Lin-Manuel Miranda's Jewish a capella roots

The 'Hamilton' creator had a solo in 'Hine Ba Hashalom' with the Mazel Tones during his college years.

FEBRUARY 26, 2018 00:24

Lin-Manuel Miranda (photo credit: PUBLIC DOMAIN) — Lin-Manuel Miranda

(photo credit: PUBLIC DOMAIN)

How did Broadway superstar Lin-Manuel Miranda get his start? In a Jewish a capella group at Wesleyan University, of course.

Turns out the composer, playwright, singer, actor and all-around musical genius was a member of the Mazel Tones when he was a student at Wesleyan University in the late 90s or early 2000s. Miranda wasn't afraid to reveal to the world on Sunday - or at least to his more than 2 million Twitter followers - about his secret past. The creator of Hamilton shared a tweet sent to him that included an audio clip of him singing Israeli singer Ilanit's "Hine Ba Hashalom."

"My old hine ba hashalom solo," Miranda wrote.

Oh dip my old hine ba hashalom solo https://t.co/deh3n4nKHw
— Lin-Manuel Miranda (@Lin_Manuel) February 25, 2018

Miranda's affinity for the Jewish community - and its music - has not been much of a secret. When he married his wife, Vanessa Nadal, in 2010, he arranged a surprise performance of Fiddler on the Roof's "L'Chaim" for the reception. He told The New Yorker in 2015 that in elementary school, "All my friends were Jewish, because that is who goes to Hunter." He tweeted later that year that "I was a 1st soprano in elementary school chorus and my part in Sivivon was to sing 'Sov' about 6,000 times in a row."

And in 2016, Miranda narrated a fund-raising video for Yeshiva University, his old neighbor from his days growing up in Washington Heights - and where he received an honorary degree in 2009.

So while Miranda may not technically be a member of the tribe - he's certainly an honorary one.