Our Vision
American Friends of Jerusalem Symphony Orchestra:
Healing Israel and Fighting Antisemitism through Music in the Post-October 7 World.
​“This will be our reply to violence: to make music more intensely, more beautifully, more devotedly than ever before.”
– Leonard Bernstein
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JSO is the musical heartbeat of Israel’s holiest city. Our artistic choices are modern, multicultural and innovative, while our community work is heartfelt and important not just to the state of Israel, but to Jews and Israel supporters all over the world.
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After the October 7th Holocaust, the orchestra has selflessly devoted itself to uniting and healing Israel’s multi-creed and multi-ethnic society through music.
​​Here are just a few examples of JSO’s most recent work:
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In October-November 2023, JSO held 13 concerts for the evacuees and residents of Jerusalem. JSO is one of the few organizations which continued to perform at the times of attacks, often during non-stop sirens.
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JSO brings together Jewish and Muslim conservatory students of East Jerusalem to perform together at its home - the Jerusalem Theater. This program is led by Arab conductor Nizar Elkhater. (https://www.nizarelkhater.com/about)
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Ofer Amsalem, JSO’s CEO, personally reached out to the hotels hosting displaced Israelis to distribute free concert tickets.
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Supported by the Ministry of Education, JSO's top musicians joined forces with Israel public schools to help children (ages 6-12) learn about classical music and experience orchestra performances. This program positively impacted 25,000 children.
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In March of 2024, JSO held the deeply moving première of the orchestral version of Jeruz, a musical composition written by Jerusalem native and hero Aner Shapiro, murdered on October 7. Aner’s family was honored on stage.
JSO has always served as the musical ambassador for Jerusalem and Israel. Today, as Israel is often absurdly accused of being an apartheid nation, which has ignited the scale of anti-semitism the world has not seen in decades, our work is more important than ever. Through music we have the power to unite, heal, and spread light, one note at a time.
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As a newly independent non-profit, JSO is in need of supporters more than ever before - and this is where we come in as American Friends of JSO (AFJSO). AFJSO historically launched at the Israeli American Council’s National Summit in Washington DC, on September 19, 2024.
Join us in our mission to help JSO continue their essential peacemaking, educational, community and cultural ambassador work: become an American Friend of Jerusalem Symphony Orchestra today!