Jerusalem – Israel’s new sensation in Chassidic music is not from Jerusalem or Bnei Brak. Until a few years ago he was an African-American Christian from Ohio.
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In an interview to Israel’s CH. 2 “The Jews are the children of HaKadosh Boruch Hu,” says rapper Yehuda Menashe, who studied in a New York yeshiva, converted and adopted a Hebrew name. He made aliya almost a year ago, and his speech is now a medley of English, Yiddish and Hebrew.
His booking agent, Moshe Kornfeld, tries to present him as a major figure in the music scene. “We met at the yeshiva,” Kornfeld recalls. “I simply saw someone who sings and makes others and himself happy. He sings from the heart. ‘How can I not be a part of this?’ I said to myself.”
Since being discovered, Yehuda Menashe keeps a tight schedule. This week he led a couple to the chuppoh in song. Last week, at a Bnei Brak wedding, he shared the stage with top frum singers Dudu Fisher and Yishai Lapidot.
A few days ago he performed at an upshoren in Meron and he sings at bar mitzvahs. He says he has no problem appearing before various audiences, whether charedi, secular or in between.
Yehuda Menashe spends his time learning, looking for a shidduch and working on new material.
“I love Jewish music,” says the young prodigy. “It’s better than non-Jewish music. I sing like I’m davining. If someone sees me singing, for me it’s as if I’m praying to HaKadosh Boruch Hu.”
Singing a Lipa Schmeltzer song at a Sheva Brochos in Yerushlayim.
while his accomplishments it self deserves prais, i find it troubling how the close minded frum community still gets so nuts and giddy every time a person who looks darker than them is seen or heard singing jewish rock songs.
get over it people. there are plenty of people who are “black” who can sing lipa.
Yidden just love exotic converts, not so much dull ones.
no big fan of ger but give them credit for accepting him
After only a couple years in Yeshiva this gentleman has been misgayer, learned Torah, Yiddish music, become fluent in Ivrit and is unbelievably simchadik. Clearly he has a very special neshama. Let that be an inspiration to us all. Yashar Koach !!!
he’s not nigerian, just a plain american
Go Yehuda Go!
Sings from the heart, and I feel his yiddishe neshama, he definitely has potential after a bit of voice lessons. He’s a diamond in the rough.
Saw him 2 years ago sukess by Skulaner rebbe’s Tish.
Amazing guy and really inspirational. I hope Mishpacha magazine or some other English paper writes up an article about him and his life story.
Anyone knows how old he is? He looks very young (and so accomplished).
His simcha is contagious.
u the man yehuda!!!!!!! u rock the house!!!!!!!!keep up the great work. ur mamish an inspiration to all of us. u should have much hatzlacha and happiness…….
I don’t get this singing and shuckeling at the same time. Notice a professional like Dudu didn’t shuckel while he sang. However the young man has potential.
i think i know this kid, i wonder if his family is living now in cleveland, very nice people and an inspiration to all !!
I have met him before in Zvi Meir Ziblerbergs shul.
Why is this making the news – there are plenty of FFB yidden who can sing well – many of whom are now shunned because they sing rock music or they rap. There are also many gerrim tzedek who are black. I am sure he is an inspiration to many but we should not have mixed priorities: either something is good across the board (eg. every Jewish singer with a ‘new’ twist should be praised ), or we should all stifle any new inspiration that comes to our community!
Natan Gamedze is an African prince who also converted to Judaism, He also lives in Israel now. I met him when he came to NY. I also met his lovely wife, who is a caucasian woman originally from Queens, NY. They have 2 lovely children. Very special people. He is very inspiring.
There is an interesting interview with him, titled, “The Royal Jew from Swaziland” on the website of the organization, Aish. There are other interesting articles about him if you do a search on the internet.
There are many wonderful converts out there. I met once a woman in Boro Park, who was a convert from Germany. I asked her if her friends talk to her anymore. (The friends she had in Germany before she converted.) She said to me, what friends? I asked her how her parents felt about her coverting to Judaism. – they thought she was “meshuganah.” She has a grandfather in her 90’s. I asked her how he felt about her converting to Judaism. He was supportive.
There was a great story in the OU once about Jewish converts. Very inspiring. One of the stories was about relatives of Nazis who converted to Judaism.
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I think he is better than Mattisyaho!
I understand that he is a Ger Tzaddik and that is wonderful and I commend him for his love of learning and study..However, is looking for a shidduch, will his ethnicity pose a problem for him in the shidduch process?
Why does he wear that hat all the time ?
This guy is singing from the heart!! No. 17, he is shockelling in dveikus obviously and I prefer that to cavorting around the stage!! I hope he finds a good ‘passige shidduch’ soon.
To focus on what may seem a trivial part of this story, what, pray tell, is Chassidishe music? The prevalent definition is any music which has either words from tefilo, tanach, obscure parts of shas or medrash, or oy-oy-oy tunes with no words at all. As for style, there is much in the popularized “Chassidishe” music that ain’t even Jewish sounding. Much of it would have made our parents blush. Shouldn’t “Jewish rap” be an oxymoron?
I love you so much, Yehuda. I wish I was in Israel so I can hug you for your accomplishments. I LOVE YOU SO BODDEST!
he sounds very good . may he have loads of hatzlacha along with ganz klal yisroal
Kol ha’kavod to this guy, I just learned about him from the article in YNet.
Ken yirbu — all the neshamot that belong to klal Yisra’el are coming back to klal Yisra’el, and making their presences felt. IY”H any racism or sin’ah that this guy encounters will just bounce off of him, because his simcha, like was said before, is contagious — and he should stay b’simcha and continue being m’same’ach others until 120+.
Baruch Hashem for frum diversity!
Kol Hakavod! What an inspiring man. I hope he remains in Eretz Yisrael!
what is shuckling?
As somebody that is seriously considering an Orthodox Conversion (having been born to irreligious Muslim and Christian parents) I find disturbing that they are still referred to as “Nigerian” when the are not and as a “black Jew” – then I read some of the comments about shidduch and it seems clear that although it shouldn’t the colour of his skin must matter to Jews the “black Jews” should not marry “white/non-black Jews.”
Quite sickening really but I’m glad the comments are here so I can see for myself. Please not my Jewish friends marriage and your “white/non-black Jewish women” are the last reasons why people like me would convert (and that is not I repeat not a racist statement). I personally feel a draw to your religion, culture traditions, history and would like to make Judaism and integral part of my life – and no I can’t sing or play sports I’m a recent university graduate. I suppose I wouldn’t be “good enough” or accepted too.
I have several friends who are geirim and a relative who is married to one. I think of them as regular normal Jews because there’s nothing outwardly different about them unless one knows their origins. It says Veahavta es hager, and we must accept them into our fold like anyone else. I think this young man is wonderful, although personally I don’t care for his style of singing. That is just my preference, has nothing to do with geirus or skin color.
🙂 hatzlacha
Wow did anyone remember that he has talent. Do we REALLY have to go back and forth about color. We have a long way to go.
Yehuda is the best! a real sweetheart, and a good friend. From the Tuesday nights learning in the old city, to an AWESOME performance at my Chanuka party. Those who know him learn from him. And all those who don’t, should! Unless you feel it more important to write loshon hara about someone you never met….
I agree with 62. Why is color an issue? As a Clevelander myself I can tell you what a special person Yehuda is (and his whole family for that matter are as well). They have sacrificed a previous lifestyle just to connect to the Riboino Shel Oilam. That is what the story should be about. Boruch Hshem Yehuda is finding success in Eretz Yisroel and should continue to shteig. We should be inspired by him and those like him to try to achieve in ourselves such a dveikus to Hashem.
As far as the potential ger (47) and the idiotic response (50) (btw, if you ever continued the reading of Megillas Rus you would see that Naomi accepted Rus when she saw her sincerity.), deciding such an important matter should not be done on a whim and based on inane and trivial factors such as a few bloggers’ comments on a website. While it is true that we don’t encourage geirim, we do assist those who are sincere. Just ask Yehuda’s family who were under the guidance of one of America’s distinguished rabbonim- Reb Boruch Hirschfeld. Anyway, let’s just all see the positive in everyone and refrain from loshon hora and needless stupid comments. Maybe then we’ll be zoche to see moshiach!