The Young Voices Ensemble
Etty Hillesum Theater for the Advancement of Youth at Risk
Who we are?
The Etty Hillesum Youth Theater is a non-profit organization that aims to provide a protected space for youth from disadvantaged backgrounds, where they can realize their love for the theater, and receive a mental, physical and intellectual response in a reality that does not always allow it. The theater, located in the heart of the Jaffa D neighborhood The Ennis Auditorium, contains 470 seats and is a real home, and a warm corner.
"I just have a lot of faith in myself, and a gratitude that life is so beautiful, which is why this is a historic moment: not because I need to go to the Gestapo any more, but because life still seems beautiful to me."
Etty Hillesum
Our Mission
Inspired by the greatness of Etty Hillesum, the Etty Hillesum Youth Theater is a non-profit organization that aims to provide a safe space for youth from disadvantaged backgrounds, where they can realize their love of theater, and receive a mental, physical, and intellectual response in a reality that does not always allow. The theater, located in the heart of Jaffa D., contains 470 seats and is a real house, and a warm corner. The youth come from the neighborhoods around Jaffa IV, where the institution is located. The institution seeks to breathe life into the community and place on one stage a group of youth from different backgrounds that reflect the variety of shades of Israeli society, including Jewish and Arab youth, Ethiopians and former USSR, African asylum seekers, and more.
Our Vision
The teens join a two-year program and specialize in one of the following three areas: acting, acting or makeup and costume design. The tools acquired as part of theater studies encourage self-expression, self-confidence, social integration, intercultural dialogue, empathy, conflict resolution, emotion regulation, listening and teamwork.
Our Way
Every year, we strive to bring together a new group of youth who represent the multicultural community of the city of Tel Aviv-Yafo and of the State of Israel as a whole. Through professional theater studies from the best teachers in the field, we set an example for a diverse group of teenagers to work together to create art on stage.
Together, the teens will produce a play on their own, from writing, to choosing the music and building the set, to acting and performance, all with the guidance and support of the teachers who worked with them throughout the year. At the end of each year, students will put on a play that is the product of their own and theirs alone.
