RSS
Matisyahu to Release New Song ‘Basi L’gani,’ Discusses Return to Writing Music and Israel Feeling ‘Like Home’
Jewish reggae artist Matisyahu. Photo: Provided
Jewish reggae artist Matisyahu opened up exclusively to The Algemeiner about releasing a new song on Thursday inspired by a Hasidic discourse, getting back to songwriting, how he tackles antisemitism, and his continued love and support for Israel.
Matisyahu’s new song and its release date both hold a special connection to the Orthodox Chabad movement. Thursday’s date on the Hebrew calendar, 10 Shevat, is the day that Rabbi Yosef Yitzchak Schneersohn died (January 28, 1950). Before his passing, he wrote a famous Hasidic discourse titled “Basi L’Gani” (also spelled “Bati Legani” or “Basi Legani”), which translates in English to “Enter my Garden.” The Hebrew date 10 Shevat is also the day that The Rebbe, Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson, assumed leadership of Chabad — as well as when Matisyahu’s youngest son will turn three years old.
Matisyahu’s new song pays homage to that Hasidic discourse and is aptly titled “Basi L’gani.” The singer-songwriter, 45, wrote the track almost two years ago, prior to the Israel-Hamas war, but was waiting for the appropriate time to release it following the deadly Hamas terrorist attack on Oct. 7, 2023, he told The Algemeiner. “Basi L’gani” is the first of a group of songs that Matisyahu recorded before the war and is hoping to now release.
Many of the lyrics in Matisyahu’s new song are taken from the original Hasidic discourse. The track opens with him singing: “Come enter my garden/ my sister/ my bride. It’s been a long coming/ and you been out all night. Rise in the morning/shine your light.”
“Like knowledge from the tree/ won’t you build for me/ a sanctuary/ a place for us to be,” he later sings. “And if I go/ and if I stay/when you look back/and you move into the day/ listen to these words/let me guide you on your way. I just want to be the oars in your boat along the way.”
The cover art for Matisyahu’s new song “Basi L’gani.” Photo: Sosha Bentolila.
Born Matthew Paul Miller, Matisyahu grew up in White Plains in Westchester County, outside of New York City, and went to yeshiva in Crown Heights, Brooklyn. He used to go from his yeshiva to perform at clubs and then return back to the school. He currently lives in New York with his family.
Since the start of his career, the father of six has been singing about wanting Moshiach now (“King Without a Crown”), for there to be no more wars (“One Day”) and his connection to Israel (“Jerusalem”). His more recent songs address antisemitism (“Ascent”) and he repeats the phrase “Am Israel Chai” (“The nation of Israel lives”) in his most recent song “The Fathers Live” with Remedy.
Matisyahu admitted that he has not done much songwriting since the start of the Gaza war but is hoping to get back to it again soon.
“I’m interested to start writing again,” he told The Algemeiner. “Obviously there is a lot to say, a lot of intensity, a lot of inspiration, and a lot going on. The next batch of songs is gonna probably be a bit more on the intense side, kind of like ‘Ascent’ and ‘Father’s Live’ … I wanna be releasing music constantly now. The idea of writing 20 songs and holding them for a year, and then releasing a whole album, is a little bit of an old school way of doing things. So from this point on, starting with ‘Basligani,’ I’m going to be releasing a song every three weeks or so. I’ll do that for about 15 songs and then I’ll start my writing process again.”
When asked what will inspire his new music, he said life experiences and “in particular what’s happened with the Jewish people and Israel, the hostages being released, and all those images we see of those girls being paraded through Gaza. All that stuff builds up like a well inside of me, and when I’m writing my rhymes, a lot of that stuff is going to come out now.”
At The Algemeiner‘s 11th annual “J100” gala last month, where Matisyahu was honored with the “Warrior For Truth” award, he spoke about reconnecting with his Jewish identity and faith after the deadly Hamas terrorist attack on Oct. 7, 2023.
Matisyahu has a son who lives in Israel and said his second son might be moving there as well. The singer has visited the Jewish state twice since the Hamas atrocities. During one visit, he filmed the music video for “Ascent” at communities in southern Israel infiltrated by Hamas-led Palestinian terrorists during the Oct. 7 attack and at the site of the Nova music festival massacre, where 364 people were killed. The music video also features footage from the attack, including clips of the abductions of Shiri Bibas with her children, and some scenes show Matisyahu with relatives of hostages held in the Gaza Strip.
Since the start of the war, Matisyahu has performed shows in Israel for soldiers in the Israel Defense Forces and at a benefit concert to support the families of the hostages. He met personally with families of hostages and survivors of the attack at the Nova music festival, and visited communities ravaged by Hamas-led terrorists on Oct. 7. He told The Algemeiner that visiting Israel during the war was “an extremely powerful experience” that impacted what his focus has been over the last year.
“I’m feeling a sort of responsibility to speak out about, sing about it, and remind people what’s going on. After speaking with those people and hearing their stories firsthand and experiencing the emotion with those people, that changes you and it really affected me,” he said.
“Israel has always been a special place to me, but obviously now more than ever,” the musician added. “I feel this very deep connection to Israel and Israelis. In times past, maybe there has been more of a separation or a cultural disconnect … but I’ve always loved going. I’ve always loved the people. It’s always felt like home. It’s that special feeling that a Jew has when they go to Israel of just feeling surrounded by family and we don’t feel that anywhere else in the world. Especially now, how much more powerful is that — to have a place, to have a family, a country, and really this strong interconnectedness and support for each other. For a long time for me it’s felt like real Judaism is happening in Israel.”
Photo: Provided
The “Fireproof” singer has been vocal in the past about how his solidarity with Israel and the Jewish people has negatively impacted his career in the last 16 months. He has talked about being dropped by his manager and having a number of his scheduled concerts canceled because of his support for the Jewish state. Mere days after the Oct. 7 Hamas attack, he criticized celebrities for being “too afraid” to voice support for Israel because of how it might affect their social image or career. Even before the war, he has faced backlash from supporters of the boycott, divestment, and sanctions (BDS)movement against Israel.
Still, he said he never thought to stay silent about his solidarity with Israel, even if it would be safer for his career.
“In my career, which has been like over 20, I’ve very rarely taken the safe route,” he said. “For example, shaving my beard, a lot of people thought, ‘Well that’s how everyone knows you and it’s your image.’ But it was irrelevant to me because I’ve always believed in myself, my art, and my music, and I have to do what’s important and authentic to me. And being Jewish and my love of Israel has really been at the core of who I am for quite some time. It’s a big part of who Matisyahu is.”
“When I decided to not be as religious and to shave my beard, to me that wasn’t becoming less Jewish,” he explained. “Just like I stepped into the religion — I wasn’t raised that way — I’ve always just tried to be fluid with what I feel and what feels real to me. The second Oct. 7 happened, I knew immediately that I was going to be outspoken and lean into my Jewish-ness; lean into that zealot Matisyahu, punk rock, Hasidic spirit, because it’s a big part of who I am.”
Matisyahu was raised in a household that followed Reconstructionist Judaism. He later decided to start living a Hasidic lifestyle, and at the start of his musical career, he had a long beard, sidelocks, and wore a yarmulke on stage. In 2011, however, he posted a photo on social media showing himself clean shaven and without a yarmulke, along with the caption: “No more Hassidic reggae superstar.”
In 2014, Matisyahu spoke to The Algemeiner about his religious transformation and decision to step away from the Hasidic movement, saying it was simply a “natural progression” taking place in his life. He also said it was hurtful to see how some people stopped being a fan of his music simply because he no longer looked like a Hasidic Orthodox Jew. He said at the time: “It was really hard for me because it turns out these people were not really fans of my music.”
When asked if his current advocacy of Israel has impacted his fanbase, Matisyahu said, “I think I still have those core fans who may or may not be Jewish … But I definitely feel a much stronger support from the Jewish community and from Jews feeling how important it is to be outspoken, defending Jews. A lot of people really deeply respect that, and a lot of those people have either come back to a show or maybe have listened to some of the newer music when they may not have listened to me for years and years. And I welcome it.”
The singer continued, “It’s nice to feel that connection again with Jews, and unfortunately, it’s weird how it takes sometimes something really bad to happen to bring us together. But I feel the support and it feels nice.”
Matisyahu said that leaning into Judaism “in a big way” has helped him cope with antisemitism, and that it’s been “soothing for the soul.” In the last year, he stopped playing concerts on Friday night in honor of Shabbat and started putting on tefillin “from time to time.” He also tries to respect Shabbat by lighting candles on Friday night or spending time with family and turning off his cellphone. Another thing that has been helpful in combating antisemitism is “being around other Jews,” he noted.
“And the art — having the outlet of the music, the writing, and performing,” Matisyahu added. “Having an outlet to express myself — my feelings, my pain, hope, and joy. All of it. Not everyone is a singer, but everyone has something that they can be creative and pour their emotions into.”
“We have to acknowledge that we’re broken, we’re hurt, that this has been a painful experience and it’s not over,” he explained. “At the same time, [there’s] the joy of the hostages coming back and the way that the nation of Israel and the Jewish people have come together.”
The post Matisyahu to Release New Song ‘Basi L’gani,’ Discusses Return to Writing Music and Israel Feeling ‘Like Home’ first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
RSS
Trump Reimposes ‘Maximum Pressure’ on Iran, Aims to Drive Oil Exports to Zero
US President Donald Trump speaks at the White House, in Washington, DC, Feb. 3, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Elizabeth Frantz
US President Donald Trump on Tuesday restored his “maximum pressure” campaign on Iran that includes efforts to drive its oil exports down to zero in order to stop Tehran from obtaining a nuclear weapon.
Ahead of his meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Trump signed the presidential memorandum reimposing Washington’s tough policy on Iran that was practiced throughout his first term.
As he signed the memo, Trump described it as very tough and said he was torn on whether to make the move. He said he was open to a deal with Iran and expressed a willingness to talk to the Iranian leader.
“With me, it’s very simple: Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon,” Trump said. Asked how close Tehran is to a weapon, Trump said: “They’re too close.”
Iran‘s mission to the United Nations in New York did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Trump has accused former President Joe Biden of failing to rigorously enforce oil-export sanctions, which Trump says emboldened Tehran by allowing it to sell oil to fund a nuclear weapons program and armed militias in the Middle East.
Iran is “dramatically” accelerating enrichment of uranium to up to 60 percent purity, close to the roughly 90 percent weapons-grade level, the UN nuclear watchdog chief told Reuters in December. Iran has denied wanting to develop a nuclear weapon.
Trump‘s memo, among other things, orders the US Treasury secretary to impose “maximum economic pressure” on Iran, including sanctions and enforcement mechanisms on those violating existing sanctions.
It also directs the Treasury and State Department to implement a campaign aimed at “driving Iran‘s oil exports to zero.” US oil prices pared losses on Tuesday on the news that Trump planned to sign the memo, which offset some weakness from the tariff drama between Washington and Beijing.
Tehran’s oil exports brought in $53 billion in 2023 and $54 billion a year earlier, according to US Energy Information Administration estimates. Output during 2024 was running at its highest level since 2018, based on OPEC data.
Trump had driven Iran‘s oil exports to near-zero during part of his first term after re-imposing sanctions. They rose under Biden’s tenure as Iran succeeded in evading sanctions.
The Paris-based International Energy Agency believes Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and other OPEC members have spare capacity to make up for any lost exports from Iran, also an OPEC member.
PUSH FOR SANCTIONS SNAPBACK
China does not recognize US sanctions and Chinese firms buy the most Iranian oil. China and Iran have also built a trading system that uses mostly Chinese yuan and a network of middlemen, avoiding the dollar and exposure to US regulators.
Kevin Book, an analyst at ClearView Energy, said the Trump administration could enforce the 2024 Stop Harboring Iranian Petroleum (SHIP) law to curtail some Iranian barrels.
SHIP, which the Biden administration did not enforce strictly, allows measures on foreign ports and refineries that process petroleum exported from Iran in violation of sanctions. Book said a move last month by the Shandong Port Group to ban US-sanctioned tankers from calling into its ports in the eastern Chinese province signals the impact SHIP could have.
Trump also directed his UN ambassador to work with allies to “complete the snapback of international sanctions and restrictions on Iran,” under a 2015 deal between Iran and key world powers that lifted sanctions on Tehran in return for restrictions on its nuclear program.
The US quit the agreement in 2018, during Trump‘s first term, and Iran began moving away from its nuclear-related commitments under the deal. The Trump administration had also tried to trigger a snapback of sanctions under the deal in 2020, but the move was dismissed by the UN Security Council.
Britain, France, and Germany told the United Nations Security Council in December that they are ready — if necessary — to trigger a snapback of all international sanctions on Iran to prevent the country from acquiring a nuclear weapon.
They will lose the ability to take such action on Oct. 18 when a 2015 UN resolution expires. The resolution enshrines Iran‘s deal with Britain, Germany, France, the United States, Russia, and China that lifted sanctions on Tehran in exchange for restrictions on its nuclear program.
Iran‘s UN ambassador, Amir Saeid Iravani, has said that invoking the “snap-back” of sanctions on Tehran would be “unlawful and counterproductive.”
European and Iranian diplomats met in November and January to discuss if they could work to defuse regional tensions, including over Tehran’s nuclear program, before Trump returned.
The post Trump Reimposes ‘Maximum Pressure’ on Iran, Aims to Drive Oil Exports to Zero first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
RSS
Trump Stops US Involvement With UN Rights Body, Extends UNRWA Funding Halt
An UNRWA aid truck at the Rafah border crossing between Egypt and the Gaza Strip. Photo: Reuters/Amr Abdallah Dalsh
US President Donald Trump on Tuesday ordered an end to US engagement with the United Nations Human Rights Council and continued a halt to funding for the UN Palestinian relief agency UNRWA.
The move coincides with a visit to Washington by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who has long been critical of UNRWA, accusing it of anti-Israel incitement and its staff of being “involved in terrorist activities against Israel.”
During Trump‘s first term in office, from 2017-2021, he also cut off funding for UNRWA, questioning its value, saying that Palestinians needed to agree to renew peace talks with Israel, and calling for unspecified reforms.
The first Trump administration also quit the 47-member Human Rights Council halfway through a three-year term over what it called chronic bias against Israel and a lack of reform. The US is not currently a member of the Geneva-based body. Under former President Joe Biden, the US served a 2022-2024 term.
A council working group is due to review the US human rights record later this year, a process all countries undergo every few years. While the council has no legally binding power, its debates carry political weight and criticism can raise global pressure on governments to change course.
Since taking office for a second term on Jan. 20, Trump has ordered that the US withdraw from the World Health Organization and from the Paris climate agreement — also steps he took during his first term in office.
The US was UNRWA’s biggest donor — providing $300 million-$400 million a year — but Biden paused funding in January 2024 after Israel accused about a dozen UNRWA staff of taking part in the deadly Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel by Palestinian terrorist group Hamas that triggered the war in Gaza.
The US Congress then formally suspended contributions to UNRWA until at least March 2025.
The United Nations has said that nine UNRWA staff may have been involved in the Oct. 7, 2023, attack and were fired. A Hamas commander in Lebanon — killed in September by Israel — was also found to have had a UNRWA job.
An Israeli ban went into effect on Jan. 30 that prohibits UNRWA from operating on its territory or communicating with Israeli authorities. UNRWA has said operations in Gaza and West Bank will also suffer.
The post Trump Stops US Involvement With UN Rights Body, Extends UNRWA Funding Halt first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
RSS
FBI Releases Posters Seeking More Information on Iranian Intel Officers Tied to Robert Levinson Abduction
Christine Levinson (R), wife of former FBI agent Robert Levinson, watches as her son, Daniel Levinson, displays a web print of his father’s picture to journalists, while attending a news conference, at the Swiss Embassy in Tehran, Iran, Dec. 22, 2007. Photo: Reuters / Morteza Nikoubazl.
The Washington field office of the US Federal Bureau of Investigation on Tuesday released posters seeking information about two senior Iranian intelligence officers allegedly involved in the disappearance of retired FBI Special Agent Robert Levinson.
The two men — Mohammed Baseri and Ahmad Khazai — have been accused of authorizing the 2007 abduction of Levinson
“The FBI remains steadfast in our commitment to return Bob to his family,” Sanjay Virmani, special agent of the FBI Washington field office’s Counterterrorism Division, said in a statement. “Our extensive investigation continues to develop new leads and intelligence, and we will pursue all options to hold every Iranian official involved in his abduction accountable.”
Levinson was working as a private investigator in 2007 when he vanished after traveling to Iran’s Kish Island. He was reportedly involved in an unauthorized CIA mission at the time. The US has maintained that he was kidnapped and held wrongfully by the Iranian government. Levinson was thought to be alive for several years. In 2020, however, US officials said that intelligence suggested he may have been dead for “some time.”
At the time of Levinson’s kidnapping, both Baseri and Khazai were operating as members of Iran’s Ministry of Intelligence and Security (MOIS), according to US authorities.
“For nearly 18 years, the Iranian government has denied knowledge of Bob’s whereabouts despite senior intelligence officials authorizing Bob’s abduction and detention and launching a disinformation campaign to deflect blame from the Iranian regime,” the FBI said in its statement.
FBI renewing effort to find retired special agent abducted in Iran almost 18 years ago
The Washington Field Office is seeking 2 Iranian intelligence officers – Mohammad Baseri and Ahmad Khazai – involved in the kidnapping, detention and probable death of Bob Levinson pic.twitter.com/kH36EtgIEZ
— Jeff Seldin (@jseldin) February 4, 2025
In December 2020, the US Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control sanctioned Baseri and Khazai for their role in Levinson’s abduction.
According to the designation Baseri is a senior MOIS official who has participated in critical investigations regarding Iranian national security concerns. Baseri also conducts counterespionage operations both inside and outside Iran, the Treasury Department said, and has collaborated directly with foreign intelligence services to undermine US interests.
Meanwhile, Khazai has overseen MOIS trips to foreign nations to evaluate the security situation, according to the Treasury Department’s designation.
Although Iran has previously denied any knowledge of Levinson’s whereabouts and involvement in his abduction, it is widely believed that the Iranian government held Levinson captive to be used as leverage in negotiations with the United States.
In March 2024, former FBI Director Christopher Wray issued a statement honoring Levinson’s service.
“It has been 17 years since Bob disappeared in Iranian territory, but no matter how much time has passed, the FBI and our partners will pursue every lead to uncover what happened to Bob and return him to his family,” Wray said. “I’m grateful that our nation continues to remember Bob, with March 9 commemorating National Hostage and Wrongful Detainee Day — a day for our entire nation to pause and remember Bob and all Americans unjustly held abroad.”
Iran has an extensive history of attempting to kidnap Americans. In 2021, for example, the US Justice Department announced charges against Iranian intelligence agents for plotting to kidnap an American citizen and Iranian dissident, journalist Masih Alinejad, in the US and take her by boat to Venezuela before forcibly returning her to Iran, where she was born.
The FBI has continued to offer a reward of up to $5 million for information leading to Levinson’s location, recovery, and return.
The post FBI Releases Posters Seeking More Information on Iranian Intel Officers Tied to Robert Levinson Abduction first appeared on Algemeiner.com.