pre-Spring 2005 Issue 23 www.afterword.ca Seventh year FREE INSIDE: Nazi Toy Soldiers Controversy ‘Trendy’ Jewish clothing: the best and the worst MMaattiissyyaahhuu:: boychick beatboxer, rockin’ reggae rebel and hip hoppin’ Hasid ...all rolled into one page 8-9 8, pre-Spring 2005 Interview Hasid from the Hebrew ’hood By Dave Gordon As a teenager in White Plains, New York, Matthew Miller was a Grateful Dead fan who sang rap songs, wore baggy pants, dreadlocks, and tie-dyed tees. Raised in a non-religious household, Judaism never played a large role in his life. Today, he's a reggae singer who is gar- nering attention, raising some eyebrows and receiving accolades from critics all over. Things have changed in the past few years. Over the course of time, the dreads turned into peyyot; he traded in his baggy pants for black slacks and the raps have turned into reggae. Matthew Miller became Matisyahu. Now going by his Hebrew name, the 25- year-old Lubavitcher from Crown Heights is definitely an uncommon face in the reg- gae scene, wearing traditional Hasidic garb of black hat, black coat and long black beard. "The image is not something people are used to seeing. It's really a trip for peo- ple. I think hopefully once people hear the “...yiddishkeit is the music, the music speaks for itself and they'll get into it," he says. emes, the truth. I bring Matisyahu's music brings to the fore a unique fusion of styles, from Bob Marley to that with me and I think Jewish folk singer Shlomo Carlebach, yet remains original. "It's about beating nega- people sense that.” tive forces, using music to bring people back to Judaism," he says. of his hip-ness point, watching the sun setting, singing Matisyahu is the latest in a string of says, “I never had Judaism presented to me to attract all those of too-cool-for-shul songs, hearing chanting in the background," Jewish singing acts that have gained audi- as something joyful.” young Jews who are hanging out at New he says. ences among the mainstream and secular Along with the music itself, what many York's club scene, like the Mercury Lounge "Everything was a moment of feeling, Jews. Jewish-themed pop music has been find compelling about Matisyahu is that and the Knitting Factory. really for the first time, in my soul and my gaining steam over the past ten years with that he made his whole transformation heart. I was feeling the depth and richness, acts like Neshama Carlebach, as well as from wild-kid Matthew Miller to It was a high school trip to Israel that davening, intellectualizing, on a completely Hoodios, Shlock Rock, Reva L'Sheva, Lubavitch Matisyahu and still somehow opened his eyes to the joys of Judaism. A pure and emotional level." Lazer Lloyd, Moshav Band, Pey Daled and kept his hip tastes. His rabbis not only let sunset on scenic Mount Scopus began it all. There were several more experiences that Beis Groove. For his own sake, Matisyahu him do that, but he is actually making use "It was a transitional moment, at that solidified his path to observant Judaism. The following Rosh Hashanah he arrived at the Wailing Wall and saw a few hundred Hasidim davening with intensity. "That made an impression for sure, and that's Centre for Jewish Studies @ YORK U something I thought about for years." Those • the largest Jewish student population of any university in Canada images of Israel would often stay in the back of his mind. "I'd always pull some- • a rich and varied Jewish Studies Programme thing out from these experiences in my • a unique Jewish Teacher Education Programme raps," he says. • an active engaging Jewish student life Soon after, on Simchat Torah, he heard drumming echoing through the streets of Jerusalem. He followed the rhythms to a Programs FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: trail winding through the Old City, and B.A. (Religious Studies) Professor Martin Lockshin, Director came to a shteible [a small house of prayer]. Centre for Jewish Studies B.Ed. (Jewish Teacher Education) Wearing dreadlocks and a tie-dyed shirt, he 241 Vanier College, York University looked in, and again saw hundreds of M.Ed. (Jewish Education Specialty) 4700 Keele Street, Toronto, Ontario M3J 1P3 Hasidim dancing around the bimah, carry- M.A./Ph.D. (by Department) Telephone: 416-736-5823 ing bottles of wine, dancing, and laughing. Fax: 416-736-5344 "It was the first time I ever saw a Hasid Certificate in Hebrew and Jewish Studies E-mail: [email protected] smiling. Before, religious people were Graduate Diplomas in Jewish Studies Web site: www.yorku.ca/cjs ...continued on next page Interview pre-Spring 2005, 9 “It's about beating negative forces, using music to bring people back to Judaism” ...pretty one dimensional and serious was off to yeshiva and now I saw another side." But while and stopped play- his perceptions had changed, his own ing music. The religious direction didn't change for a timing wasn't quite few more months. right. He com- After high school he attended New pletely stopped School college in Manhattan. His new- performing and lis- found Jewish experiences culminated in tening to music, a sudden urge to pray -- to want to con- and just learned nect to G-d. So he borrowed his father's Talmud all day. tallit and asked his Reconstructionist But Matisyahu rabbi for a siddur. He'd go on the roof of didn't write off the his school at sunset and pray, even idea entirely. He though he didn't know what the words told Bisman that if meant. the record label While at New School, he took music, became a reality, and earned a B.A. It was there he met he'd join in. And Rabbi Eli Cohen of New York University, so, after corralling and began learning Torah with him. "I his New School was pulling religion in from a lot of musician pals, and places, like the Carlebach shul, Aish gaining permission HaTorah, and Seagate Yeshiva." from his rabbi, The latter he attended during a winter Matisyahu hopped break, but left after a day, disillusioned. on board. JDub But it was his leaving that helped bring decided to tout him him back in. As he left, the rabbi of the as their biggest act. yeshiva called a Chabad rabbi of New Their first album is York University, to see what was bother- Matisyahu's ing Matisyahu. The Chabad rabbi and "Shake Off the Matisyahu talked, and something Dust…Arise," and clicked. it's gaining effu- "He was someone I could really relate sive reviews from to," says Matisyahu. "He had been on there was a lot of stress," he says. changed his name to Matisyahu and the media. Grateful Dead tours. It's kinda what I needed "But now they are super supportive, attended yeshiva for two years in Crown Even the non-Jewish mainstream at that point." Matisyahu ended up moving super positive about the whole thing. Heights. world is paying attention. What has fol- into the rabbi's family's apartment, due to Even when we were stressed out, I "I used to wear baggy pants. I wasn't lowed is a flurry of articles in the New family tensions stemming from his new- always knew it would work out. It wasn't representing something real. But from the York Times, Boston Globe, and The found religiosity. a rejection of them; it was a positive second I wore a yarmulke and wore a New York Post. "At first it was hard for my family, and thing. I knew there would be initial fear, beard I felt there was truth and confi- Things have begun to snowball with that's why I needed to move out. I couldn't but now they're very accepting and posi- dence that I never had. I think I bring that appearances on CNN, NBC, and the TV eat on their dishes. At first my family, like tive." into my music, and yiddishkeit is the talk-show Jimmy Kimmel Live. But he many families, took it personally and It took about a year for everything to emes, the truth. I bring that with me and I doesn't let it get to his head. "I don't real- thought it was a rejection of their ways, and settle down. During this process he think people sense that. They don't sense ly get too nervous about being on TV. I the wavering learned Talmud for an hour before the and they sense Kimmel interview, so not to be too car- truth," he says. ried away with Hollywood. My mission While taking is to promote Moshiach and G-dliness, classes with and the more I learn, the more I daven, Rabbi Cohen, and stay close to the real reality." Matisyahu met Matisyahu explains that religion and Aaron Bisman, reggae have always gone hand-in-hand. who was start- "In Jamaica, reggae music's message ing a new grew from the Bible and a connection record label with G-d," he says. "It's not so different called JDub. if I borrow their music to help people They hung out know G-d better, too." and jammed, with the vision For more information about to be partners Matisyahu: on the new http://www.hasidicreggae.com label. But Matisyahu had other plans - he 10, pre-Spring 2005 On-line Dating Feature Dating Religiously ... In the olden days, there were matchmakers.