Youthful Summit

The 11-member Yemin Orde Youth Choir brought moving Jewish music and uplifting life stories to Atlanta on Wednesday and Thursday, April 6 and 7, during a two-week U.S. tour. The high school sophomores, juniors and seniors, among 440 at-risk students who live and study at the Yemin Orde Youth Village at Mount Carmel, come from Ukraine, Brazil, France, Ethiopia and Israel itself. All of the students have suffered trauma, from abandonment to poverty. The educational and therapeutic program at the school has been successful enough that 30 other Israeli schools are adopting Yemin Orde’s Village Way methodology.
The choir performed a fundraising concert at The Temple on April 6, then sang to and talked with students at the Weber School and the Davis Academy the next morning. At Weber, the 11 students shared their career goals, from fashion designer, actress and musician to doctor, lawyer and midwife, and bonded with their American peers over smartphones and social media.

Photos by Michael Jacobs

MEMBERS OF THE YEMIN ORDE YOUTH CHOIR WHO WILL BE ON TOUR IN THE U.S.

GIRLS

Karyna, 12th grade, Ukraine.

Sara, 10th grade, France.

Yafa, 11th grade, Ethiopia.

Hanah, 11th grade, Brazil.

Liran, Israel

BOYS

Artur, 12th grade, Brazil.

Ayanawo, 12th grade, Ethiopia.

Eitan, 12th grade, France.