UNITE COMMUNITY. BUILD INTERFAITH PARTNERSHIP. CREATE DIVERSITY AWARENESS. GET INVOLVED!
The Tear Down the Walls initiative was created by Rick
Recht, the top-touring artist in Jewish music, to utilize the power of
popular rock music to inspire and educate youth about ways to break down
bias and prejudice in their communities. Tear Down the Walls also strives
to educate the public about the social action organizations existing
in their communities and specific ways to support them and get involved.
Produced and directed by Rick Recht, the initiative consists of interfaith,
multi-cultural community concerts, youth leadership training classes,
workshops, and interfaith services.
Tear Down the Walls creates powerful opportunities for social action
organizations and clergy from of a variety of faiths to unite their
communities in celebration, learning, interaction, and meaningful
relationship building.
Rather than simply 'showcasing' the talent of participating communities,
the Tear Down the Walls concert creates opportunities for community
choirs, featured soloists, civic leaders, politicians, clergy, and
social action
organizations to actively participate together, side by side, at the
same time, developing the foundation for on-going relationships.
Tear Down the Walls Community CONCERT
The concert production is an interactive, musical experience, featuring multiple synagogue and church choirs, soloists, guest speakers and spoken word, weaving the words of great leaders throughout history such as Dr. King, Nelson Mandela, Elie Weisel, and many others who have torn down the walls of injustice. Recht masterfully infuses the Tear Down the Walls experience with his trademark, highly-charged, multi-generational appeal. Guest speakers have included clergy of a wide diversity of faiths, state representatives, city mayors, civil rights pioneers, and social justice leaders of organizations such as the ADL, NAACP, and Urban League. The Tear Down the Walls concert production is intended to unite a broad community of religious and social justice organizations.
Tear Down the Walls WORSHIP SERVICES
Tear Down the Walls can also be utilized in a worship setting to create a beautiful common ground for religious groups to worship, learn, and celebrate together. Tear Down the Walls worship services can be based in synagogues, churches, or secular venues.
Tear Down the Walls Initiative
Rick Recht's Tear Down the Walls is a unique, community teen initiative utilizing the power of popular rock music to inspire youth about to take an active role in the work of breaking down bias and prejudice in their communities.
PHASE 1
Rick Recht's Tear Down the Walls or Knockin' Holes in the Darkness
CD's are distributed for free to every teenager in a designated population
(i.e.
every Jewish
and/or
Christian
teenager
from 9-12th grades in a given city).
PHASE 2
Teens and families, synagogues, churches, and social justice organizations
are invited to attend a free Tear Down the Walls interfaith, multi-cultural
community concert (ie. in honor of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in January
or in honor of Interfaith/Diversity Month in October). Tear Down the
Walls is a scripted, interactive theatrical presentation that includes
the words of leaders throughout history such as Nelson Mandela, Mahatma
Ghandi, and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. who have torn down the walls
of injustice. Participants include church and synagogue choirs, featured
vocalists, and civic and social activists all from diverse ethnic,
cultural, and religious origins.
PHASE 3
A group of teen 'youth leaders' are selected by leaders of local faith
institutions to receive free leadership and diversity awareness training.
The training often incorporates music from the Tear Down the Walls
CD as a learning tool.
PHASE 4
After training in the anti-bias workshop, teens serve as peer trainers
and change agents in their congregations, schools, youth groups, homes,
and communities confronting bias, prejudice and discrimination so that
people who are considered different, for whatever reason, are treated
with respect. Teens are encouraged to initiate diversity awareness
programs and get involved in a variety of social justice organizations
that promote human rights.
