The power of music and its ability to unify was on full display when the YMCA Jerusalem Youth Chorus visited Philadelphia recently.

“Our teens can be agents of change,” said Steve Fisher, artistic and managing director of the Commonwealth Youthchoirs which is based in Germantown.

During a concert held in the Kimmel Center’s Perelman Theater late last month, Fisher affirmed the audience “through singing and music we can connect with one another regardless of our religion, color or gender. We can create a wonderful legacy of peace through singing. The doors of opportunity are open wide.”

Twenty-nine high school aged students from Jerusalem visited with the Keystone State Boychoir and Pennsylvania Girlchoir, the Commonwealth Youthchoirs, as part of the YMCA Jerusalem Youth Chorus’ (JYC) two-week U.S. Tour.

Billed as “A Song for Peace EVERYWHERE,” the choirs performed renditions of an African-American spiritual, Israeli and Arabic classics, popular culture tunes and originally composed works.

“We changed the title of the concert because of what recently took place in Charleston, S.C., and wanted to honor those that lost their lives,” Fisher said.

The engagement at the Kimmel was originally billed as “A Song for Peace in the Middle East.”

“We planned to take a trip to Jerusalem later this year, but in light of a few instances of violence that impacted youth in Israel, we decided to invite their choir to visit with us,” Fisher said.
The church massacre in Charleston, S.C., occurred on the first performance date of JYC’s tour. In light of the political, social, religious and cultural issues the students in Jerusalem face, Fisher felt obligated to determine how to enhance the experience for all of the students.

“One of the compelling components of the JYC is that they bring together youth that come from backgrounds and communities where it’s not popular to interact with others from certain backgrounds. Israeli and Palestinian kids are interacting with one another through singing and dialogue, it’s a beautiful thing,” he said.

Fisher met the founder and director of the JYC, Micah Hendler, about eighteen months ago and was intrigued by something Hendler incorporated into his program.

“Every rehearsal they dialogue to get their frustrations out and discuss the challenges they’re facing as teenagers,” he said. “The music brings them together to have these challenging conversations and to address issues that are difficult to speak about.”

Hendler, a native of Maryland, started the chorus three years ago, inspired by his time as a music counselor with Seeds of Peace International Camp for Coexistence. The Sidwell Friends and Yale graduate combines his “passions for youth singing and Middle East peacemaking in a creative approach to conflict transformation,” which he believes can have a significant impact.

“The music creates the safe space and feeling of community and the feeling of working together for something,” Hendler said. “You can challenge and be real with each other and really get at some hard issues.”
The JYC holds weekly rehearsals for three-and-a-half hours, singing first before having a dialogue session then finishing off with another singing session. Through the co-creation of music and the sharing of stories, the chorus has empowered its singers to become leaders in their communities.

First year JYC member Zoey Tabak is one of the chorus’ members poised to be a leader of change Hendler will proudly speak of in the future. Born in Highland Park, N.J., the engaging 17-year-old student said she enjoyed her time in Philadelphia.

While sitting at a table occupied by students from JYC and the Commonwealth Choirs, on the campus of The Presbyterian Church of Chestnut Hill, Tabak spoke about her tour experience.
“It’s been exhausting but really good. We went to the mall earlier and I’ve spent a lot of money on make-up and other accessories that are expensive back home,” Tabak said pointing to Sofia Anastasia’s newly purchased bracelets.

Anastasia, 16, has been with the chorus for two years and enjoyed her first time in the U.S.

“It’s amazing! We’ve gone to many places and every city and state we’ve been in is different,” she said. “None of my classmates have been here so I’m going to go back and tell them ‘I’ve been to America,’” she shared while sitting with members of the Commonwealth Choirs.

Abington High School classmates Michael Deshield and Calvin Wamser enjoyed their time engaging with Tabak and Anastasia. Deshield and Wamser, both 15 years old, have been with the Keystone State Boychoir (KSB) since 2010.

“I think I’ll see things from a different perspective as a result of interacting with the members of the Jerusalem choir,” Deshield said.

Wamser, who is well-traveled as a result of being on the KSB, attributes his development as a person to opportunities like engaging with JYC.

“I’ve been to Norway, Australia and New Zealand. A lot of my friends aren’t as well-traveled and I feel I am lucky to have that experience to see and interact with other cultures and make great music,” Wamser said.

Making great music and transforming lives in the process is clearly Fisher’s mission.

The collaboration between the Commonwealth Choirs and the JYC was more than a concert and kids awkwardly being forced to address issues of conflict that adults believe they should shoulder.

“Our experience in Philly, and in general, has been overwhelmingly positive,” Hendler said. “We would be delighted to come back. In the meantime there’s a lot we can take back to Israel. With any exchange it goes both ways, performance and personal exchanges. We can teach the music we create and the message we bring. We can learn that the struggles we deal with are not as unique or only ours. We strive for excellence, but ultimately what makes our music powerful is that we create space for our students to create opportunities for themselves, regardless of their political views or what community they come from.”

All children, no matter their circumstances, are transformed by seeing the world, according to Fisher.

“It is the most effective way to teach tolerance and understanding of cultures of other people,” he said. “It is in that spirit and inspired by that courage that we are determined to take our students to Jerusalem in 2016.”

Read Louis Bolling’s article in The Philadelphia Tribune ››