Over the past few months, the Miami Boys Choir has become a viral sensation, being viewed and shared a few million times on social media.
Chananya Begun, the son of the choir's founder Yerachmiel Begun, opened the TikTok account which brought the choir's music to millions of people who had never been exposed to Jewish music before, and the results were quick to come.
One video that was uploaded to the choir's TikTok account became especially viral and even reached veiwers who were far beyond the boundaries of Judaism. The viral video was only 40 seconds long, and it showed four of the choir's former soloists performing the song "Yerushalayim".
Last week, after the song had become famous around the world, the Miami Boys Choir arrived at Universal Studios in Hollywood, California for a free Hannukkah concert that attracted fans of all races and religions. And of course, they performed their hit song, to which the crowd joined in, singing every word, even if they didn't understand the language that it was in.
In October Israel National News spoke with David Hershkowitz, one of the Miami Boys Choir soloists who can be seen rocking the stage in the viral TikTok video.
David says he first heard a video of the choir was uploaded to TikTok towards the end of August, and "knew it was getting some action" about two weeks later, when "everyone started texting me videos of it." "This is really exciting," he says.
"99% of the people watching these videos are probably not Jewish," he points out, "so when they see religious Jewish kids performing and giving it their all, it's not what they expect. When they see how exciting Jewish music really is, they really buy into it."
"I've seen pictures of me on people's shower curtains, their pillows, and bedsheets and if that's what you want to wear, go ahead," he relates.
On the topic of his newly-gained status, David says people look at him differently in Israel. "People in Jerusalem definitely recognize me - whether it's walking down Ben Yehuda street or the shuk. In America, there's a little more privacy," points out the newly-famous child star.
David says his experience in the band provided him the confidence he would need later in life. "It allowed me to feel comfortable in front of others without being too nervous," he says.
"The one thing that really stands out to me is that out of the millions of views, there have been...like one or two antisemitic comments. Who would have thought that a song about Jerusalem would go viral and there wouldn't be any [negative feedback?]," asks David.
David urges people to be proud of their Jewish identity. "If you stay true to yourself, and put out stuff that really represents you, and that you put your heart and soul into, people will accept it," points out the newly-found star.