Matisyahu Says Oct. 7 Hamas Attack Made Him Reconnect With His Jewish Identity
by Shiryn Ghermezian
Matisyahu speaking at The Algemeiner’s 11th annual “J100” Gala in New York City on Jan. 14, 2025. Photo: FotoBuddy
Jewish singer-songwriter Matisyahu spoke at The Algemeiner‘s 11th annual “J100” Gala in New York City on Tuesday night about reexamining his Jewish identity and faith following the deadly Hamas-orchestrated terrorist attack in Israel that took place on Oct. 7, 2023.
The “Fireproof” singer, whose real name is Matthew Miller, was honored with the “Warrior For Truth” award at The Algemeiner gala for his avid support for Israel and the Jewish people. He accepted the award on stage while wearing a pin with a yellow ribbon, which calls for the immediate return of the remaining 98 hostages who were abducted from Israel on Oct. 7 by Hamas-led Palestinian terrorists.
In his acceptance speech, he began by talking about being in Las Vegas, preparing to perform at a reggae festival, when news broke of the Oct. 7 Hamas massacre in southern Israel. He told the audience at the gala that shortly afterward, when he walked on stage to perform, “I immediately felt a gut response. One that I’m familiar but hadn’t felt in a long time. And the words of my songs began to morph into a new context.”
“‘Lord raise me up’ was no longer about God pulling us up from our limitations, but literally about God raising up our hostages from the tunnels,” he explained. “‘Warrior fighting for your soul’ was now speaking literally to an entire generation of Israelis fighting to find and return our children to safety. I began, without hesitation or question, to step into something that I know and trust deeper than anything else in my life.”
“There is a holy fire that burns forever,” he added. “A fire that many had tried to stomp out had miraculously survived as a testament to the Jewish people; my people.” He also called the Land of Israel and its people “the shining star built out of the ashes of thousands of years of persecution.”
Matisyahu said that since his teenage years, his Jewish identity has been “at the center of my journey.” He added: “As I stepped further into self-discovery, deeper into the Jewish religion, being a Jew became the core of my existence.”
The “Jerusalem” singer explained how that changed when he went on a religious and musical transformation years later – moving away from his Hasidic upbringing and lifestyle, and making changes to his appearance like shaving his beard and no longer sporting a yarmulke. “My love for Israel and Judaism was always there, but burning at a lower flame,” he noted.
The Oct. 7 Hamas terrorist attack again changed his outlook on and connection to his Jewish identity, he said.
“After Oct. 7, I believe there was a paradigm shift. I was immediately forced to ask myself the question of what it means to be Jewish again and how important it is to be,” he noted. “What does it mean to be a Jew now after October 7? Prior, the main division, seemingly, religion. But it seems that we elevated above that in a need to find each other. We are forced again to look inward. To ask ourselves: What does it mean to be a Jew? What does Israel have to do with being a Jew? If you don’t find the answer, the rest of the world will gladly find it for you, and whatever story they choose to make up — it’s not our story. The story of Moses and the Jews.”
“May we continue to look within to find the answers we hold and may the shining star of Israel blaze forever,” he concluded.
