On May 8, Matisyahu will be performing an acoustic concert, “A Night of Resilience,” in Beverly Hills. The show is going to benefit If You Heard What I Heard, a nonprofit that films the grandchildren of Holocaust survivors telling their grandparents’ stories.
The singer, who has been touring around the U.S. to promote his latest EP “Hold the Fire,” has faced show cancelations due to security concerns over anti-Israel protesters. At some venues, workers refused to come in because of Matisyahu’s vocal support of the Jewish state.
For Carolyn Siegel, Founder and Executive Director of If You Heard What I Heard, it was important to collaborate with Matisyahu because of these cancelations. “For those of us who are 3G’s, grandchildren of Holocaust survivors, it was very upsetting to see Matisyahu shows being canceled due to baseless hate” she said. “We see many similarities between our organization’s values and Matisyahu’s messages through his music, particularly those of resilience, hope, and strength. In teaming up with Matisyahu, it’s important for our organization to make sure those values are present at this event, and at the same time, show support for this Jewish artist and Zionist who has had to face hate recently, just like our grandparents faced hate not so long ago.”
Siegel, a grandchild of Holocaust survivors herself, has recorded 54 interviews since launching in 2021. People like Scooter Braun and Josh Gad have shared their stories. “Recording these stories gives our interviewees a different perspective on what their grandparents went through,” Siegel said. “It gives them the tools to figure out how they’re going to share their story with their kids when their kids are old enough, and it inspires them to make sure the world never forgets.”
At press time, the venue for “A Night of Resilience” has not been announced, but tickets start at $54. Sponsorships are available for $5,000, $10,000 and $15,000. All proceeds from the show will benefit If You Heard What I Heard, and will be used to record more stories to ensure they aren’t forgotten. This is important, since the number of Holocaust survivors still alive is dwindling.
And If You Heard What I Heard’s work has made an impact. Siegel told the Journal about the organization’s Education Advisor, Dena Grimshaw, who recently had a situation where “she caught a student drawing a swastika, but instead of going the disciplinary route, she instead shared two of our interviews with him,” she said. “At the end, he was visibly moved by hearing these stories and genuinely apologized. That’s one piece of the value of our work. We’re educating today’s generation not just so they won’t forget, but also because we can instill more kindness and empathy for all groups.”
“Seeing the amount of antisemitism and threats towards Israel today, we’re having this concert to celebrate our resilience as a people.”
What Siegel wants to do with the concert is inspire Jews, showing them that no matter what has happened to the Jewish people throughout history, they have survived. “We timed this event specifically to take place on May 8th, in between Yom HaShoah, the commemoration of the Holocaust — one of the darkest periods in our history — and Yom Ha’atzmaut, the celebration of the independence of our Homeland, Israel. Seeing the level of antisemitism and propaganda against Israel today, it was really important to us to bring our community together in our resilience as a people. I hope everyone walks away feeling inspired to help us make sure the world will never forget.”
For tickets to “A Night of Resilience”, visit http://Ifyouheardwhatiheard.com/Matisyahu.
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