But our most recent offering, “Say Your Name,” written in the wake of George Floyd’s murder, seems to have touched a nerve. Several nerves, in fact. The censures of our song fell into four – sometimes overlapping – categories:

Many questioned why we wrote a song for George Floyd, despite having never dedicated songs to any other victims. Commenters suggested a wide range of substitutions, including Israeli victims of terror, American victims of antisemitism, white victims of police brutality, and victims of the violence associated with the recent protests.
Others suggested that we shouldn’t have dedicated a song to someone with a criminal past.
A third group complained that our song implies alignment with – or worse, pandering to – a group or organization that they viewed as unsavory, such as Black Lives Matter, the Black American community, or progressivism at large.
Finally, a small but vocal group suggested that our song emphasized ourselves over George Floyd and the causes he inspired.

With regards to that last point (the subject of a recent article in Kveller), we don’t have much to add other than to point out the irony of a mostly – if not entirely – white group asserting that our project somehow took away the voices of the victims.

Regarding the third objection noted above, that of joining the “wrong” cause: As to whether or not we believe that there are deep-seated, fundamental issues which require serious thought and action, we follow not just the armies of social scientists and thinkers who have shown this to be the case, but the example of our community’s teachers and leaders:

Yeshiva University: “Our hearts are heavy with sorrow and we understand the anger and fear being felt across the country, especially by Black Americans at this time. We join in the national outcry for justice and reforms that seek to prevent these tragic violent acts from continuing to occur.”
British Chief Rabbinate: “That ‘Black Lives Matter’ needs affirming at all is utterly shameful. There is no doubt that this is an essential wake up call for each and every one of us.”
Union of Orthodox Jewish Congregations (the OU): “Yet, we are again witnessing that too many communities around this country feel their voices are not being heard, their complaints about racist treatment are unheeded, and we are not doing enough to point out that this brutal and unjust treatment is antithetical to basic American values.”

Yes, the antisemitism that we publicly protested with 25,000 of our brothers and sisters earlier this year is real. And yes, that antisemitism sometimes manifests more prominently in communities of color. But bringing that up at this moment is entirely besides the point. We don’t fight for the rights and dignity of marginalized communities for the sake of reciprocity, we do it because it’s the right thing to do.

To those who protest our mourning of Mr. Floyd due to his criminal past, we reply simply that this is an ugly, morally repugnant distraction. Neither Jewish nor American values teach that his life be treated as less than any other; his blood was no less red than ours or yours. As one of the bystanders desperately tried to remind the officers who killed Floyd, “he is human.” If one of the victims of the Tree of Life shooting were a convicted criminal, his or her death would be no less tragic.

Similarly, we shouldn’t need to explain the difference between the functional public execution of Mr. Floyd by uniformed government representatives and the tragic death of retired police captain David Dorn at the hands of criminal rioters during the subsequent unrest.

Finally, as to those who questioned whether we “have enough tears” for Jewish and Israeli victims as well, the answer, of course, is yes. The Jewish people exist in concentric circles, and it is only natural to grieve more at the loss of a family-member than at the death of a stranger. But assuming you were asking in good faith why George Floyd deserved a tribute, and not simply using those substitute names as a sideways disagreement based on one of the above critiques, allow us to explain why we felt the need to speak up at this time.

Hearing about the Pittsburgh synagogue shooting in the final hours of Shabbat brought on an awful jumble of feelings in the pit of our stomachs. After the attack on our sacred space of gathering and prayer we felt, all at once, mourning, grief, violation, anger, and fear. The Jewish community – our primary audience – shared in this emotional whirlwind. They didn’t need us to remind them how to feel.
Furthermore, all the commentary and finger-pointing over the following days and weeks didn’t really make us feel any better. Security at synagogues and other Jewish institutions would need to be increased. Antisemitism was on the rise from both sides of the political spectrum. We live in a climate of extreme polarization and radicalization.

What did make us feel better was the comfort that came from outside of our community. Not just politicians at all levels denouncing the violence, not just newscasters reading the names and stories of the victims, but the “rings of peace” that some groups of non-Jews formed around their local synagogues. And yes, the presence of local law enforcement outside those synagogues.

So when Black Americans were hit in the face with yet another video of the needless death of someone who looks like them, we thought we should take a few beats to offer our empathy, and to remind the rest our community to do the same.

A Great Big World’s “This Is the New Year,” was one of those songs. Its catchy melody, captivating meter (try counting along, we dare you!), and driving rhythm are only exceeded by it’s powerful and timely messages.

Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year, is replete with contradictory ideas: a time set aside for introspection is celebrated as a community; “the day of judgement” is also a festival; and “the day of remembrance” is a day we spend looking forward to the coming year. This year’s song doesn’t shy away from these complicated ideas, telling us to “embrace the past” and “live for now;” asking us “pray for the life we’ve wanted” for ourselves but also to “tear the wall down that divides us;” and reminding us that though the world was created for each of us, “there’s so much to be done.”

Wishing all of our friends and family a happy, healthy, sweet, and musical new year!

Grab Our Music
iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/artist/maccabeats/id367163195
CDBaby: https://store.cdbaby.com/Artist/Maccabeats

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Our newest video, a cover of Amram Adar and Itzik Shamli’s timely adaption of the summer mega-hit Despacito, asks us to pause and live deliberately. Family, faith, and meaning should never take a backseat to the rat race of work and blind ambition. As we sing in the chorus (translated from Hebrew) “Slowly – take things slowly, everything will come in it’s time my dear. And all delays will turn out fine as long as we keep faith.”

We’d really appreciated if you could take the time share this video with your own friends and family!

Finally, our love goes out to our friends in Houston, hometown of one of the Maccabeats. Please consider donating to the Jewish Federation’s relief fund (link here) or the cause of your choice, they need our help.

Grab Our Music
iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/artist/maccabeats/id367163195
CDBaby: https://store.cdbaby.com/Artist/Maccabeats

Stay in touch:
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/Maccabeats
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/Maccabeats
Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/Maccabeats
Email: info@maccabeats.com
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/MaccabeatsVideos

According to one interpretation, the opening line of the song, “D’ror Yikra,” calls upon us to take advantage of Shabbat, the spiritual day of rest, and free ourselves from the mundane world. Learn more about this song of medieval origin here.

Nothing would make us happier than knowing that you sing our version of “D’ror Yikra” at your own Shabbat tables!

Don’t forget to grab this track on iTunes or CDBaby!

Stay in touch:
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/Maccabeats
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/Maccabeats
Email: info@maccabeats.com
YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/user/MaccabeatsVideos

“Brave,” originally by Sara Bareilles and Jack Antonoff (the guitarist of Fun.), is one of those songs. Many of us know that music can be a safe haven for anybody who is afraid to be him or herself, so we chose to sing this song in support of all those who’ve ever been bullied or pressured into not saying and being who they really are.

We also had a lot of fun making this video, playing on the fact that imitation of instruments is fairly common in contemporary a cappella music. Many of us actually play the instruments we’re using in the video!
We filmed at the summit of Bear Mountain overlooking the majestic Hudson Valley, and at various Sing For Hope pianos throughout New York City.

Don’t forget to grab the track on iTunes or CDBaby and to share the video with your friends, Facebook or otherwise!

You can learn more about Sing For Hope and their NYC piano project here.

Growing up, the songs of Shalsheles played an important role in the soundtracks of our lives.

Growing up, the songs of Shalsheles played an important role in the soundtracks of our lives. From their classic, heartfelt “Esa Einai” to their melodious “Yofyafisa,” their music has accompanied us through school, camp, our bar mitzvahs, and even – for those of us who are married – our weddings. We consider it a great honor and privilege to have worked with them to produce “Lemaan Achai,” an original single composed by Yitzchok Rosenthal of Shalsheles.

We release “Lemaan Achai,” whose lyrics promote brotherhood and unity, just as we enter Three Weeks, a period in which we mourn not just the loss of the Beit Hamikdash (the Temple) but that we have not yet wiped out the hate which brought about its destruction.

Don’t forget to grab the song on iTunes or CDBaby – all proceeds from the sale of this track will be donated to charity.

Over the next few weeks we realized that we could take the original, ironic, concept and flip it on it’s head. With the help of the animation wizards at Elie Creative Studios and the audio production of Ed Boyer (of Glee, Pitch Perfect, and Sing-Off fame), we were able to step through the Phantom Tollbooth, as it were, and create “Smart Ways to Live,” a song and video which we think will make you smile while also reminding all of us what matters most.

Finally, we hope this project starts a conversation. Our list of Smart Ways to Live is far from complete – feel free to leave your own ideas in the comments on the video! Maybe they’ll make it into the sequel

Check out the full lyrics here and don’t forget to grab the song on iTunes.

We’ve got a lot of exciting stuff going on and we wanted to share it with you:

1. The positive response to our Les Mis/Passover Video was astounding. We thought it might be risky to stray from our pop roots, but it turns out that plenty of folks (something to the tune of half a million viewers) like show tunes too! The medley of different Les Mis songs set to a retelling of the Passover story was probably our most ambitious video yet, and we hope to only grow from there. Grab it on iTunes here.

2. We collaborated with our good friends at Six13 for another medley track on their latest album, Believe. The track is an a cappella medley of “Yesh Tikvah” by Benny Friedman, “Ki Malachov” by Shauly Waldner, and “Mi Shema’amin” by Eyal Golan. Listen to the track here.

3. Sameach Music selected our song “Miracle” for inclusion in their compilation album A Cappella Treasure: Yom Tov.

4. We won runner up for “Best Religious Album” at the CARAs. The Contemporary A Cappella Recording Awards are like the Grammys of a cappella, and we’re really honored to have been recognized by our peers.

5. We have a very busy touring season ahead of us. Click on the name of any of these cities for more info and tickets: Paramus, Edmonton, Champaign, Tucson, Chicago, Phoenix, Philadelphia, Washington D.C., Minneapolis and Boca Raton. Hope to see you at one of our shows!

Sincerely,

The Maccabeats

This year’s film adaption of the classic theatrical masterpiece Les Misérables afforded us the perfect opportunity. Les Mis, which has always been a Maccabeats favorite, tells the story of one man’s search for freedom, salvation, and himself. As such, we found its now-famous melodies and lyrics to be a wholly appropriate avenue for creatively retelling the story of the children of Israel’s journey from slavery in Egypt to nationhood under God.

Join us in sharing the story and “music of a people who will not be slaves again” this Pesach season, and don’t forget to grab the track on iTunes or CDBaby.

• View Song Lyrics

One of the themes of Purim is “v’nahafoch hu,” or reversal. We definitely kept that in mind as we produced this topsy-turvy song, and we hope you enjoy!

Learn more about Purim here: http://lmgtfy.com/?q=purim

PS Matt Damon isn’t Jewish, but when he heard about this project he wouldn’t stop calling us until we let him in.