"RABBI GREENSTEIN... WRITE YOUR MESSAGE HERE..."
MEDIA
CONTACT:
Rachel Brown
rachel@stlouisliveagency.com
314-210-4419
UNPRECEDENTED COALITION OF LOCAL
CONGREGATIONS & ORGANIZATIONS ADDRESS
PHILADELPHIA VIOLENCE CRISIS WITH INNOVATIVE
NEW YOUTH NON-VIOLENCE INITATIVE (YNOT)
Youth Initiative to be Kicked
Off with Inspirational Free & Public
‘Tear Down the Walls’ Interfaith Concert
Wednesday, April 16 at 7PM.
614 N. Broad Street
PHILADELPHIA, PA (March 4, 2008) --A coalition of leading Philadelphia religious and secular organizations have joined forces to address the crisis of violence plaguing the city and offer area youth an innovative alternative to a culture of violence. YNOT: the Youth Nonviolence Organizing Team is a new program to empower young people in Philadelphia across ethnic, religious, economic and racial lines to create a youth movement promoting the philosophy of nonviolence as an alternative to violence.
"The current trend of violence plaguing Philadelphia disturbs everyone. The concentration of violence in the youth community troubles us even more deeply," said Rabbi Michael Holzman of Congregation Rodeph Shalom. "If youth are the future of our community, then what kind of future will they expect? While we all agree whole-heartedly that your youth must turn away from violence, preaching this message, even with full voice, is not enough. We need to offer an alternative."
The core constituent organizations of YNOT are Congregation Rodeph Shalom (Reform Jewish), Bright Hope Baptist Church (majority African-American Baptist) and Esperanza Academy (majority Latino of mixed religious background). Each organization is volunteering six or seven teens plus one adult advisor who are gathering four times this spring to meet with professional educators and facilitators from the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) on the topics of tolerance, mediation, violence prevention and the philosophy of nonviolence. Under the guidance of professionals, the youth participants will plan a program and marketing campaign to bring this message to their peers this summer and into following school year.
The YNOT students will share their life-changing experiences from the YNOT program on Wednesday, April 16 at 7 p.m. at the Tear Down the Walls interfaith and multicultural concert production hosted at Congregation Rodeph Shalom (614 N. Broad Street. The inspirational Tear Down the Walls concert is free and open to the public. This national, touring production is a scripted theatrical presentation combining music with spoken word by local religious leaders and human rights activists who have worked towards non-violence and for organizations that today offer youth alternatives to violence. Among the confirmed featured speakers is Civil Rights leader, Jesse Epps and Mayor Michael Nutter.
Tear Down the Walls (www.teardownthewalls.org) is a national initiative and concert tour produced by Rick Recht, the top-touring artist in contemporary Jewish rock music, who performs more than 150 concerts per year across the United States. Recht brings his trademark positive, family-friendly approach towards promoting social responsibility to the masses with music and a message that universally appeals to all faiths, calling individuals to do their part in promoting unity. The concert also features extraordinary national singer soloists as well as choirs from Bright Hope Baptist Church, Congregation Rodeph Shalom , Esperanza Academy, and Old York Road Temple - Beth Am.
"Music has a beautiful and powerful way of uniting communities, giving us a uniquely safe and positive foundation for developing new and ongoing relationships," says Recht. "We will not only inspire audiences through the powerful synergy of the interfaith and multicultural program, but will educate them about all the incredible work already being done by organizations in Philadelphia."
Partnering social action organizations in Philadelphia include The Center City Kehillah of the Jewish Federation of Greater Philadelphia, The Anti-Defamation League, Interfaith Center of Greater Philadelphia, Nu Sigma Youth Services, Operation Understanding, City of Philadelphia Mural Arts Program, CosaCosa Art at Large, Inc., Temple University of Trauma Outreach Program, Good Shepherd Mediation Center, Broad Street Ministry, and First Presbyterian Church. Many of these organizations will be on-site to give audience members information about ways to participate in their social action efforts.
For more information about the concert or the national Tear Down the Walls initiative, visit www.teardownthewalls.org or call St. Louis Live Agency at 314-991-0909. Rick Recht’s Knocking Holes in the Darkness and Tear Down the Walls CDs, both focused on diversity awareness and appreciation, can be purchased for $15 each at www.teardownthewalls.org.
