This past week Matisyahu returned to the headlines because of his performance in Spain being cancelled for not bowing to pressure from the BDS movement. And I got angry. I watched as many who had written him off just a few years ago held him up once again as an icon of Jewish pride as if they had been there all along, supporting him. Some of these same people were downright cruel during Matisyahu’s transition. And here they were, advocating we buy his albums again and discussing in great detail every minute political implication (that they read into however they pleased).
The hypocrisy was palpable. With Jews like these, who needs enemies? Where were you when a human being was thrust into a too-public analysis of his spiritual element?
Saul Sudin, “I’m Done Being A ‘Jewish Artist'”, Hevria (27 August 2015) [http://hevria.com/saul/im-done-being-a-jewish-artist/]