Jacky lives in Boston, Massachusetts and this was her first trip anywhere in the Middle East. Jackie began working full-time for the Jerusalem Youth Chorus (JYC)in November 2024. Before joining the JYC staff, Jackie had no personal connection to the land.
‘I’m not Christian or Jewish or Israeli, or Muslim or Palestinian – but came to the work from a deep love of using music for social change’.
This is her report
I’ve just returned from my first visit to Jerusalem — and I’m still catching my breath. Everything I’d imagined about this region — its magnetism, its tension, its layers of beauty and complexity — came to life in ways I couldn’t have anticipated. To walk its streets, to share meals with our staff and singers, to experience this place not as an outsider, but through the lens of the Jerusalem Youth Chorus — it was an honor I’ll carry with me for a long time. As part of this trip, I joined our staff and high school singers for a three-day music and dialogue intensive in a remote kibbutz in the north. Designed and led by our Jerusalem-based staff, this intensive was a masterclass in what JYC does best: creating a space where young Palestinians and Israelis can connect deeply — through song, through story, through the hard work of being real with one another. There were moments of joy and laughter: A fiercely competitive game of ultimate frisbee A shared hike through stunning landscapes Slightly burnt (but still delicious) maqlubeh, cooked together. Team-building games led by our very own Singers’ Union. A beautiful, intimate concert for local residents and there
Maqlubeh cooked together
were moments of intensity and transformation: Rehearsals of the most technically challenging piece in JYC’s history — a gorgeous cappella arrangement of Adele’s Skyfall, chosen by the singers themselves. Honest, vulnerable dialogue sessions about identity, generational histories and traumas, and the painful realities that shape their daily lives. One conversation, in particular, stayed with me. During a third-year dialogue, the group grappled with military service — a deeply personal and painful topic, especially as some of our older Israeli singers face their impending drafts into the IDF. Palestinian singers shared how hurtful and personal their friends’ enlistment feels. Israeli singers shared their own conflicts, perspectives, and sense of responsibility. It was raw. It was hard. And then — it was human. At the end of this dialogue session, two of the most vocal participants in this conversation wrapped each other in an embrace and walked together to dinner.
This moment didn’t erase the pain in the room. It didn’t resolve the deep injustices or lived realities that each singer carries. But it reflected something vital: the courage to stay in the room, even when it hurts. At JYC, we don’t ask our singers to agree — we ask them to listen, to feel, to imagine. And in doing so, they are creating something rare: a community that doesn’t deny the truth, but dares to hold it — together. That’s the kind of leadership the world needs. That’s the kind of change we’re building, one voice, one story, one song at a time. This is the work of JYC.
This is what it means to use music not just as expression, but as a container — a vessel strong enough to hold pain, contradiction, joy, and hope. Week after week, we bring together young people whose societies tell them to fear each other, and ask them to sing. To listen. To lead. JYC is far more than a music ensemble. We are building a youth movement of Palestinians and Israelis raising our voices for peace, justice, inclusion, and equality. Singing together allows us to transform the way we see ourselves, one another, and the world around us.
It is an absolute honor to work for this organization and, personally, I give everything I can to it: yes, my professional expertise, but also my literal voice in rehearsals and concerts, my personal time and money, and even my babysitting skills when needed. I truly believe you could not find a better cause to uplift in this time.
Join me in supporting JYC. And together, let’s build a better future. With hope and harmony,
