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December 24th, 2020 
Awake Goy 
When Mostly Kosher frontman Leeav Sofer co-founded the Urban Voices Project (UVP) Choir along with Christopher Mack, an outreach worker in skid row dubbed “the Urban Sage,” he had no idea six years later the choir would have its first single out for the community to enjoy for the holidays.
Released on Dec. 20, “A Holiday Called Home” is the choir’s first single. The professionally recorded song and music video feature the voices of 26 UVP Choir members living on Skid Row. The song was written by the Skid Row musicians with music developed by Sofer and his Jewish klezmer-rock band.
UVP is a non-profit community organization based on Skid Row that brings music directly to individuals marginalized by homelessness, mental health issues and unemployment in the Greater Los Angeles area. Sofer told the Journal he directs the 20-45 person choir two to three times a week. Their sound, he added, is rooted in multiple genres of music together including R&B, klezmer music, gospel, pop and world folk. The group also provides weekly music space for community and wellness to help ease isolation due to the recent lockdowns, every Wednesday at 4 p.m. PT.
“[The choir] represent[s] community in more ways we can imagine. We already know that music is one of the greatest equalizers. When you take people from complete opposite socio-economical backgrounds and you ask them to sing together, you’ll get one beautiful blended sound,” Sofer told the Journal. “Their stories and their journeys no longer play a part in the artistic product they share together. And yet, their vastly different journeys hold every reason to why it’s important to sing together.”
In 2018, the organization officially gained its non-profit status. The choir initially began through the help of performing arts school Colburn School department head Dr. Nathaniel Zeisler, Mack and a partnership through Wesley Healthcare Clinic.
The choir’s mission is to shift the narrative and perception of homelessness towards one of agency and community. Through the organization’s non-profit workshops, they have connected and supported hundreds of vulnerable individuals to housing, healthcare and a societal safety net.
The choir’s mission is to shift the narrative and perception of homelessness towards one of agency and community.
Sofer said this was a special experience for the choir because many have never performed in a studio before. The group was able to record at a studio safely abiding by COVID-19 requirements thanks to UVP’s partners at A Place Called Home.
“To watch their varied journeys culminate in so many different ways when they stood in front of that microphone, it was an incredible honor,” Sofer said. “The UVP singers have grown in a particular way because they have never seen this level of professionalism from themselves as an ensemble. For those that didn’t see themselves as recording artists, this brought a unique sense of pride. Many of them are in transitional housing or SRO [Single Room Occupancy] housing this holiday season, by themselves, isolated because of the lockdowns. This gave them the feeling that they not only accomplished something despite COVID but accomplished something grand.”
The music video also features acclaimed Skid Row visual artist Showzart and his team from The Sidewalk Project. They created a mural envisioning the themes of the song at the studio. It was then completed by Skid Row artists in Gladys Park.
Sofer—who has been inspired by the genuine camaraderie from everyone to make this song come to life— hopes it not only uplifts the choir members but the greater Los Angeles community.
“These individuals have been through homelessness, fight for homeless rights, or still currently, are in transition. For their voices to be the ones singing to the world, ‘Let’s think about a holiday / a place we all call home / a holiday for all the year / no neighbors left to roam,’ I hope that those that are going through tough times feel the hope rising up from this song,” Sofer said. “I hope that those that feel resentful and broken from the pain of COVID-19… are reminded of radical love for humanity by none other than the ones who have [needed] it most.”
“A Holiday Called Home” is now available on Youtube. The song will be available for streaming on iTunes, Spotify and Apple Music before the new year. All proceeds and royalties from the song will benefit the Urban Voices Project.
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