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Published November 13, 2023, 10:30 PM ET
Jewish-American reggae singer and rapper Matisyahu performed an intimate concert at Columbia University on Monday to lift the spirits of the Jewish student community amid skyrocketing anti-Semitism on campus.
The “King Without a Crown” singer volunteered for the free show – which was broadcast live to other students struggling with growing hatred across the country – to energize the Jewish community, which he says is in a became his support during difficult times.
“It’s kind of a bit of a contradiction because I think the thing that seems scariest to me right now is the feeling of being alone. But what inspires me most is the feeling of being connected to our people, which is incredible and miraculous,” Matisyahu told former Israel special envoy to combat anti-Semitism Noa Tishby in a brief interview before the concert began .
“It’s kind of a feeling, both at the same time. I think it’s a confusing time for many Jews.”
Singer Matisyahu performs a concert at Columbia University on Monday evening to inspire Jewish students in the face of anti-Semitism.Pro-Palestinian demonstrators from the Israel on Campus Coalition gather for a protest at Columbia University on October 12, 2023.AP
In the previously recorded special “Message of Support for Students and Community Members,” Matisyahu and Tishby reflected on the Jewish people’s long history of facing prejudice, often in violent forms, but emphasized the community’s resilience in the face of hate.
Matisyahu said that in the weeks since Hamas launched its surprise attack on Oct. 7 that killed more than 1,200 Israelis and took about 200 hostages, he has drawn on his successful music career for solace.
“Whenever there is a resistance to my being, to who I am – which is at the core of being Jewish – whenever I have felt that, somehow an instinctive reaction within me goes on the offensive and I go all out “I put my whole soul, my energy and my heart into what I bring to my music,” said the “One Day” singer.
“How can I really help people? And I think that comes from creating music. I’m currently playing shows for people, especially for my Jews, for my fellow human beings, brothers and sisters. So when I saw what was happening on campus, I immediately felt like I was somehow connected to it and that I had to be a part of it.”
Matisyahu’s show was broadcast live to other students struggling with growing hatred across the country.Israel on Campus Coalition Matisyahu volunteered for the free Monday night show.Israel on Campus Coalition
The concert was sponsored by Columbia University’s Israel on Campus Coalition, an organization that claims to “inspire” American college students and pro-Israel college groups to “view Israel as a source of pride and to empower them.” “To advocate for Israel on campus.”
It was launched just a week after the Ivy League launched an anti-Semitism task force to combat the “terribly persistent” hate that has swept across its campus since the Israel-Hamas conflict erupted last month reigned.
The school said it was pushed to create the task force after a significant increase in reported anti-Semitic attacks – a phenomenon mirrored at other major universities across the country.
The singer performs live on stage during “The Chosen Comedy Festival” at the James L. Knight Center in Miami, Florida on December 14, 2022.Getty Images
Reported incidents ranged from physical assaults – including the attack on an Israeli student outside the Morningside Campus library – to ideological clashes that resulted in Jewish students criticizing the university for making them feel “unsafe.”
Columbia University also announced the formation of the task force on the same day it activated a doxxing resource group to protect pro-Palestinian students.
Finally, last week, the school was pushed to suspend two of its opposing far-left groups through the end of the fall semester, saying both had violated university policies
Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) and Jewish Voice for Peace (JVP) “have repeatedly violated university policies regarding the holding of campus events, culminating in an unauthorized event on Thursday afternoon that took place despite warnings and “included threatening rhetoric and intimidation,” Columbia alleged.
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