Jerusalem Youth Chorus Director to Speak in Baltimore

With more than 400,000 views on YouTube, the video of thePhillip Phillips song “Home” as performed by the YMCA Jerusalem Youth Chorusdepicts the Israeli capital as thriving without any political, ethnic orsectarian divisions.

“With the state of the world and the state of Israel andPalestine today, people are depressed and cynical and looking for hope andsigns of humanity and the possibilities for people to work together,” saysMicah Hendler, founder and director of the chorus. “That’s what this chorusrepresents, and that is the experience we create when we perform.”

On March 14 at noon, Hendler, who grew up in Bethesda, willmeet with members of Baltimore’s Jewish community at a private Owings Millsresidence to share his experiences with the chorus and provide information onthe program.

Founded by Hendler in 2012, the chorus is a combination of asinging and dialogue program based at the Jerusalem International YMCA.Consisting of Israeli and Palestinian high school singers from East and WestJerusalem, the group offers a safe space for members to discuss their commonalitiesand differences.

“The coolest thing is to see is that despite political,cultural and social barriers how many high school students are excited about thechorus and want to audition,” says Hendler. “If you look at people only aspolitical objects, you see only part of their possibilities and opportunities.”

Currently, there are approximately 30 singers in the chorus,with an extensive alumni base. The group has an equal number of Jewish and Arabsingers. Among the Arab singers, a third are Christian and an equal number areMuslim.

“Most of the members join because they love to sing, andthen the dialogue piece is required,” says Hendler, 29, who graduated from YaleUniversity with a degree in music and international studies. “Dialogue can bedifficult. People in our chorus believe in very different things but they alllove to sing, so they come to do that and then the dialogue piece falls intoplace and ends up being powerful in ways they didn’t expect.”

Hendler travels around the world to talk about the chorusand its objective to break down barriers. The Mediterranean lunch in OwingsMills is open to anyone interested in learning more about the project.

“This is an opportunity for the community to learn about thework we are doing, engage with it, ask questions and share ideas,” Hendler says.“This is a way people can invest in the future of Jerusalem. There is also alot of bridge-building and dialogue that needs to happen in the United States,and I hope to find a way to apply what we are doing in Jerusalem to some of thecontext we find ourselves here in the U.S.”

Hendler — who was named in 2017 as one of Forbes magazine’s “30 Under 30” – says musicand studying regions with conflict have played a central role in his life. Growingup, he spent his summers at Seeds of Peace, a summer camp in Maine focused onengaging with new generations of leaders in conflicted regions. (The chorus isa Seeds of Peace project.)

“What I learned at camp was how the musical competence ofcommunity building played a huge role and created a shared identity amongpeople who were supposed to have nothing in common and hate each other,” he says.“When I saw how the two could work together in this context and have an amazingimpact, I knew it’s what I wanted to do.”

The chorus has performed for audiences around the world, includingGermany’s president, at the Millennium Stage at the Kennedy Center and on “TheLate Show with Stephen Colbert.” One member, Eden Alene, won “The X FactorIsrael” TV music competition.

“Our singers feel a sense of empowerment and a sense theirvoices matter because … powerful people want to listen to them,” says Hendler.“They also have a greater sense of openness and understanding that there are multipleperspectives to different issues, and that there isn’t always one right answer.Different opinions are valid, and having the skills to have difficultdiscussions is moving to see.”

Hendler says he’s witnessed how the intersection of musicand dialogue can make a difference.

“In the summer of 2014, our singers were put under intense pressure by the violence taking place in Gaza and in Jerusalem,” he says. “What we saw was that our singers demanded more dialogue sessions during this time. When you have a dialogue space to process conflict and learn about the situation, people are more likely to maintain relationships with those who have differing opinions.”

For information about the March 14 lunch, email dvodenos@gmail.com or call 301-602-5729. For information about the chorus, visit jerusalemyouthchorus.org.

Aliza Friedlander is aBaltimore-based freelance writer.