Elad Menahem isn’t nervous. The 15-year-old singer says he never is.

“I’m energized and ready to perform!” a bubbly Elad says backstage at Jewish and Talented. “I want to go back to school tomorrow and say that I placed and make sure everybody knows that I’m just that good.”

Thursday night Elad, along with 11 other contestants, performed in front of a packed house at what is billed as the city’s only all-Jewish talent show. It brought together a smattering of young musicians, a magician, a poet, a comedian and a dancer at the Toronto Centre for the Arts in North York.

Elad, who performed a theatric rendition of “Don’t Rain On My Parade” from the musical Funny Girl, counts singers Bruno Mars, Christina Aguilera and Beyoncé as his biggest influences.

“Those are big shoes to fill,” he laughs. But he does plan to fill them. Asked about his future plans, he says that he expects to be a Grammy-winner and appear on Broadway.

“In ten years, I’m going to be everywhere!” he exclaims, then taking a minute to think about that bold statement. “But if this all doesn’t work out, I’m going to be a lawyer.”

Wherever Elad goes, you can find his 16-year-old sister, Liron. They’re both veteran competitive singers, and tonight, they’re both pining for the grand prize: two round-trip tickets to Israel, courtesy of El Al airlines. The siblings haven’t been to the Holy Land since they were toddlers, and they haven’t seen their father, who lives in Israel, for six years.

Liron, who’s been singing since the age of three, is also bursting with confidence.

“Am I nervous?” she laughs. “No… nobody else matters when you’re singing.”

Liron, who sang a heartfelt version of “One Night Only” by Jennifer Hudson, says she and her brother have a friendly rivalry. Elad says he loves sharing a stage with Liron, but he’ll never sing a duet with her.

“We like to be in competitions together,” Elad says. “If one of us wins and one loses, then the other one is there to support them. And if we both lose, we’re both going to cry together.”

After tallying their scores, a panel of four judges declared Elad the winner. Aiden Shufman, 13, placed second with her mesmerizing rendition of Leonard Cohen’s “Hallelujah” on guitar. In third was Sasha Liknaitzky, 20, who performed an original song.

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“I’m so excited! I get to see my dad!” a jubilant Elad said as he jumped up and down on stage, clutching a rose and his prize. “I’m so excited to go to school and say I won!”

The talent show was put on by Jewish and Modern (JAM), a not-for-profit group that organizes social events for young Jewish professionals, and sponsored by the UJA Federation and the Genesis Philanthropy Group.

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