Elan’s shul in Montreal continues to get some great media coverage – this time from the Montreal Gazette!
Ghetto Shul is about the kids, Hasidic reggae star says
BY CATHERINE SOLYOM, THE GAZETTE –
A bar in a synagogue? It makes perfect sense, says world-renowned Hasidic reggae and hip-hop artist Matisyahu. “Drinking is a very big part of Hasidic culture – in Russia, it was the equivalent of smoking weed in Jamaica,” said Matisyahu, 30, who is giving a concert at the Olympia Theatre tomorrow with proceeds going to the Ghetto Shul. Matisyahu – born Matthew Miller in West Chester, Pa. – is himself a mix of old and new Though he has been affiliated with Hasidic culture since 2001, he still counts Bob Marley and Phish among his musical inspirations, as well as the late Rabbi Shlomo Carlebach, known as the “Singing Rabbi.” Matisyahu’s rap lyrics stand out in the industry for their lack of profanity. Matisyahu said he met a kindred spirit in the Ghetto Shul’s Rabbi Leibish Hundert back in 2004. The musician was giving a concert in Montreal around the Jewish holiday of Sukkot, which he spent with Hundert and his wife and about 100 McGill students crammed into a tiny space. “It was quite an experience. That’s the gist of the Ghetto Shul. It’s the type of place people enjoy being, not a big empty room with only a few people in it because no one wants to show up to Shul.” Matisyahu – whose Grammy-nominated 2006 album, Youth, took the top spot on Billboard’s reggae chart – agreed to do a benefit concert for the Ghetto Shul because, he said, it’s a good cause. “To have a centre where Jewish kids can connect with their identity on their own terms without anyone pushing it on you and it being inspirational – it’s about the kids there and what they make it.”
© Copyright (c) The Montreal Gazette