With roaring applause, Genesis at the Crossroads rises to a standing ovation for the many artists with whom we have worked for just shy of a quarter of a century.  

From Israel/Palestine, Jordan, Lebanon, Morocco, Turkey, and Iran too. They have had the courage to cross the divides, collaborate with one another, and openly share their musical gifts and their heritage, so that we may know the best of them and their culture, and want to learn even more.

We have watched them time and again, profoundly concerned for one another and their families, suck in air at their shared pain and suffering, waiting with bated breath to hear news of a loved one’s survival. Forged by the bonds of our common humanity, conjoined through the power of the arts, they exhale around the world as if one, with the collective sigh of relief of sustained life… at least for one more day.  

From Al Jazeera to the Jerusalem Post, The Chicago Tribune, NPR, and UN Radio all the way to Australian Broadcasting Company, their stories working with Genesis have been told and re-told, but we can never recount them enough in this fractured and divisive climate to remind ourselves of our human connection.

On this holiday of Thanksgiving, (and every other day too), Genesis at the Crossroads is forever grateful to them as they stand for all of us as an emboldened example of Heroes for Humanity.  

May we all continue to make room in our lives and our hearts to build sustainable bridges between ourselves, even in the face of dire circumstances.

This work can never be done alone.

Photo credits: Megan Bearder Photography and Wendy Sternberg