October 25, 2025
Dear JYC Family,
These past two years have tested all of us — and the horrors continue, with Israeli strikes in Gaza killing 100 people just yesterday and no sense of what the political future holds.
And yet, amid so much grief and suffering, small moments of connection have felt revolutionary, as I’m reminded that peace is not a single event, but a practice — one our singers embody every day.
I’m JoJo Drake Kalin, a marketing magic-maker and digital wordsmith whose work bridges people, purpose, and possibility through story — and JYC’s newest team member, serving as our Narrative Strategist & Storytelling Architect.
How I became connected with the chorus is a story unto itself. After working quietly behind the scenes these past few months, I’m excited to officially introduce myself — and share my story with you.
The Prologue
This past spring, I survived the May 21 antisemitic terrorist attack at the Capital Jewish Museum here in D.C., an event I helped shape.
I architected its theme as “Turning Pain into Purpose” — a deliberate counter to the “us versus them” narrative that had plagued us since October 7. The evening centered on humanitarian diplomacy and featured a panel spotlighting a coalition of Israelis and Palestinians, led by the MultiFaith Alliance. The discussion? Their work to deliver aid to Gaza and build fragile trust across divides.
We had gathered there, that night, to turn pain into purpose, then gunshots shattered our peace. The pain multiplied. The stakes deepened. (You can read more about that night and my story in this Moment Magazine feature.)
In the aftermath, I’ve been learning what psychologists call post-traumatic growth — the art of bouncing forward, not back; not in spite of the trauma, but through it. For me, that meant recommitting to the very work that evening was meant to celebrate — bridge-building, interfaith work, and dialogue across divides.
That journey led me here — to JYC, where every day I get to this hardship into harmony and hope.
The Meet Cute
Less than two weeks after that life-changing May attack, my mother-in-law forwarded me an email (not much different than the one you’re reading now) about a JYC concert quietly happening in a D.C. church. The performance wasn’t publicized for safety reasons. Desperately searching for healing and mean-making in the aftermath of my trauma, I went.
How had I not heard of this group before?
What I found there felt like oxygen: Israeli and Palestinian youth singing together in Hebrew, Arabic, and English — their harmonies rising beneath stained glass.
In a city still trembling from violence — and reverberating from the antisemitic Molotov cocktail attack in Boulder earlier that week — that sound was a healing balm for the heart, a salve for the soul.
I stood in the back, a blubbering puddle, realizing I was witnessing exactly what I’d been yearning for: proof that what the world insists is impossible is possible.
The Jerusalem Youth Chorus performing at the “Front Lines of Hope” concert in Washington, D.C.—where JoJo first encountered their harmony and hope in action.
Immediately after the show, I thanked Micah and told him how healing the concert was. He met me with such empathy for what I’d just experienced — a testament to his leadership and heart. At the reception, I also met Amer, Jackie, and several of the singers, and got a glimpse into the soul of JYC — and the exciting growth moment it was entering.
On the heels of America’s Got Talent and TED, JYC’s growing visibility called for a more intentional communications strategy — one that could honor the core mission while scaling its reach responsibly, with the safety and dignity of our singers always at the forefront.
Having spent my career helping movements and media projects find their voice — from Alzheimer’s awareness campaigns (HFC) to social-impact documentaries (Public Defender / Spark Media) — the alignment felt instant.
A few weeks later, in mid-June, I joined the team to help JYC keep telling its story to the world — safely, strategically, and with heart.
On the Road Together in Toronto
Not long after joining the team, I had the chance to go on tour with the chorus in Toronto. On our From Olive Trees to Maple Leaves tour, I got a front-row seat watching our singers live the harmony they sing about.
I experienced the transformative nature of being in the chorus — how it forges connection and friendship in real time.
I didn’t think I could be more moved than I was at that first concert — but seeing the chorus behind the scenes, in rehearsals, on tour buses, and during Toronto excursions, left me even more awestruck than before.
Perhaps most moving of all, they toured together on the two-year milestone of October 7, which for me, felt nothing short of a miracle.
As the world once again braced for grief, these Israeli and Palestinian teens chose to stand side by side, raising their voices for peace. Each concert became both remembrance and renewal — proof that harmony can hold heartbreak, and that even in fractured times, connection is still possible when we choose to listen.
And yet, it wasn’t a miracle at all! What our singers managed to navigate that week was and is only possible because empathy is a muscle — one JYC’s dialogue and educational programming helps our singers strengthen week after week. They’ve spent the time honing their craft, not just musically, but empathetically.
When that fateful date arrived, I — like the rest of the chorus — was rather emotionally dysregulated. But I joined the singers in rehearsal anyway, warming up with them, singing Home.
With each note I sang and each glance shared with the singers, I could literally feel the joy welling up within me. Singing with them got me out of my head and into my body — present in the moment.
It was then I understood (on a visceral level,) why the singers keep coming back, and why their parents voted unanimously to keep going after October 7. The world needs this work now more than ever. But beyond that, singing in the chorus is medicine — for them, and, as I learned, for all of us. It’s mindfulness in action — something research even backs up.
During one of the warm-ups on tour, I laughed with a Palestinian singer sitting beside me. We hadn’t been able to connect much before; our conversations stalled under the weight of language barriers. But in that moment, through rhythm and breath, we circumnavigated the difference. We spoke through song — and for the first time, truly understood each other.
Yet again, I experienced the magic of JYC in real time and I realized it isn’t magic at all; it’s simply the power of music to transcend differences. Creating art together in real time sparks connection, deepens relationships, and builds bonds across cultures, even for two people who can barely speak to one another otherwise.
Cross-cultural friendships, after all, play a vital role in peacebuilding. Sarah Milgrim, one of the lives lost in the May 21 DC attack, devoted her final master’s research to this very subject — and dedicated her life to forging friendships across divides. On tour, I watched those very friendships take shape before my eyes.
And while I can’t bring her back, by working with JYC, I can honor her legacy. The chorus is the living embodiment of what she — and so many others — have studied: the radical, everyday power of connection to transform pain into a new reality.
Be the Reason a Singer Can Compose a New Reality
 When I joined the chorus on tour, I felt what our singers feel every week: harmony that can hold heartbreak. That’s what your gift sustains — the transformation that happens one voice, one friendship, one song at a time. |
Your support makes it possible for our singers to:
- Experience the healing power of music
- Gather in safe spaces for dialogue and understanding
- Humanize those they’ve been taught to fear
- Build friendships across divides that would otherwise be impossible
- Become agents of change who transpose conflict through song and share that harmony with the world
When you choose to transform a singer’s life, you’re funding their participation, yes — but you also enter into a relationship that reflects the very harmony they’re building.
In return, you’ll:
- Exchange twice-annual correspondence with your sponsored singer(s).
- Join two (virtual or live) Q&As with our singers
- Attend two (virtual or live) JYC rehearsals
In other words, you’ll get what I got — a peek behind the curtain. A chance to see the courage, connection, and creativity that make this chorus more than a choir, but a living movement for peace.
Because peace doesn’t just happen — it’s composed, one note, one act of courage, one supporter at a time.
It’s built when people like you choose connection over despair, and help turn pain into purpose
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🎁 Plus… Three More Ways to Support the Chorus
🛍️Shop the Chorus Closet: Our official JYC merch makes perfect gifts this season — and every purchase helps keep our singers singing. Shop now →
🌟 Join the Team: We’re hiring two Jerusalem-based Community Managers to help lead our work locally. Know someone who’d be a great fit? Learn more and apply →
💬 Be Part of the Movement:
If you’re local in Jerusalem, join our JYC Nest WhatsApp group (in Hebrew and Arabic) to connect with other supporters and help grow our community of bridge-builders. Get the link →