Throughout his career, the Jewish singer and rapper Matisyahu has faced canceled shows and protests over his support for Israel.
Matisyahu is currently on his “Finding Zion” tour and is stopping in Cincinnati on May 7. Since the announcement of the show, there has been a push online to have it canceled and a planned protest outside the show.
The Jewish Federation released a statement telling members of the Jewish community who are attending the show to be safe and not engage with protestors.
Protestors lined the sidewalk leading up to the entrance of the Ludlow Garage, creating a gauntlet for people attending the show. They shouted slogans such as “intifada, we are the intifada,” “blood, blood, shame on you, Cincinnati, your hands are bloody too,” and “from the river to sea, Palestine will be free.”
Activists calling for the protest have called the singer a “fascist and genocide supporter” over his support for Israel and performing for IDF soldiers since the start of the Israel-Hamas war in 2023.
Protestors line both sides of the sidewalk outside of The Ludlow Garage.
Matisyahu has faced discrimination over his Jewishness and support for Israel in the past, most notably when he was disinvited from a music festival in Spain in 2015 after Palestinian activists pressured the organizers. He was eventually reinvited to the festival, and the following year, he went on tour with Arab-American artist Nadem Azzam.
Since Oct. 7, Matisyahu has faced high-profile show cancellations driven by Palestinian activists in New Mexico, Arizona, and at Chicago’s House of Blues.
Since Matisyahu’s show date in Cincinnati was announced, there have been calls on social media to cancel and protest the show. According to the Ludlow Garage website, the show is going on as planned; venue management did not respond to repeated requests for comment on the backlash to the show.
The Jewish rapper and singer has not shied away from controversy since Oct. 7th. He was dropped by his manager in 2024 after his song Ascent featured lyrics about dancing on the graves of Hamas terrorists.
The singer has received criticism for defending Elon Musk’s salute at President Trump’s inauguration. In February 2025, Matisyahu performed a private concert for Betar, during which the singer wore a headband with the Jewish Defense League logo. The image of the singer performing in the garb is on the Betar homepage and featured on their X, formerly known as Twitter account.
Betar was a revisionist Zionist youth group founded by Ze’ev Jabotinsky. It was refounded in the U.S. in 2024. The group has received criticism from mainstream Jewish groups for its tactics. It has attacked Jews on social media, deeming them not supportive enough with a post called “Kapo of the week.” Betar has also faced criticism for helping the Trump administration’s deportation efforts by keeping lists of student protestors.
The Jewish Defence League, JDL, was founded by extremist Rabbi Meir Kahane and is a designated hate group by the Southern Poverty Law Center. Kahane’s teachings have inspired terrorists in Israel like Baruch Goldstein, who killed 29 Palestinians at the Cave of the Patriarchs in 1994.
Cincy Jewfolk reached out to Matisyahu for comment.
This story was updated on May 7.
