.

“We spent the day in Atlanta scouting out the community. We were extremely impressed. We feel there’s a story to tell about the history of the Jewish community and it’s very exciting.”

Segal said he visited Atlanta when his brother lived here in the 90s. He refers to it as the “capital of the Jewish South” known for its warmth and hospitality. That reputation was solidified for him in 2017 when Atlanta’s Jewish community hosted 1,500 South Florida evacuees displaced by Hurricane Irma, he said. A year earlier, it was Savannah and Charleston evacuees from Hurricane Matthew.

To hear more about the Jewish communities of the South, tune in to live programming from the week’s visit, available through the NSN website or app and www.kosher.com.