Dear JYC Global Family,
Yesterday, we were placed on the blacklist by BDS—joining esteemed organizations like Standing Together and Combatants for Peace, who, like us, believe that collaboration and mutual recognition are essential to ending the cycle of violence and creating a just future.
This public blast from BDS comes on the heels of the news that our recently awarded $500,000 in funding from USAID is suspended and under review. The complete uncertainty surrounding this award requires us to quickly source alternative funds to replace the $150,000 we had expected to receive at this point in the year.
But JYC has charted our course, for more than a decade threading the needle between extremes while also trying to move the needle in our tireless advocacy for an alternative to violence. And that is precisely why we are being targeted—because our work is effective. Because young people choosing to sing together, to listen to one another, to work toward a shared future, are seen as a threat to those invested in division.
We know division doesn’t work. Separation’s only “winners” are the extremists. JYC challenges the paradigm, empowering our singers to resist the dynamics of divide-and-conquer by raising their voices together in truth, pain, and hope.
For BDS to target these kids—who are deeply and publicly committed to justice—makes little sense. And yet, here we are
Even as the BDS post circulated throughout East Jerusalem yesterday, our singers met for their regular Monday rehearsal, responding with heartbreakingly impressive clarity and unity. They rejected the bad-faith label of JYC as a “normalization group” designed to “whitewash the occupation”—citing the many times they shared personal stories publicly criticizing the occupation onstage with JYC—and affirmed their commitment to one another, now more than ever
Fittingly, the musical focus of yesterday’s rehearsal was Adele’s “Skyfall”. As JYC faces attacks from many sides, this song reminds us why we turn to music—not just as an art form, but as a source of resilience, unity, and power. In moments of challenge, music becomes more than melody and lyrics; it becomes a force that heals, uplifts, and gives voice to the unspeakable. Through this song, last night our singers found not only strength and determination but also the courage to rise, unwavering, in the face of provocation.
Let the sky fall
When it crumbles
We will stand tall
Face it all together.
We will continue to sing, to speak, and to show up for one another. But more than ever, our kids need to know they are not alone. Our singers and staff risk so much when they stand against hatred and violence. Our Executive Director, Amer, has been personally targeted twice within the Palestinian community in the last two weeks for his work with the chorus. Despite this, he has continued to lead with exemplary resilience, showing our young leaders how to persevere. Amer, our singers, their parents, and the rest of our team need to feel your support.
Now is the time to sustain—and grow—the work of visionary leadership.
If you believe in the voices of these young people and the future they are building, please join us in supporting their right to live without fear.
JYC has always been about more than music. We are building a movement—one that is steadfast in laying the groundwork to bring about a different future. We will keep singing, keep speaking, and keep showing up for one another. No boycott can change that.
With hope and harmony,
Micah, Amer, Jackie, and the Jerusalem Youth Chorus