From the blog of Avi Meyerstein at The Times of Israel

🎤✊🏽 Introducing “Standing Together,” a new global youth anthem. The Jerusalem Youth Chorus and Uniting Voices Chicago teamed up with the grassroots movement Standing Together to share our stories, our visions, and our determination to build a better future - together. 🎤✊🏽 מציגים את "עומדים ביחד" - המנון נוער עולמי חדש. מקהלת הנוער הירושלמית ו-Uniting Voices Chicago התאחדו עם התנועה העממית עומדים ביחד כדי לשתף את הסיפורים שלנו, החזון שלנו, והנחישות שלנו לבנות עתיד טוב יותר - ביחד. 🎤✊🏽 نقدم لكم "نقف معاً" - نشيد شبابي عالمي جديد. جوقة الشبيبة المقدسية و Uniting Voices Chicago اتحدوا مع الحركة الشعبية "نقف معاً" لنشارك قصصنا، رؤيتنا، وإصرارنا على أن نبني مستقبلاً أفضل - معاً. Who are we, and what is the story of this song? The Jerusalem Youth Chorus (JYC) (jerusalemyouthchorus.org) is an Israeli-Palestinian music and dialogue project raising the voices of young leaders from East and West Jerusalem to the global stages of America’s Got Talent, TED, and beyond. Through the co-creation of music and the sharing of stories, JYC empowers young singers from East and West Jerusalem to speak and sing their truths as they become leaders in their communities and inspire singers and listeners around the world to join in building peace, justice, inclusion, and equality. Even in times of war, JYC continues to meet, and its singers’ commitment to each other, and the power of their voices raised in harmony, has only grown. Founded in 1956 and inspired by the burgeoning Civil Rights Movement, Uniting Voices Chicago (unitingvoiceschicago.org) (formerly Chicago Children’s Choir) is rooted in the belief that music is the most powerful vehicle for fostering mutual understanding and respect between young people of all races, ethnicities, socioeconomic backgrounds, religions, gender identities and sexual orientations. Since its founding, Uniting Voices Chicago (UVC) has grown from a single choir into an internationally renowned network of in-school and after-school programs that serve thousands of students across the city of Chicago every year. UVC offers a performance-based learning experience that includes innovative creative partnerships and artistic endeavors—from regular appearances at Lyric Opera and Ravinia Festival to features on high caliber recording projects such as Chance the Rapper’s Coloring Book and The Big Day. “Standing Together” came about as JYC and UVC brought their singers together from across the world in a much-anticipated reunion - and this original song was born. Music has been at the core of social movements throughout history - so the choruses reached out to Standing Together (standing-together.org), the largest Jewish-Palestinian grassroots movement in Israel fighting for an end to the Occupation, peace, equality, and social and climate justice, to offer this song as a soundtrack for their work building real power. Join us by sharing this musical call to action - and add your voice to the chorus of people all over the world fighting for freedom, equality, justice, and peace. Credits: Music & Lyrics by W. Mitchell Owens, III, the Jerusalem Youth Chorus, and Uniting Voices Chicago Executive Producers: Josephine Lee and Micah Hendler Cinematography & Video Editing: Chris Markos, with additional footage from We are Kin Media and David King Audio production: W. Mitchell Owens, III, Jeff Breakey, Ed Boyer With gratitude to the One America Movement for supporting the reunion of JYC and UVC in July 2024 as part of the Faith Over Division tour.

From the blog of Avi Meyerstein at The Times of Israel

Your political opponent is not your enemy. This Campaign for Civility is a call to all Texans to listen, understand and engage in finding solutions.

Old videos, misleading maps and political rhetoric turned a natural disaster into a national scapegoating campaign. 'Many people saw the lie,' one expert says. 'Fewer saw the correction'

The cases have renewed concerns that the Trump administration’s expedited deportations are violating the rights of both citizens and noncitizens.

This article explains how the connection between the Palestinian conflict and Israel's internal crisis endangers the Zionist project and what we must do to overcome this crisis. In 1897, the First…

The Rockefeller Brothers Fund remains dedicated to our grantees, committed to aligning our investments with our mission, united with fellow philanthropies, and firm in our values.

The far-right Israeli minister will visit a Yale Jewish society and a Chabad synagogue in Brooklyn.

The question of harming innocent civilians in the Gaza war was mentioned briefly in the so-called pilots' letter, but for members of the Israel Air Force, it is more prominent than ever. Pilots, drone operators and officers in the military command tell of moments when they suddenly saw the faces of people they killed, the inner struggle regarding the legitimacy of the war and the efforts to block it all out

The far-right finance minister, Bezalel Smotrich, said the more crucial goal was ensuring that Hamas no longer ruled the Gaza Strip.

Antisemitism persists at the University of Iowa but goes unheard as campus resources are shut down, writes Alliyah Kazan.

Their movement is small, but the women say anger in Israel after the ceasefire ended has given them space to talk about the war’s toll on Gaza’s children.

The case highlighted the perils of independent journalism amid an intensified Kremlin crackdown on freedom of expression.

Despite leading the Columbia's Gaza solidarity encampment, Mohsen Mahdawi spent months fostering ties with Israeli and Jewish students, even holding meetings with university administrators to promote dialogue

YouTube video by Senator Chris Van Hollen

Drastic policy changes in the US and Israel, along with shrinking philanthropy, are leaving the country's poorest citizens behind

Higher education cannot cede the space of public discourse and the free exchange of ideas.

For 460 days, Bashir Alziadana fought to return his family members, who were taken hostage alive, but their bodies were returned to Israel by the IDF two months ago. 'People aren't talking enough about what to do instead of revenge,' he said

Only 1.4 percent of interviewees, analysts and others heard and seen on broadcasts were Arab, despite Arab Israelis accounting for one-fifth of the population

The IDF has handed down punishments to several officers and troops for vandalizing Palestinian property, during an unwarranted search of a village in the southern West Bank over the weekend.