Jewish musician has 2 shows canceled after venues' staff reportedly refuse to work his events: 'Islamophobic and transphobic'

A Jewish artist and his band were unable to perform two events this week after some staff members at the hosting venues reportedly refused to work them.

Matthew Paul Miller, better known to fans as Matisyahu, was scheduled to perform at Meow Wolf in Santa Fe, New Mexico, on Wednesday, followed by a show at the Rialto Theater in Tucson, Arizona, on Thursday. However, both shows were canceled at the last minute, and some leftist and anti-Israel groups quickly took credit for at least one cancellation, prompting speculation that the cancellations were motivated by anti-Semitism.

Matisyahu certainly sees things that way. On Thursday, he wrote a lengthy Instagram statement, claiming that "the staff at these venues refused to come to work ... because they are either anti-Semitic or have confused their empathy for the Palestinian people with hatred for someone like me."

In the statement, Matisyahu even claimed that he had offered to pay for supplementary staff members out of pocket, "but to no avail."

"It is truly a sad day when dialogue with those you disagree with is abandoned for hate mongering and silencing artistic expression," it added.

As accusations of anti-Semitism began to swirl, Cathy Rivers, the executive director of the Rialto, issued a statement flatly denying that the abrupt cancellation had anything to do with "politics or religion." "This decision was made based on safety. The temperature of the day changed, and the tone was not set by us," she wrote in part.

According to Rivers, Matisyahu still received "full" payment for the canceled show, and all ticketholders qualify for a refund. "We have hosted Matisyahu at our theater many times but today was not the day to have him play," she said.

Yet, a statement from a coalition of "local union and pro-Palestinian activists" indicates that anti-Israeli sentiment may be at least partly responsible for the cancellation in Santa Fe. The coalition claimed its members "inundated Meow Wolf with calls and social media posts," demanding the venue cancel the Matisyahu event, as did "Meow Wolf Workers Collective members and leadership."

The coalition says it takes issue with the 44-year-old singer's support for "the genocidal campaign against Palestinians in Gaza and the Occupied Palestinian Territories," as well as one of his previous social media posts, which stated, "Your pronouns will not prevent Jihadists from breaking into your home." The group characterized Matisyahu's statements as "Islamophobic and transphobic."

Meow Wolf has apparently not responded to the Washington Examiner's request for comment, so the reach of the coalition's influence in this matter is difficult to determine. However, the Examiner did note that Julie Heinrich, wife of Sen. Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.), is the chief impact officer at Meow Wolf, responsible for "social impact & sustainability, government affairs, community & stakeholder engagement, employee volunteerism, and our nonprofit Meow Wolf Foundation," according to her LinkedIn profile.

"We want to strengthen the art and culture ecosystems in our communities, especially among community-based organizations that are serving those who typically don’t have access, using art and creativity in innovative ways," Mrs. Heinrich said last November in connection with an announcement from the private Meow Wolf foundation.

The Examiner likewise suggested that Mrs. Heinrich's connection with accusations of anti-Semitism at the venue may pose problems for her husband, who recently called to once again fund the United Nations Relief and Works Agency, believed to have ties to Hamas and the October 7 attack against Israelis. Last month, Sen. Heinrich also joined 11 of his Senate colleagues in calling for the State Department to investigate Israel for possible war crimes.

The Examiner reached out to Mrs. Heinrich for comment.

Matisyahu has enjoyed a lengthy career thanks to his unique fusion of reggae and rap. He is best known for hits like "King Without a Crown" and "One Day."

He also harbors some left-leaning views. Not only did he declare in his statement that he has "empathy for both Israelis and Palestinians," but he also claimed that Americans live on "colonized land" and that the U.S. perpetrated "an actual genocide of Native Americans."

He also supposedly held an event at another Tucson location on Thursday after the Rialto backed out. Though technically "free," the event was orchestrated to collect donations for Israeli hostages. Whether that event went on as scheduled is unclear.

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