-Photo from Ariel Moger

For the final installment of this week’s Veritas Forum,whose symbol looks bizarrely similar to the Mac Wireless sign, the group hosted a screening of Justin Dillon‘s film Call and Response and brought Matisyahu, the greatest Jewish reggae singer of all time, for a performance that can only be described as “kick-ass.”

Call and Response, an anti-slavery documentary/concert film, mixed its message about eradicating modern slavery with great performances, including one from Talib Kweli. Dillon spoke for a few minutes after the screening, urging the audience to join in his cause.

The night really heated up, though,  when Matisyahu took the stage. The concept of a Hasidic reggae star may seem strange, but the man is no one-hit wonder, especially with his beat-boxing. For his roughly hour-long set, Matis brought down the house, improvising almost his entire performance. During his dazzling beat-boxing, he would flick his finger through the air, conducting his otherworldly beats for himself. His set was interrupted when a microphone shorted out, but he won over the audience despite the technical glitch, and they ended the night on their feet, bowled over by the performance.

- DJB