International event 'Dance for Kindness' to be launched in Jerusalem

Dance for Kindness provides an opportunity for us all to come together in unison and recognize that we can unite around something even though we don’t agree about everything.

By JOSIA NAKASH
Orly Wahab and Yaniv Cohen at Jerusalem’s First Station (photo credit: JOSIA NAKASH)
Orly Wahab and Yaniv Cohen at Jerusalem’s First Station
(photo credit: JOSIA NAKASH)
Back in August when it looked like there would be a problem producing the Eurovision song contest in Israel, Canadian-Israeli billionaire Sylvan Adams stepped forward to offer help.
Over the summer another important event in Jerusalem was being organized, Dance for Kindness 2018, and Eurovision winner Netta Barzilai was the first artist to agree to headline the event. Unfortunately, Barzilai could not commit due to a packed schedule of engagements abroad.
Every year, to kick off World Kindness Week, Life Vest Inside organizes Dance for Kindness, a WorldWide FreezeMob/FlashMob, during which groups from all across the globe unite under the banner of kindness and join together to perform to the same song, and same dance, all happening on the same day.
For one day, the world unites under the banner of kindness recognizing that only through collaboration, unity and connectivity can we truly build a kinder, happier world.
It is so fitting that WeWork has chosen to be a proud sponsor of the apparel for this year’s Dance for Kindness event in Jerusalem. In the words of CEO Adam Neuman, “As the world becomes a more digital place, we cannot forget about the human connection.”
The founder of Life Vest Inside, social entrepreneur, Orly Wahba, came to Israel from Brooklyn earlier this year, and started organizing to launch the annual Dance for Kindness event from Jerusalem for the first time.
The purpose of Dance for Kindness is to look beyond ourselves – beyond the boundaries of our country, beyond our culture, our race, our religion and realize that we are citizens of the world and that kindness is the common thread that unites us all.
The Middle East is known to the global world as a place of conflict, hatred, fear, mistrust, animosity and war. The original concept for Dance for Kindness was to demonstrate that even in a place of high tension, kindness prevails.
Dance for Kindness provides an opportunity for us all to come together in unison and recognize that we can unite around something even though we don’t agree about everything.
To date, Dance for Kindness has taken place in over 65 countries, 247 cities, spanning across 6 continents with over 400 Group Leaders trained.
Last year’s event took place in over 120 cities, 50 countries with over 20,000 participants. This year marks our 7th Annual WorldWide Dance for Kindness and will take place on Sunday, November 11, 2018.
This year’s event was originally planned to include live streaming from locations around Israel and some of Israel’s top artists, but due to lack of interest from sponsors, the event is now being launched with a minimal budget.
Luckily, one of Israel’s top producers, Yaniv Cohen was kind enough to step forward and offer to produce the event. Other artists have stepped forward and offered to perform, and some professionals are offering their services for free. All of which indicates that some individuals understand how important it is to have events like this promoting messages of love and unity from Israel.
In the words of Orly Wahba, “The goal for launching this year’s event in Israel is to raise the value of Jerusalem in the eyes of the world, and to remind everyone what it truly stands for. Jerusalem can be a symbol of peace and harmony for the entire world.
Kindness is a universal language that transcends race, religion, ethnicity and nationality. It’s the common thread that unites us all and provides an opportunity to focus on something we all believe in. Life Vest Inside has created a powerful kindness network that fosters dialogue with people across the globe, including parts of the world torn apart by conflict. Through our approach, we establish peace in place of conflict, love in place of hatred, hope in place of fear, and kindness in place of mistrust. As a result we have seen a positive change in the way people engage with one another and respect each other.”
If you would like to offer support or participate in this year’s Dance for Kindness, please contact Josia Nakash at josianakash@gmail.com