Act two of the three-part Yallapalooza 2024 concert series kicked off in Boston at the Emerson Colonial Theater on Thursday. The tour, presented by Hillel, the world’s largest college organization for Jewish life, featured sets by DJ Sasi and Yonatan Cohen, who both performed at last year’s Nova Music Festival during the Oct. 7 Hamas-led attack on Israel, followed by Grammy-nominated reggae act, Matisyahu, and 2023 Eurovision finalist Noa Kirel. The first show sold out in New York City last weekend.
Yallapalooza offered those seeking Jewish company a safe space to not only uplift each other, but also celebrate—especially after a surge in antisemitism on campuses nationwide, according to Danny Denenberg, a student leader at Harvard’s Hillel chapter, in opening remarks.
“We’ve all had a rough year,” said Denenberg. “[This concert] is an amazing opportunity to be proudly Jewish with our friends and thousands of other college students.”
For many New England-based Hillel chapters, the evening began with a commute: Brandeis buses, carpools from Brown, Curry, and Mount Holyoke—while local students from the likes of Boston University, Northeastern, and Emerson broke the ice over a babka-studded pre-concert schmooze in the Tremont St. Bakey before lining up around the block.
Eli Rabson, a student at UMass Amherst, said Israeli music helps individuals connect with Judaism as a whole. Hebrew language notwithstanding, it’s still a common culture, and for non-practitioners or far-flung Jewish diasporas who can relate more to their communities than religion, this music will always be there for them.
Double-takes were exchanged in the lobby; cursory glances folded into beaming recognition as names found long-lost faces of friends from sleepaway camp and summer excursions, reunited after years, often while in-conversation.
“I ran into two friends from my sleepaway camp. I just ran into another person that I haven’t seen since eighth grade, 2019,” said Rabson.
Gal Cohen, visiting the states from Israel, spoke fondly about Tel Aviv’s nightlife, distinctly un-American—that is to say, “fun,” a compliment from Cohen about the culture back home, how every day seemed like a holiday because he could always catch a party and go to work the next morning any day of the week—the clubs played music like Yallapalooza. He came to see Matisyahu live for the first time as a long-time fan.
Cohen also mentioned the Birthright Israel program—a chance for Jewish young adults around the world to visit Israel for a week.
“[Birthright participants] all fall in love with [Israel] and part of that comes from the art and musicians like Omer Adam, so when they go back home, this music reminds them of their experience in Israel,” said Cohen.
Hillel emphasizes supporting Jewish students with this concert series by connecting communities with music.
The Yallapalooza 2024 tour concluded in Philadelphia yesterday.
