March 5, 2025
Dear JYC Global Family,
Two powerful documentaries exposing the devastating realities of life in Israel-Palestine have recently won major international awards: No Other Land was honored with the Oscar for Best Documentary Feature Film, and Holding Liat claimed the 2025 Berlinale Documentary Award—an award No Other Land itself had won the previous year.
No Other Land, created by a Palestinian-Israeli collective of four activists, confronts the ongoing dispossession and displacement of Palestinian communities in the West Bank as an act of resistance in the pursuit of justice. Holding Liat follows the heartbreaking story of hostage Liat Beinin Atzili and her family in the wake of the Hamas attack on October 7, 2023 in a deeply humanizing and complex exploration of conflicts both internal and external.
In these polarized times, it may seem like the stories in No Other Land and Holding Liat are on opposite sides, but their creators and protagonists of the films see themselves as sharing two facets of the same story, and used their acceptance speeches as a platform to call attention to the important messages included in both films. These artists are visionaries, and share JYC’s work of using the arts to chart the course for a different future.
Like these films, JYC works in opposition to the power structures that try to enforce injustice through separation. While No Other Land faced censorship and struggled to secure distribution because the truths it exposed were outside the narrative of those in power, JYC creates an equal space to lift the voices that are being silenced and to equitably share the lived experiences of our young singers. We know that work that dares to bridge divides will always face resistance from those who benefit from separation. But despite the pushback, these films’ awards and JYC’s recent accomplishments serve as powerful reminders that art and partnership can break through barriers, challenge the status quo, and demand a new future.
In JYC, we know the power of art to connect, to provoke, and to heal. Music, like film, reaches beyond politics, beyond rhetoric, and straight into the soul. In harmony, we create space for the hard conversations that can transform not just how we see each other, but how we see ourselves and the future we must build together.
The recognition of these documentaries is not just an artistic achievement—it is a rallying cry. We stand in solidarity with all those using creative expression to illuminate injustice and challenge despair. Amidst the ongoing backlash from forces committed to division, JYC continues to stand together and meet for our regular twice-weekly sessions. In order to protect the identities of our singers at this time, our website and social media platforms remain temporarily suspended, but rest assured that our work continues.
We ask you to help us continue to raise our voices, tell our stories, and insist on a world where our singers’ home is defined not by conflict, but by shared humanity, dignity, and hope. Although we’ve temporarily taken our website offline, you and members of your community can still support our work through the links below.
Who knows what history-making pieces of art our kids will create with the JYC toolkit as they grow. With your investment in our singers, we can find out.
With hope and harmony,
Micah, Amer, Jackie, and the Jerusalem Youth Chorus