Reggae star playing at Beersheba student festival in May.
By AMY SPIROMatisyahu (file photo)(photo credit: REUTERS)
Reggae superstar - and former hassid - Matisyahu will be returning to Israel to perform this summer, this time at the Beersheba student festival in May.The rapper, singer and songwriter will be headlining the event alongside Israeli superstars Sarit Hadad, Ivri Lider, Avraham Tal and more. Matisyahu, known for his hit songs "One Day" and "King Without a Crown," will take the main stage on May 29.The Jewish American, who grew up in New York, famously identified as a Chabad hassid while writing and recording some of his biggest hits. Matisyahu left observant Judaism in 2012 but still writes songs with heavy Jewish content, including his 2014 album Akeda.Though Matisyahu does not hold Israeli citizenship, he has still been the target of some anti-Israel activists. In August 2015 he appeared at the Rototom Sunsplash reggae festival in Spain - after being disinvited and then reinvited amid a BDS scandal. Though Matisyahu was allowed to perform, many in the crowd held Palestinian flags and shouted at and taunted the singer.
With Palestinian flags in background, Matisyahu vows: "Jerusalem, if I forget you" while singing at festival in Spain in 2015A Related Video You May Like:
Tickets for the show are NIS 50 for students and NIS 90 for guests of students and NIS 100 for guests.Israel's summer music calendar is quickly heating up, with the Backstreet Boys, Jason Derulo, Rita Ora, Enrique Iglesias, Ringo Starr and Ozzy Osbourne all slated to perform.There are also reports of several other big stars closing deals to play in Israel this summer - including Shakira, Alanis Morissette and Clean Bandit. But for now they're still rumors, as no dates or details have been revealed.
