Israel Vs. US: A Purim Music Video Battle
Apparently the world of Jewish a capella is more competitive than you think.
After achieving overnight success with “Candlelight,” the Maccabeats, Yeshiva University’s all-male a capella group, is back with another surefire YouTube hit, “Purim Song” (no points for creative naming, guys!). This time, the story of Esther, Ahasverosh, Haman and Mordechai is set to Pink’s “Raise Your Glass.”
But a week before the Maccabeats’ new song was released, an Israeli (and co-ed) a capella group, The Fountainheads, debuted their own Purim-themed version of the same Pink song, titled “Raise Your Masks” (points for the more creative name!).
(See both songs below.)
Wonder what Pink thinks about becoming synonymous with Purim.
As of Thursday, the Fountainheads’ version had been viewed on YouTube just over 29,000 times. The Maccabeats’ verion was viewed nearly 220,000 times.
The Fountainheads also had a pop-inspired Hannukkah song, set to the Black Eyed Peas’ “I Gotta Feeling.” But their number of YouTube viewers — just over 27,000 — pales in comparison to “Candlelight“‘s nearly 5 million viewers.
The Maccabeats still has the same goofy appeal that made “Candlelight” such a big hit, but the Washington Heights backdrop is no comparison to the rolling Israeli hills visible in the Fountainheads’ video.
What do you think? Are either of them are as catchy as “Candelight”?
A message from our CEO & publisher Rachel Fishman Feddersen
I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s award-winning, nonprofit journalism during this critical time.
At a time when other newsrooms are closing or cutting back, the Forward has removed its paywall and invested additional resources to report on the ground from Israel and around the U.S. on the impact of the war, rising antisemitism and polarized discourse..
Readers like you make it all possible. Support our work by becoming a Forward Member and connect with our journalism and your community.
— Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO
