I lift my hands in Total Praise to You.
Project Harmony, Music for Intersectional Community Building
When Congregation Beth Elohim and Antioch Baptist Church first began the project of taking on racism and antisemitism, there was one clear place to start the conversation: through music. Since music is such an important part of both communities’ cultures, the idea for a joint volunteer choir, Project Harmony, was born. I’ve been running this choir with Elder Sheila Carpenter for nearly two years, and this community has not only produced great music in both English and Hebrew, but has sparked many important conversations about how we can learn from each other and be better allies. We have done MLK Jr. services, a Shabbat/Sabbath morning exchange, and most recently, a summer concert series where we shared 12 of the pieces we have learned together so far. Project Harmony and the AB(C)BE partnership will be featured in documentarian Ondi Timoner’s next film, titled, “All God’s Children.”
Harmony in Action.
This particular performance in Herbert Von King Park was part of a festival for Freedom held in the summer of 2022. Project Harmony spent the day sharing our music with the community alongside other members of CBE and ABC to celebrate our growing relationship. Below are snippets of some of our pieces, “Children of the World,” by Dan Nichols and “Hinei Mah Tov,” by Becky Mann, respectively.