By Corey Salka , Special to JTNews
“What God is trying to do with this world is to figure out who he is through us,” music sensation Matisyahu told the campers at Camp Solomon Schechter. “That’s really what Jewish mysticism says.”
Matisyahu, known for his fusion of reggae, hip-hop and beat-box sounds with Chassidic Judaism performed for 200 enthusiastic campers at Camp Solomon Schechter on July 29. The camp is the only Jewish summer camp to ever have hosted Matisyahu — and this was his second appearance.
“We are so blessed to be able to have him share his message about peace, being proud of being Jewish, and pride in Israel,” said Sam Perlin, the camp’s executive director. “I’m thrilled that he feels passionate about Jewish camping. It’s a real joy to see the faces of our kids when he enters the amphitheater.”
After thunderous welcoming applause, Matisyahu said, “It’s great to be back” and launched into one of his most popular hits, “Jerusalem.” Between songs, Matisyahu engaged in warm conversation with the campers, at times offering humor, as well as serious and deep messages. He performed several of his well-known songs in the 45-minute performance. He capped off his appearance with his hit “One Day,” which has been the camp’s theme song since his first visit last summer.
Beyond the music, however, Matisyahu’s message clearly resonated with his audience.
Matisyahu said even from his childhood he has always had a strong belief in God, and that God would manifest his destiny.
“I wanted to foster a relationship with God; I wanted to build it, figure out how to develop it,” he said. “So I just started davening. I felt that somehow there was something real about the Hebrew words and the Hebrew language and letters. Even if I couldn’t understand them, I felt that saying those words, saying those letters was going to open up some doors.”
Doing so wasn’t always easy, Matisyahu said.
“In times before I ever thought about religion or Judaism, when I would feel disconnected I would just try to reconnect, whether that meant going down to the water, taking a walk, singing a song, or writing some lyrics,” he said. “But it wasn’t working well enough for me to just do it on my own; I needed help with it.”
After exploring where he felt most comfortable in Judaism, in what he called a process of discovering himself, he arrived at where he is today — though he says the exploration is a lifelong process.
Campers said Matisyahu’s religious explorations created a powerful message for them.
“He’s not the stereotypical Jew, which most of us are seen as, to our non-Jewish friends,” said Jacqueline Schwartz, 14, of Seattle. “We’re really stereotyped at the public school where I go. So seeing Matisyahu as a religious Jew who is cool, who rides motorcycles and tells jokes, is really cool.”
Rafael Kintzer, an 18-year-old staff member also from Seattle reflected upon the impact of Matisyahu’s appearance on the rest of the camp session.
“I think Matisyahu injects amazing Jewish energy and spirit into everyone at camp,” Kintzer said. “He gives everyone a burst of joy to come to camp [and be] happy from the start. That’s so important, because Jewish camping opens doors in so many ways. Jewish camping changes how people think about the world.”
“He has such amazing music,” said 17-year-old Merav Rosenberg of Jerusalem, a member of the delegation of the camp’s Israeli scouts. “Seeing him here brings so much spirit and makes the camp experience so much stronger and alive.”
Reflecting upon the origins of his music, Matisyahu spoke of the bridge between the music and Judaism.
“My whole life all I really wanted to do is to make music,” he said. “When I became religious and went to yeshiva, I just let go of it. I just said that if this is my destiny, if this is what God wants for me, then I have to figure out the other parts of my life first.”
For video of Matisyahu’s appearance, please see the Camp’s YouTube channel at www.youtube.com/campsolomonschechter. Corey Salka is a board member of the Jewish Federation of Greater Seattle and Camp Solomon Schechter and the founding partner of Israel Startup Angels.