Beat-boxing sensation and reggae superstar, Matisyahu, brought together the Jewish student community last night at the University of Florida for Jewish Awareness Month (JAM). ACCENT, the UF student-run speaker series, and JAM brought Matisyahu to perform and guest speak at the Philips Center for the Performing Arts. For the first hour, Matisyahu and Adam, the guitarist, performed some popular, and lesser-known songs, including one of his new songs entitled “Sunshine,” in front of a crowd of 1,000 or so.
After the acoustic performance, Matisyahu opened the floor to a Q&A with topics about Judaism and veganism. Three microphones were set up around the auditorium with tens of people lined up behind each one. The first question asked was about what he would recommend to students to enhance their connection to Judaism. Matisyahu, who clearly seemed to be at first frazzled by the question, brought a more serious tone to the subject matter. He said that enhancing your connection is a personal decision, and there is no one correct path. The way he explored Judaism was by taking different classes, exploring different Jewish neighborhoods, and putting himself in settings that he wasn’t always comfortable with.
Quickly following after and onto the next speaker, veganism was the hot topic of the evening. Matisyahu, a vegan, was asked about his point of view on choosing to keep a strict diet. After recommending “Eating Animals,” by Jonathan Foer, he turned the question into talking about the vegan and kosher VIP reception dinner he attended before the event.
After getting back on track with sticking to Jewish-related questions, Matisyahu was asked if he had received any backlash from the Jewish community about the career path he chose. Carefully choosing his words, Matisyahu brought in some comic relief, and said that he hadn’t received much backlash, but only whiplash from physical injuries.
One of my favorite questions of the night was based on where Matisyahu gets his inspiration from. Not entirely surprising, Matisyahu said books and the Torah, including stories from the Torah, have made a significant impact on his writing.
