Wednesday, July 17, 2024
Israeli and Palestinian Jerusalem Youth Chorus advances on ‘America’s Got Talent’
A chorus of Israeli and Palestinian teens won hearts, applause and a chance at $1 million with a successful “America’s Got Talent” audition that aired on Tuesday night.
The Jerusalem Youth Chorus performed Phillip Phillips’ “Home,” an anthem that envisions a safe and comfortable future after difficult times — with lyrics whose resonance in the post-Oct. 7 climate are unmistakeable.
“Settle down, it’ll all be clear. Don’t pay no mind to the demons — they fill you with fear. The trouble, it might drag you down; if you get lost, you can always be found,” sang 20 teens and young adults wearing jackets with the chorus’ logo, featuring a peace dove.
They went on, “Just know you’re not alone, ’cause I’m gonna make this place your home.”
The TV show’s notoriously harsh judges offered thumbs up during the performance and gave a standing ovation when it ended.
“I love this audition. You made something very complicated beautiful through friendship,” said Simon Cowell before casting the first of four votes to pass the chorus to the next round. (Cowell, whose father and partner are Jewish, has donated to support the Israeli army in the past.)
Founded in 2012 by an American Jew named Micah Hendler, the Jerusalem Youth Chorus aims to bring Jewish and Palestinian teens together in a city and country marked by division.
“Singing in groups naturally creates community and builds trust, even on a psychological and neurological level,” Hendler, who lives in Washington, D.C., told the Forward last year. (A Palestinian chorus graduate named Amer Abu Arqub serves as an on-the-ground executive director.) “We’re hardwired to trust people more when we sing together.”
In the wake of Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack on Israel, with tensions over the Israel-Hamas war high, some Jewish-Muslim and Israeli-Palestinian collaborations in Israel and abroad experienced turmoil or went on hiatus. The youth chorus canceled a planned tour but otherwise doubled down, giving a virtual concert in October and rescheduling its U.S. trip.
The group is touring the United States again right now, having left Israel right after the school year ended there.
“It has been a truly heartbreaking year in many ways,” the group said in an Instagram post last week. “We have all lost so much. We have lost people we love, we have lost trust and innocence, but in all of those moments, JYC singers, Alumni and staff have stayed committed to the cause and process and it has made all the difference.”
Members of the chorus explained the group’s mission and vision on “America’s Got Talent” during a short interview after their performance.
“We are the Jerusalem Youth Chorus, a group of Palestinians and Israelis,” one girl said on behalf of the group. “We believe through music and through working together and talking to each other, we are taking a step forward into building that amazing future where there is justice and there is freedom and there is equality and there is inclusion.”
Another girl answered judge Heidi Klum’s question about what the group would do with $1 million, the prize for the season’s ultimate winner.
“We will create more spaces just like this chorus — so people can meet people that are different from them so we can create this change,” she said while wearing “Bring Them Home” earrings. The message — which at least one other chorus member displayed on a dog-tag necklace — is meant to call attention to Israel’s hostages in Gaza but also signifies in Israel a desire to make a deal with Hamas to end the war.
The Jerusalem Youth Chorus issued an official ceasefire call in early June. “The last eight months of war have brought nothing but destruction to Palestinians AND Israelis, and have only served to empower the extremists on both sides who have sacrificed their own people to further radical ideologies of total victory,” the group said in a statement, adding that Israelis and Palestinians should be able to choose an alternative and saying, “It is for this shared future that we sing.”
In recent months, the group has unveiled an original song called “A Different Way” with lyrics in both Arabic and Hebrew; recorded itself singing Rabbi Menachem Creditor’s “Olam Chesed Yibaneh,” which has become an anthem for peace activists; and participated in an annual Israeli-Palestinian joint ceremony on Yom HaZikaron, Israel’s memorial day.
The judges on “America’s Got Talent” did not explicitly refer to the war or the Israeli-Palestinian conflict during the four-minute set that aired. But backstage after the performance, host Terry Crews alluded clearly to the ongoing crisis.
“You guys symbolize so much for so many right now,” he said. “Thank you, thank you for being here.”
The group will perform again in a subsequent round of “America’s Got Talent,” which tends to crown its annual victor in late September.
Bus of IDF Soldiers Returning from Gaza Enter Meah Shearim by Mistake and are called Nazi and have bottles Thrown at them
Police have to go into Meah Shearim and beat the hell out of them once and for all! Soldiers returning from a war that is protecting these parasites should get this miserable treatment?
Where are the leaders? Where are the Rabanim??
Gov Sarah Huckabee Sanders Brings the House Down by Impassioned Speech at RNC ...Mentions G-d Many Times
Arkansas Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders delivered a fervent speech at the RNC, beginning by addressing the assassination attempt on Donald Trump at a recent rally.
“Not even an assassin’s bullet could stop him,” Sanders declared. “God Almighty intervened because we are one nation under God, and He certainly wasn’t finished with Donald Trump.”
Sanders then sparked laughter with a quip about President Biden’s age: “I got the chance to take my 4-year-old son Huck to ‘Bring Your Kid To Work Day,’ much like Jill now drags Joe to ‘Bring Your Husband To Work Day.'”
She continued by praising Trump’s presidency, under which she served as press secretary until 2019.
“President Trump did the job that Kamala won’t and Joe Biden simply can’t,” Sanders asserted.
Tuesday, July 16, 2024
Israeli comedian prank calls a Qatari hotel, requesting a room for Sinwar. The hotel staff expresses their honor to host Sinwar, referring to him as a “statesman.”
The prank takes a hilarious turn when Tzabari reveals he works for the Mossad and asks if the hotel will assist in eliminating Sinwar
Elimelech Stern Viznitzer Spy from Beit Shemesh, has been officially charged
Cleared for Publication:
Elimelech Stern, a Charedi man from Beit Shemesh, has been charged with connections to Iranian operatives.
Stern was asked to post notices in Tel Aviv, hide money at various locations, deliver packages to citizens' doorsteps, and more. Stern agreed to carry out all tasks except murder and arson. Two others have been arrested in the case.
Three suspects were arrested for carrying out missions for Iranian intelligence agencies, and an indictment has been filed against one of them – a resident of Beit Shemesh.
The Shin Bet and the National Unit for International Investigations in Lahav 433 shared the news this morning that three Israelis were arrested on suspicion of carrying out security activities under the guidance of Iranian intelligence agencies. An indictment has now been filed against one of the citizens, accusing him of contact with a foreign agent.
The investigation revealed that one of the suspects, E.S, a 21-year-old Israeli citizen from Beit Shemesh, was in contact via the Telegram app with a profile named "ANNA ELENA." ES was asked to carry out various tasks in Israel, including posting advertisements in Tel Aviv, hiding money at different locations in Jerusalem and Tel Aviv, delivering packages containing a severed head from an animal or doll, together with a knife and threatening messages, with the aim of leaving them at the homes of Israeli citizens, setting forest fires, and more.
The investigation revealed that ES agreed to perform the tasks, except for murder and setting forest fires. He then recruited two additional Israeli citizens, who performed some of the tasks in exchange for financial compensation. For carrying out the tasks, ES was paid in cryptocurrency.
In the chats, the Iranians wrote: "We need a brave man. Are you brave for a lot of money? We have two tasks for you. For one of them you will receive a bonus of 7,000 dollars and for the other 350 dollars."
E.S expressed interest in the first mission and replied: "Tell me about the $7,000 mission." "Okay," replied the Iranian "You have to buy two 20-liter gallons at a gas station."
Today, the Jerusalem District Attorney's Office submitted an indictment against ES to the Jerusalem District Court, charging him with the offense of contact with a foreign agent The two other citizens he recruited were interrogated and released from detention at the end of their interrogation, pending a decision on their case.
Contacting Israeli citizens through social media under false pretenses is a known operational method of Iranian intelligence agencies. Using social media to recruit Israelis for missions, which may appear ostensibly innocent, provides a convenient and accessible platform for substantial harm to national security.
In recent months, numerous fake profiles used by Iranian security agents have been identified and monitored, and significant information has been collected about the entities behind their operation.
These contacts were made through social media platforms and websites offering paid casual jobs, with activity conducted across social networks including Instagram, Telegram, WhatsApp, Facebook, and Twitter (X), presenting false profiles to make the initial contact with Israeli citizens. The posts were made in various languages, including Hebrew and English.
Additionally, widespread text messages with similar cover were identified, containing links to a Telegram channel with a reference to the Iranian international security agency's website. A significant number of Israelis who received these suspicious contacts refrained from responding and some reported them to relevant authorities.
A senior official in the intelligence system said "In this complex period, in which the digital space is being used for the purposes of intimidation, conveying messages or promoting terrorist activity under the guise of an innocent activity, we recommend the public to be vigilant regarding inquiries from unknown parties, and to avoid providing personal details and opening links from unidentified sources."
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