Teens Exemplify Hope on America's Got Talent
By Philissa Cramer
JTA
Jul 18, 2024
"A chorus of Israeli and Palestinian teens won hearts, applause and a chance
at $1 million with a successful 'America's Got Talent' audition...
"'Singing in groups naturally creates community and builds trust, even on a
psychological and neurological level; we're hardwired to trust people more
when we sing together,' said Jerusalem Youth Chorus founder Micha Hendler,
who lives in Washington, D.C. Amer Abu Arqub, a Palestinian chorus graduate
serves as an on-the-ground executive director...
"'It has been a truly heartbreaking year in many ways,' the group said in an
Instagram post last week. 'We have all lost so much. We have lost people we
love, we have lost trust and innocence, but in all of those moments, JYC
singers, Alumni and staff have stayed committed to the cause and process and
it has made all the difference.'...
"'We are the Jerusalem Youth Chorus, a group of Palestinians and Israelis,'
one girl said on behalf of the group. 'We believe through music and through
working together and talking to each other, we are taking a step forward
into building that amazing future where there is justice and there is
freedom and there is equality and there is inclusion.'...
"The Jerusalem Youth Chorus issued an official cease-fire call in early
June. 'The last eight months of war have brought nothing but destruction to
Palestinians and Israelis, and have only served to empower the extremists on
both sides who have sacrificed their own people to further radical
ideologies of total victory,' the group said in a statement, adding that
Israelis and Palestinians should be able to choose an alternative and
saying, 'It is for this shared future that we sing.'
"In recent months, the group has unveiled an original song called 'A
Different Way' with lyrics in both Arabic and Hebrew."
About Heart of a Nation
Empowering the next generation of American, Israeli, and Palestinian change-makers to embrace better, together.
אנחנו מכנסים הוגים מובילים, פעילים חברתיים, ומחוללי שינוי לעתיד, אמריקאים, ישראלים ופלסטינאים, המחויבים לשיפור החברות שלהם.
نحن أمريكيون وإسرائيليون وفلسطينيون نبني ونكوّن روابط من أجل التعلم والتفكير والمشاركة معًا حتى نشجع الحلول التقدمية بشأن القضايا التي تهمنا جميعًا.