Just three months since his last visit, and against the backdrop of the cancellation of concerts scheduled in the United States due to fears of "violent protests," popular reggae singer Matisyahu will be performing two concerts in Israel.
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His first performance will take place on April 2 at Zappa Jerusalem, and the second will be the following day, April 3, at Zappa Ganey Yehoshua, Tel Aviv. Tickets for the concert are priced at 210 shekels.
Matisyahu has already visited Israel during the war, and besides a performance in Tel Aviv in January, where proceeds went to support the families of the hostages, he also toured around the Gaza envelope.
His latest performance, scheduled to take place at the House of Blues in Chicago last weekend, was canceled due to threats of protests. In response to the cancellation, Matisyahu assured his fans that his security team was vigilant about the situation in the city, and there were no threats of violence against him. He also stated that the proceeds from the canceled concert being paid out by the venue would be donated to Bring Them Home Now – the hostages and missing families forum, and United Hatzalah in Israel.
In recent months, Matisyahu has faced cancellations of his performances abroad, sharing with his followers last month the cancellation of two of his shows in Santa Fe, citing "security concerns," according to the production. "In reality, the problem was that part of their team was not willing to work with us," Matisyahu testified in response to the cancellations. "They do this either because they are antisemitic or because they confuse their empathy for the Palestinian people with hatred for someone who has empathy for both Israelis and Palestinians."
These cancellations come after numerous statements by the musician regarding his support for Israel.
And Matisyahu is not the only Jewish artist who has had to deal with such situations. For example, since the outbreak of the war, events involving Jewish actors Mayim Bialik and Brett Gelman were canceled or cut short due to their support for Israel.
Matisyahu, whose real name is Matthew Paul Miller, rose to global prominence in 2005 with hits like "One Day," "King Without a Crown," and "Jerusalem." Until 2011, he was known as a Hasidic reggae singer, blending elements of rap, reggae and Jewish music in his work.
In 2011, he posted a photo on his Instagram account showing himself without a beard and yarmulke, accompanied by the statement "No more Hassidic reggae superstar," sparking controversy among his Jewish fans worldwide. Upon his return to Judaism, the singer's appearance and artistic style underwent significant changes. Throughout his career, he has performed several times in Israel, recorded an album here, and also filmed music videos in Jerusalem, the Dead Sea and Tel Aviv.