Kosher gospel music on Christmas Day? Why not? Joshua Nelson, a black Jew inspired by listening to Mahalia Jackson as a child, fuses traditional Jewish religious lyrics with gospel style to create his own unique renditions of songs like “Mi Chamocha,” backed by the Kosher Gospel Choir. You’ve probably never heard Jewish music like this before. Do something utterly untraditional, and find out why Mr. Nelson, who doubles as a Hebrew teacher at a synagogue in South Orange, N.J., has been called a Next Big Thing by Oprah.
Museum of Jewish Heritage, 36 Battery Place, 646-437-4202, 1 p.m. and 3:30 p.m., $20 (members), $25 (students/seniors), $35 (adults)