July 15, 2025
Dear JYC Global Family,
Just two weeks ago, we gathered in Jerusalem for our end-of-year concert—a celebration we weren’t sure could happen.
Just days before, as rockets fell and sirens echoed, we moved the chorus’ twice weekly rehearsals online.
And, when it was safe to gather again, which we only learned the day before our end-of-year concert, we did—no stage, no lights, just a packed room of families and friends. Our singers stood together, shoulder to shoulder, singing out from the front of the room and from the bottom of their hearts.
What they shared was a glimpse of the world they’re not just imagining—but have scaffolded and built. As one of our Palestinian singers, wrote in her end-of-year reflections:
“Finding harmony within our communities starts with whispering your truth and listening to the person singing next to you, even when they’re telling a different story.”
— Dahlia, Palestinian Singer
Our singers truly are agents of transformation—as they’ve evolved and transformed themselves. This truth reverberated throughout the evening and was echoed in the words of one our Israeli singers:
“…Not everything is perfect, but that’s exactly where growth happens— and the most important thing is that we go through it together.”
— Masha, Israeli Singer
Whether on stage or in conversation, our singers model what it means to listen deeply, to grow in community, and to build bridges that hold.
The night ended, as it always does, with our anthem Home—a song that has carried us through war, pandemic, and the everyday tensions of life in Jerusalem. For our singers, Home is more than a closing number—it’s a declaration. As we often say: we’ll keep singing it until the Jerusalem outside looks like the one we’ve built inside JYC.
A Milestone Year for JYC
This concert marked the close of our 13th season—a meaningful coming of age across both Israeli and Palestinian cultures. For JYC, this was exactly that: a year of growth, resilience, and renewed purpose.
As one of our Palestinian singers, shared:
“The choir taught me that my voice doesn’t have to be perfect—it just has to be honest. And that strength isn’t always in being loud; sometimes it’s in the truth that comes from real pain.”
— Yasmin, Palestinian Singer
That honesty, that courage, didn’t emerge by chance. It was nurtured—through our newly expanded curriculum, and by the global community of supporters like you who make this work possible.
Through an intentional and integrated process of music and dialogue, young Palestinians and Israelis don’t just sing together—they learn to lead together, listen deeply, and speak up and sing out for a different future.
In 2024, that future felt further away than ever. But, even in a year of profound pain and political violence, our youth kept showing up—because of their friends.
Our high school singers showed an unprecedented 95% retention rate—spending nearly 10 hours a week together rehearsing, reimagining their world, and singing out for that different future they live each week when they come to JYC.
When we invest in our youth, they don’t just change individually—they become catalysts. They carry what they’ve learned back to their families, their classrooms, their neighborhoods. And when they perform—onstage, online, and across the globe—they invite audiences to witness what’s possible: shared humanity, even across deep divides.
As one parent reflected after the concert:
“This is one of the rare cases where we adults learn from the children about living together.”
— Asaf, Parent of an Israeli Singer
DOUBLE YOUR IMPACT TODAY
Now is your chance to stand beside our youth who are choosing a different way.
Every donation up to $25,000 will be matched dollar for dollar, thanks to the generosity of Julie Sissman and Phil Richter,
That means your gift goes twice as far—fueling the transformation of each individual singer, sparking ripple effects in their communities throughout East and West Jerusalem, and igniting an even broader global movement for peaceful reconciliation through music and dialogue.
With your help in 2025-2026, we will:
- Expand to our largest-ever enrollment from East and West Jerusalem
- Strengthen our alumni and parents’ programs—extending our impact across generations
- Amplify our message worldwide, including at “The Promise of Music” world congress of music and social change in Toronto this fall
Will you join us in investing in these courageous young change makers?
Together, we can build a future rooted in mutual respect and co-creation– one that rises beyond imagination.
In hope and harmony,
Micah, Amer, Jackie, and the Jerusalem Youth Chorus.