Sunday, August 23, 2015

Redemption

    I had  never  heard of the Spanish music festival until I heard that Matisyahu was banned from it unless he supported the BDS movement. Ultimately the ban had lifted and Matisyahu was able to perform.  Matisyahu is Jewish, not Israeli.  None of the other performers were asked to profess their allegiances. This was a music festival not a political pow-wow. Though many frum Jews dismissed Matisyahu for shedding his frum  garb I think that they will probably  band with him again. He stuck to his beliefs and would not sign allegiance with BDS just so he could perform in Spain. Then again, he really did not have a choice. The BDS mumbo jumbo was just a front for straight up anti semitism. Matisyahu is no fool. I think that it is quite brave of him to perform his song JERUSALEM during his Spanish concert while pro Palistinian flags flailed in the background.
    This has all happened during Elul. Matisyahu was given the chance to really step up despite his spiritual re-evaluation during the past few years. The frum people who were disappointed with him for not being "one of us" anymore were able to feel pride for him again . None of this would have happened if all the drama from BDS support of the Spanish music festival had not surfaced. I guess something good did happen from something bad. Too bad something bad has to happen to perpetuate something good. Are people always so juvenile? 

3 comments:

Steve said...

How could he even consider supporting that vile movement and still identify as Jewish? Sad that Spain has become so anti-Semitic after their sorry history with the Expulsion. What a repentance!

frum single female said...

Of course he had no choice. I don't really think that its an actual repentance but I have the feeling that many people who may have looked down upon him have been hit back into reality and realize that we are all Jews and though everyone does not observe the same way the anti-semites hate all of us. What I thought was brave is that Matisyahu still performed in Spain even though he knew that there were many people there out to get him. The fact that he performed his song Jerusalem was very cool.

Garnel Ironheart said...

I'm such an outlier. I think he showed no self-respect by going back. Really, did he change a single mind? Are the haters who had him banned suddenly Judeophiles? It's like how in the 1950s the WASP's wouldn't let Jews into their country clubs. The courts struck those regulations down and suddenly the Jews couldn't run to join fast enough. Something about wanting the approval and company of people who hate you.