The Maccabeats
| The Maccabeats | |
|---|---|
| Origin | New York City |
| Genres | A cappella, beatboxing, covers, parody |
| Years active | 2007–present |
| Associated acts | StandFour |
| Website | www |
| Members | Chanina Abramowitz, Michael Greenberg, Julian (Chaim) Horowitz, Noey Jacobson, Joshua Jay, Nachum Joel, Ari Lewis, Mordechai Prus, Jeffrey Ritholtz, Buri Rosenberg, George Rubin, Joey Senders, Meir Shapiro, Yonatan Shefa |
The Maccabeats are an American Orthodox Jewish all-male a cappella group based at Yeshiva University, Manhattan, New York. Founded in 2007, the 14-member group specializes in covers and parodies of contemporary hits using Jewish-themed lyrics. Their breakout 2010 Hanukkah music video for "Candlelight", a parody of Mike Tompkins' a cappella version of Taio Cruz's "Dynamite", logged more than two million hits in its first ten days; the video has been viewed more than 12 million times as of 2017. They have recorded three albums and one EP, and frequently release music videos in conjunction with Jewish holidays. They tour worldwide and have performed at the White House and the Knesset.
The Maccabeats were founded in 2007 at Yeshiva University in Manhattan. The group adapted their name from that of the university's sports teams, "The Maccabees". The original group was composed of full-time undergraduate students, all alumni of Bnei Akiva North America. The group sang together privately for the first year, developing their repertoire, and then began appearing at campus events. They eventually hired themselves out to perform at bar mitzvahs, weddings, and other events in the New York Orthodox Jewish community.
The Maccabeats released their first album, Voices from the Heights, in March 2010. This album, funded by a grant from the university, sold about 5,000 copies. In November 2010, they released "Candlelight", a Hanukkah-themed cover of Taio Cruz's "Dynamite" with a music video directed by Uri Westrich, a Yeshiva University graduate. The video, a parody of Mike Tompkins' a cappella music video for "Dynamite", was intended for the group's target audience in the New York Orthodox Jewish community but it quickly went viral, being viewed more than 2 million times in ten days. As of 2016, it had logged over 10 million views. The song entered Billboard's Comedy Digital Tracks chart at #2 and the Billboard Holiday Digital Songs chart at #19. That same month, the song rose to #1 on the Comedy Digital Tracks chart.
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