Stories of Impact

The Sacred Psychological Outcomes of Mass Singing Events Held by Koolulam

Six years ago, Or Taicher, an Israeli artist, was scrolling through YouTube when he came across a video that would change his life. In the video, thousands of religious Jews gathered at the Western Wall in Jerusalem. Swaying, shoulder to shoulder, their voices joined together as one, they sang. Despite being a secular Jew, Taicher was moved. He felt the unity and spirituality and he wondered: could people sing together in a secular setting and feel that same unity and spirituality? Taicher partnered with musical director Ben Yaffet and CEO Michal Shahaf to create Koolulam, an organization which has now brought mass singing events to over 350,000 people all over the world.

This project supported by The Templeton World Charity Foundation hypothesizes how singing in collectives will foster a sense of collective effervescence for increased spirituality, wellbeing, and acceptance of others. The team hopes this scholarship will spur other researchers to explore ways that spiritual practices can occur in “everyday life” and how important that can be to human flourishing.

12:45 | 2022

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