Alum Lior Ben-Hur Scores Hit on Reggae Charts

J WEEKLY -- Ben-Hur attended San Francisco State University, where he earned a Bachelor of Arts degree with an emphasis in world music. “When I started studying, I got my first job teaching music at [S.F. Congregation] Sherith Israel,” he said. “That was my first exposure to the Jewish music scene, which is a whole different scene, you know, with different songs and repertoire.” While at SFSU he and a several classmates formed Sol Tevél. Amid all the varieties of new music Ben-Hur was exposed to, reggae set itself apart. “I was pretty much hooked when I heard it, there was something in the vibe,” he said. “I got really interested and started reading about it. And in 2009 I took a trip to Jamaica, which was for me, kind of like the exploration of, you could say, identity.”