The Jerusalem Youth Chorus, a group of Israeli and Palestinian teenagers, has successfully advanced through the audition round of "America's Got Talent" with a moving performance of Phillip Phillips' "Home." Their rendition visibly touched all four judges and earned them a unanimous vote to proceed to the next stage of the competition.
Following their performance, a Palestinian member of the choir explained their mission: to use music, collaboration, and dialogue as tools for building a future of justice, freedom, equality, and inclusion. An Israeli member added that if they win the $1 million prize, they would create more spaces like their chorus to foster understanding between diverse groups.
The judges were effusive in their praise. Heidi Klum mentioned getting goosebumps from their harmony. Howie Mandel, describing their song as a "world anthem," thanked them for their appearance. Sophia Vergara called the performance "spectacular" and "inspiring," while Simon Cowell praised their ability to make something complicated beautiful through friendship.
As the choir celebrated backstage, host Terry Crews commended them for symbolizing hope for many people.
* The Times of Israel contributed to this article.