Nachum Segal’s online network is bringing a kosher option to halftime for families watching the Super Bowl this Sunday.
Families often watch the National Football League’s main event together, and with this year’s Super Bowl 48 (XLVIII in Roman numerals) being held at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, NJ, interest has been piqued in the New York area.
Much of the traditional halftime show — this year featuring Bruno Mars and Red Hot Chili Peppers — is generally considered inappropriate entertainment for frum families.
But there is an alternative.
During the 20 minute halftime break, viewers will have the option of shifting their attention from FOX TV to a videocast on nachumsegal.com, in what is being billed as the first ever “Kosher Halftime Show.”
Lenny Solomon of Shlock Rock and a band of Jewish music elites including Avromie Weisberger, Jonathan Rimberg, Ari Boiangiu and Ethan Bill will perform, in a pre-recorded set.
The usual halftime is “a key component of the big game,” Segal told The Jewish Star. But the acts “often contain inappropriate content and don’t appeal to many in the Jewish crowd. We wanted to make sure that there was a quality alternative that was kosher, entertaining and fun for everyone.”
The concept was not a sudden decision, he said. “I have been thinking about doing a halftime show for a while, but I never had the appropriate platform. Given the success of the Nachum Segal Network over the last year, and the fact that the Super Bowl was coming to our own backyard, it just seemed like the perfect time to launch it.”
Segal said the show is suitable for all ages of Jewish kids and adults, and attempts to “maintain a family-oriented” feeling, affirming that “Shlock Rock’s music is universal — everyone will enjoy this one-of-a-kind musical experience.”
“Lenny always talks about how there is no set time and place for Jewish pride, that we should feel it at all times and should integrate into all ‘real world’ activities,” Segal added. “We’re hoping that the NSN ‘Kosher Halftime Show’ drives that point home.”
The Orthodox Union and Empire Kosher Poultry are among the show’s sponsors.
NSN is a Jewish English-language Internet platform featuring the 30-year-old “JM in the AM Jewish Moments in the Morning” radio show, and a wide range of Jewish programming that “is rooted in family values and that encourages a life committed to spiritual growth and the love of Israel.” All programs are streamed and archived on the Internet; some, including the Segal-hosted “JM in the AM,” is also broadcast on traditional radio.
