Motty Steinmetz

Motty Steinmetz
מוטי שטיינמץ‎
Background information
Birth nameMordecai Steinmetz
Born (1992-07-05) 5 July 1992 (age 32)
Bnei Brak, Israel
GenresJewish music
OccupationSinger
Years active2012–present
Websitemottysteinmetz.co

Yisrael Baruch Mordechai "Motty" Steinmetz (Hebrew: מוטי שטיינמץ) is a prominent Hasidic singer.

Biography

[edit]

Steinmetz was born in 1992 to a Vizhnitz family in Bnei Brak. Motty is the son of Rabbi Moshe and Rebecca Steinmetz, and the fourth of nine children.

When Steinmetz was fourteen, his grandfather moved from Antwerp, Belgium, to Israel and taught him many traditional Vizhnitz tunes which influenced his musical style.[1] In his early teens, he was spotted by producer and composer Ruvi Banet, who would later become his manager. Steinmetz sings religious Jewish songs, with the lyrics often being taken directly from scripture or prayers, and is known for the great emotion he puts into his music.[2][3] In accordance with his ultra-Orthodox interpretation of the Jewish laws of modesty, he never performs to mixed audiences of men and women, unless there is a mechitza (separation). He has also visited a hospital in Israel to sing to an accident victim.[4]

Steinmetz on Kan 11

In 2017, he released his debut album Haneshama Bekirbi, with Ashkenazi Chief Rabbi of Israel David Lau and the mayors of Bnei Barak and El'ad present at the launch of the album.[5][6][7][8] The album reportedly took four years of work to finish, and achieved platinum certification in Israel.[9]

In 2018, the Israeli national broadcaster Kan 11 produced an episode documenting Steinmetz's life and music.

Steinmetz was at the centre of a controversy about gender-segregated concerts in the summer of 2019. Steinmetz was scheduled to perform to a gender-segregated audience in Afula. This was challenged in the local courts with a judge recommending that the audience be split three ways with the addition of a mixed gender area. However, this ruling was challenged in the high court by a woman's activists’ group. The high court ruled that the segregation was illegal, but the judgment was only passed as the concert was finishing.[10] Steinmetz said that he found the controversy “infuriating” and that he had received praise from Haredi politicians Aryeh Deri and Moshe Gafni.[11] After all this, a male-only Steinmetz concert in Haifa was shut down by judges.[12]

He is of Ashkenazi descent

Personal life

[edit]

At age 23, Steinmetz was introduced to his wife Malka Weisel by a matchmaker. Weisel is the daughter of the head of the conversion system at Rabbi Karelitz's court in Bnei Brak who is also the rabbi of the Yeshivot students in Modi'in Illit. In 2015, Steinmetz married Weisel, with Hasidic singer Mordechai Ben David as a guest at the wedding.[13][14] In 2017, the couple had a first daughter, Esther Steinmetz, and in 2020 had another daughter.[15][16]

Discography

[edit]

Studio albums

[edit]
  • Haneshama Bekirbi (2017)
  • Atik Yomin (2022)

Singles

[edit]
Single name Release Date YouTube Views (April 2023)
1 Tseno Ureno 28 July 2015 13,967,745
2 Nafshi 10 June 2019 11,797,468
3 Haneshama Bekirbi 25 February 2017 7,807,965
4 Zechor Bris 25 September 2017 2,475,887
5 Yehei Raava 5 June 2019 1,741,731
6 Al Tashlicheini 6 September 2018 594,514
7 Le'oso Hazman 5 March 2017 537,774
8 Ta'isi 4 June 2018 489,096
  • Rachmaneh (2015)
  • Eitz Chaim (2015)
  • Vesorev (2015)
  • Shifchi Kamayim (2015)
  • El Hana'ar Hazeh (2015)
  • Elokim Al Domi Lach (2015)
  • K'ayal Ta'arog (2015)
  • B'sheim Hashem (2015)
  • Tzeinah Uraeinah (2015)
  • V'hi Rachamecha (2015)
  • Ilan (2015)
  • Nafshi (2018) (with Ishay Ribo)
  • Nigun Vizhnitz (2020)
  • Veomar Bayom Hahu (2020)

References

[edit]
  1. ^ Gil, Shlomi (23 September 2015). "Hearts Broken Open". Mishpacha. Archived from the original on 11 October 2018. Retrieved 20 January 2018.
  2. ^ Toker, Yair (24 November 2013). "המיזם החדש של רובי בנט: להקת "החבורה"". Kikar HaShabbat. Retrieved 20 January 2018.
  3. ^ Goldstein, Riki (17 January 2018). "Motti Steinmetz Helps the Crowd Cut through the Opulence". Mishpacha. Archived from the original on 11 October 2018. Retrieved 20 January 2018.
  4. ^ "Motty Steinmetz Sings for a Paralyzed Car Accident Victim". Yeshiva World News. 29 September 2017. Retrieved 19 January 2018.
  5. ^ "Evening Launch:ערב השקה: הברנז'ה חגגה עם מוטי שטיינמץ • תיעוד". Kikar HaShabbat. 15 November 2017. Retrieved 21 January 2018.
  6. ^ Toker, Yair (25 February 2017). ""הנשמה בקרבי" – מתוך אלבום הבכורה של מוטי שטיינמץ". Kikar HaShabbat. Retrieved 20 January 2018.
  7. ^ Leifer, Nathaniel (11 October 2017). "מוטי שטיינמץ עומד בציפיות ביקורת אלבום". Kikar HaShabbat. Retrieved 20 January 2018.
  8. ^ Yaakovson, Tzvi (8 November 2017). "A Song from the Heart(near the bottom of the page)". Yated Ne'eman. Retrieved 20 January 2018.
  9. ^ Shaki, Avner (8 January 2018). "מוטי שטיינמץ בשאלון יהדות: "הקב"ה החליט מתי הקריירה שלי תפרוץ, והוא גם יחליט מתי היא תסתיים"". Hidabroot. Retrieved 20 January 2018.
  10. ^ "Too late: High Court bars gender-segregated concert, when it's almost over". The Times of Israel. 14 August 2019. Retrieved 27 February 2021.
  11. ^ Bleich, Chanani (23 August 2019). "'I don't exclude women,' says haredi singer at heart of gender segregation storm". Israel Hayom. Retrieved 27 February 2021.
  12. ^ "Judge shuts down men-only concert in Haifa". The Times of Israel. 26 August 2019. Retrieved 27 February 2021.
  13. ^ Cohen, Israel (14 October 2015). "רבנים וזמרים בחתונת הזמר מוטי שטיינמץ. תיעוד". Kikar HaShabbat. Retrieved 20 January 2018.
  14. ^ Cohen, Israel (15 May 2015). "מזל טוב: הזמר החסידי מוטי שטיינמץ מאורס". Kikar HaShabbat. Retrieved 20 January 2018.
  15. ^ Cohen, Israel (12 November 2017). "מזל טוב: בת בכורה לזמר מוטי שטיינמץ". Kikar HaShabbat. Retrieved 20 January 2018.
  16. ^ Ohana, Yitzhak (18 July 2020). "בשורות טובות: בת שנייה לזמר מוטי שטיינמץ". Kikar HaShabbat.
[edit]
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Motty_Steinmetz&oldid=1253312048"