I was breezing through a record store on Shammai a few days ago, packing a few shekels for something interesting. Then Jah Mason appeared through a haze of a burning jewel case stacks.

“Bobo Ashanti order is just to gather the people and observethe Sabbath. Sabbath is very important. When you keep the Sabbath, justgive the man even one day. You get a day added to your life every time you keep the Sabbath. It’s all about keepin it real and positive.The Nayabinghi order use the drum sound to do the communication. The drum will do the work for you. Other people would take up them gun and go shoot people, but we nah do that. We use the drum and conquer. The drum sound, back in the ancient, the people used to roll the drum out and call the whole city.”

In short, Jah Mason is a Jamaican dancehall deejay in the Bobo Ashanti/Rasta order. He isn’t remotely Jewish, nor does any of the press available mention his relationship to the Jewish people. Curiously, however, his album, Never Give Up, was recorded in both Kingston, Jamaica and Yavne, Israel. Perhaps he’s channeling Rav Yohanan Ben Zakkai in those riddims. The album, on the Israeli Skabak label uses some of the same instrumental tracks as Lod-native MookE’s popular album “Shma Yisrael.”
Track 7 is called “Kibuts Livication.” That’s right, mighty Yiddn.