By Cailin Acosta
LA JOLLA, California – Song of Ascent shown Wednesday night, Feb. 5, at the San Diego International Film Festival is a documentary film directed by Shlomo Weprin in which he follows reggae/rapper Matisyahu’s live concerts and meetings with Oct. 7 survivors in Israel.
The documentary chronicles Matisyahu’s experiences since the Oct. 7 massacre in Israel. He took two meaningful trips to Israel which included experiences at several kibbutzim, the Nova Festival site, hospitals and other locations that bore witness to the Oct. 7 massacres.
During the filming, Matisyahu put on three large shows in Israel in response to three of his US tour dates being cancelled by anti-Israel protestors. This put Matisyahu in a role of speaking up for and defending not just himself, but the Jewish people during these difficult times.
Matisyahu first visited Israel when he was 16 years old and this trip sparked a connection to his Jewish roots. Through his music and lyrics, he has brought joy and hope to the survivors and a spiritual uplift to the strong fighters defending Israel.
The survivors are seen dancing and singing along to the songs and have hope that the remaining hostages in Gaza will return to Israel. Music can heal those who are suffering. I could see in their eyes that it was a time to come together and spread love.
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Cailin Acosta is the assistant editor of the San Diego Jewish World.