Members of Israel's Yemin Orde Youth Choir will perform with three local youth choir groups next month at the Ruth Hyman Jewish Community Center's Axelrod Performing Arts Center in Deal.

The event, which is sponsored by the Zobel Foundation, marks the beginning of the Jewish Federation of Greater Monmouth County's celebration of the 60th anniversary of the founding of the State of Israel. The federation is planning other celebratory events that will take place throughout the year.

The Nov. 1 concert by the 11-member Yemin Orde Youth Choir will also feature choir performances from students at the Solomon Schechter Day School of Greater Monmouth County in Marlboro and Hillel Yeshiva in Ocean and the Youth Choir of Congregation B'nai Israel in Rumson.

The blending of the four choirs is one of the most important aspects of the event, according to Mike Beller of Little Silver, who is cochairing the event with Sarah Biser of Holmdel.

"The interaction will go a long way toward helping these young performers get in touch with their peers," Beller told NJ Jewish News. "It's another opportunity to bring together the children of Israel and the children of the U.S. These young people will learn a lot about the Yemin Orde Village and Israel, and the Yemin Orde children will be able to experience, on a firsthand basis, what it's like to live in America."

The Yemin Orde Youth Village was founded in 1953 and has served as the home and school for more than 500 disadvantaged and immigrant youths from 20 countries. Almost half of the village's residents come from disadvantaged homes, and more than 100 of the children are orphans.

The choir was created to help the children cope with their traumas, build self-esteem and confidence, and reclaim their lives, said Beller.

In 2005, Beller visited the village in the Carmel Mountains near Haifa and heard a performance of the choir, which consists of young people between the ages of 15 and 18.

"In an instant, I knew I was listening to something very special," he said. "The music and songs were inspirational, beautiful. And Jewish children who had been born all over the world but now live in Israel were on stage together, representing hope for the future."

The music and arts have a unique healing impact on the children, said Ronen Lan-Rieder, who has been Yemin Orde's musical director for the past 10 years. He also works with disadvantaged youth throughout Israel.

"Music and song are very healing elements," Lan-Rieder said. "Music is also a universal language. It's very moving to be part of a choir with so many members from such different backgrounds, but who all represent Israel. To me, this choir really represents what Israel is about."

The group's repertoire of songs, many of which are performed a cappella or with guitar accompaniment, reflect life in the village and the diverse cultural backgrounds of the choir members, he added. As a result, American audiences obtain insight into the wide range of cultures that now make up Israel's immigrant population, Lan-Rieder said.

The musical director also has helped the choir produce The Spirit of Yemin Orde, a CD that contains Israeli folk classics and new songs written by choir members.

The November visit will be the choir's fourth American appearance in the past seven years, although it will be the first time in the United States for all of the current members. In addition to its local performance, the Yemin Orde Choir will perform in New York, Pennsylvania, Georgia, and Massachusetts during the first two weeks in November. The group will appear in public venues, JCCs, day schools, and at Jewish federation gatherings.

"Events such as this that link us to Israel are among the best ways to honor the Israeli state's 60th anniversary," said Beller. "They cultivate love for the country and the diverse group of Jewish people who live there. And the members of the Yemin Orde choir will have a chance to meet their counterparts in the United States."