Matisyahu Remains a Powerful Jewish Voice
His latest work is an impressive statement of support for Israel and the Jewish people.
It was standing room only when Matisyahu played to a lively and responsive audience at the Variety Playhouse off Moreland Avenue in Little Five Points. The main sponsor of the concert was Chabad Intown, which heavily promoted the concert, just before Passover.
They handed out faux vinyl record covers with Matisyahu’s picture on the outside and shmurah matzahs on the inside. It was an apt symbol of the star who has managed to maintain his relevance as a public performer for more than two decades as well as inner life as a Jew.
The one-night stand at the East Atlanta venue was part of a grueling two-month, cross-country tour to promote his latest EP album of five songs. It has a strongly spiritual flavor derived from his nearly 25 years of on-and-off study of Judaism, beginning with Rabbi Dov Yonah Korn of Chabad in Manhattan and later with his Jerusalem-based psychotherapist and mentor, Ephraim Rosenstein.
He discussed his recent work in a frank and often revealing online conversation for Moment Magazine and Neranenah, the Atlanta Jewish music festival. Matisyahu told Joe Alterman, Neranenah’s executive director, that his new compositions have taken him much closer to his Jewish roots.
“I feel a beautiful responsibility and commitment to be a leader for the Jewish people. And that hasn’t always been so for the last 15 years. It’s come around again now, because of the circumstances and just my authentic reaction to things.”
As part of his promotional tour, he’s made two trips to Israel. He visited the kibbutzim in the Negev in southern Israel that were attacked by Hamas and stopped at the site of the Nova Music Festival where more than 300 mostly young persons were murdered on Oct. 7. He visited Tel Aviv’s Hostage Square and sang for troops from Israel’s Defense Forces.
In his new music video, “Ascent” which was released in March, there are scenes of wrecked kibbutz homes intercut with historical footage of the Holocaust.
The singer’s outspoken support for Israel and his commitment to his Judaism has made him an occasional target for Palestinian demonstrators and antisemites and he has had several concerts cancelled at the last moment by nervous promoters.
But in a post in February on X, the social media platform, he was defiant.
“The Matis tribe is unstoppable,” he wrote. I am so proud and in love with the fans right now. We will not be silenced or stopped. We will keep playing and singing and dancing.”
He told Alterman that he sings the “Ascent” song at every one of his concerts. He considers it an important and a powerful statement. It’s bold defense of Israel, he believes, is what Jews should hear now.
“Jews need right now to feel strong, and we need to feel empowered,” he said. “We don’t need to be begging for forgiveness from anyone or second guessing ourselves unsure. Now is a time … for us to stand up. So, I feel like it’s a good song for that.”
It’s a message that’s getting considerable circulation in the American Jewish community. Matisyahu was the featured performer at the American Jewish Committee’s Global Forum in Washington, D.C., last month that was attended by over 150 Jewish leaders from the Southeast. He was written up in Commentary Magazine and was the cover story of the influential Jewish Journal in Los Angeles. In September, he’s doing a benefit at the Ziegfeld Theater in New York for Israel’s Ben Gurion University.
Now 44, with grey hair and beard, he looks, more than ever, like the free-thinking spiritual seeker he aspires to be. And if anything, his power to move audiences remains intact.
For his concert at the Variety Playhouse, he sat in a simple plastic chair for nearly two hours without ever rising. There was no fancy lighting or sound effects and only a single guitar as an accompaniment, but the largely Jewish crowd, old and young, frequently rose to their feet, swaying to the rhythmical, reggae-infused melodies and singing along with the often-familiar lyrics.
It was easy for them to connect with this vibrantly Jewish performer who recalls, in his best and most powerful moments, such Jewish greats as Leonard Cohen, Shlomo Carlebach, and yes even, Streisand. Out of the adversity Jews face today, his voice rings true.
“Jewish people really shine, when we’re squeezed, like when we are up against something. We’re survivors and fighters and we do our best under a little bit of pressure. Hopefully, it will bring us together and make us as Jews stronger and make Israel stronger, too.”
Matisyahu’s music video, “Ascent,” with lyrics can be viewed at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4_GPEHRGk8M
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