Jewish singer Matisyahu blames venue staffers after 2 shows are canceled amid Israel-Hamas war fervor

Jewish American singer Matisyahu is accusing music venues in Tucson, Arizona, and Santa Fe, New Mexico, of canceling his scheduled performances at the last minute due to issues involving the Israel-Hamas war, but the venues said the shows were axed over safety concerns and staff shortages.

In his statement on X, the 44-year-old singer, known for blending reggae and hip hop, says “they do this because they are either anti-Semitic or have confused their empathy for the Palestinian people with hatred for someone like me who holds empathy for both Israelis and Palestinians.” 

Matisyahu was scheduled to play at the Rialto Theatre in Tucson on Thursday and at Meow Wolf in Santa Fe on Wednesday.

The Rialto announced that the show was canceled “due to safety concerns and staff shortage,” hours before the show’s 8:30 p.m. start time.

The Rialto’s executive director, Cathy Rivers, told NBC News that the decision to cancel was “not made about politics or religion; this decision was made based on safety.”

“The temperature of the day changed, and the tone was not set by us. This escalated to a concern of safety for our patrons, our staff, and our community,” she said. “We have hosted Matisyahu at our theatre many times but today was not the day to have him play. He was paid in full and ticket refunds are available to all ticket holders.”

Meow Wolf in Santa Fe told NBC News that it canceled because “two hours before the show was set to begin, we found ourselves without adequate staff to safely manage the sold out crowd.”

The venue said it believes in “free expression, respectful discourse and the power of art to bring people together” and does not tolerate “Antisemitism, Islamophobia, hate, racism, discrimination or violence of any kind.”

The show was anticipated to draw a crowd of protesters and counterprotesters concerning the Israel-Hamas war, local station KOAT of Albuquerque reported.

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In a statement on Instagram Thursday night, Matisyahu said, “It truly is a sad day when dialogue with those you disagree with is abandoned for hate mongering and silencing artistic expression.”

He continued, “My band and I will keep moving forward always.”

He apologized to his fans in Santa Fe and Tucson, saying: “I love you all. My band and I will be back. We will not respond to hate with more hate. We will be together again.”

The artist later posted on his Instagram story that he and his band would put on a free show at The Rock in Tucson on Thursday night and raise funds to support the efforts to return hostages held by Hamas. Protests have swept across the U.S. in response to the Israel-Hamas war, as have reports of antisemitism and Islamophobia. 

Santa Fe Mayor Alan Webber condemned the canceled Meow Wolf show saying: “There is a significant difference between protesting against the policies of the Netanyahu government in Gaza and shutting down the performance of a Jewish-American artist in Santa Fe."