Nov 25, 2008 -- Over 350 students crammed into a packed-to-capacity Schottenstein Cultural Center to see eight bands compete at the YU Battle of the Bands competition. First place went to Ta Shma, which won 10 hours of premium recording time at Jantelis Studios, two gigs at the Roc-House café on Manhattan’s Upper West Side and a performance slot at the Yeshiva University Hanukkah Concert, on Dec. 18. Ta Shma is an Aramaic phrase that is found often in the Talmud, and is translated as “come and listen.” Ta Shma was founded in 2002, and has since been playing at engagement parties, wedding and bar/bat mitzvahs. “It wasn’t only being up there, but being up there with the whole crowd behind you—it’s really an amazing feeling,” lead singer Yakov Block, a junior at Sy Syms School of Business, said. “We are really excited and can’t wait for the Hanukkah Concert.” Other bands vying for top spot at the event, sponsored by the Yeshiva Student Union and the Stern College for Women Student Council, were Sefarad, Shkia, After Burn, The Jon Lamm Jam, The Finders and Reality Addiction, many of which included YU students. The Yeshiva University Social Justice Society held a raffle, raising over $500 for the Metropolitan Council for Jewish Poverty. Stephanie Zisholtz, a senior at Stern College for Women, said, “Battle of the Bands was so enjoyable! Reality Addiction was amazing, and the energy in the room was palpable.”