The Universal Language of Pico Union Project

Music & Coexistence

Imagine a world where faith communities focused on inclusivity as opposed to distinctiveness. Craig Taubman, the founder of Pico Union Project, had this vision and actualized it into a multi-faith cultural arts center. The project focuses on bringing diverse cultures together through song, story, art, food and prayer. It is based in the oldest synagogue in Los Angeles, and serves as a consistent home for five worship communities.

Taubman, an American Jewish musician himself, uses performing arts as the common link throughout his services. Whether Pico Union Project’s Sanctuary is hosting musicians, poets or dancers, its services are filled with messages of love and harmony.

Deanna Neil

Neil is a writer, producer, singer, actor and educator. She is currently the Director of Jewish Innovation at the Silverlake Independent Jewish Community Center.

Deanna Neil, a writer and singer, is currently the Director of Jewish Innovation at the Silverlake Independent Jewish Community Center. Neil and Taubman became connected after working together in Chicago over the High Holidays. The two brainstormed how to incorporate music and dramatic Torah interpretations into services, as well as how to have the most powerful impact on their audiences.

According to Neil, “There’s a little bit of being the wizard behind the curtain when you orchestrate any kind of service, because you have to be real and authentic and in it; but like any performative experience, you’re creating an environment for people. You have to create that safe space for people.” Neil emphasized the importance of repetition throughout services, due to its meditative and familiar qualities. She also added how there is a balance between comfort and having to get people out of their comfort zones.

The well-rounded artist performed at Pico Union Project’s High Holidays last year. Neil was impressed with the project’s gift of bringing together the community of Downtown Los Angeles, as well as its outreach. She highlighted the significant impact of the project, regardless of its size. “What’s the difference between performing for a room of 10, or a Youtube video for millions? Really, at the end of the day, there is none. It’s what you’re bringing to it. It’s what you’re sharing. If that feels real then that resonates with other people.”

Diversity in Pico Union

Out of all 44,464 Pico Union residents, Pico Union Project manages to unite a substantial portion of the community. With the help of music and other artistic, cultural elements, the multi-faith center helps people recognize their collective bond.

Neil described the influence music has on identities. “I think all of us have melodies that are engrained in us from an early age, that we pick up along the way as we get older and as our interests grow.” She added, “I think that music is really a part of us and our expression as people; so it really is tied to our identities.” While music was an outlet that helped Neil come to terms with her identity early in life, that is not the case for all artists.

Israeli Arab singer and actress, Mira Awad, has felt enormous pressure to choose between her contrasting backgrounds throughout her career. Awad performed at Pico Union Project in early November of this year, and is a huge proponent of the project’s mission of bringing diverse people together. She has felt like an outsider throughout various periods of her life, but finally feels at ease in her own skin. “I echo my life experiences in my writing. I write using emotions, and try to better understand situations through music.” Awad understands the importance of Pico Union Project’s operation, as she has experienced non-inclusiveness firsthand.


Martin Storrow, a musician from San Diego, connected with Taubman over music. “There’s something about bringing people together through music, art and human connection. It is super rare, but something that we definitely need as a society right now.” Storrow recently played at Pico Union Project, and really appreciates Taubman’s actualized vision.

“In terms of playing there, it’s a very connecting experience. It connects a lot of people who are very reflective. People at Pico Union Project are thinking about the world and their place in it in very different ways. They take in music differently, and put a lot of trust in the project. As an artist, the best thing you can have is an audience that’s really listening to you. The audiences at Pico Union are really awesome because they’re listening.” Storrow explained how music, for him, is a mirror, but a distorted mirror. He uses music as a platform to create, and it taught him to be more reflective and trust his own voice.

Craig Taubman, Founder of Pico Union Project

Storrow values Pico Union Project because it encourages people to ask good questions and brings people together who can honestly question why we do things the way we do. “This is something we’ve always done, but WHY? It’s a scary question, but also very important. There’s a lot of power in knowing people who are not like yourself. Really often we end up being afraid of different types of people, just because we don’t know them.” Storrow added that Pico Union Project embraces people from every different faith community, whether it is people born in the US or refugees. He wonders what it would be like if multi-faith communities were more common, and believes there would be more tolerance and understanding.

The Pico Union area continues to grow and expand. Hopefully, endeavors similar to the Pico Union Project will blossom and unify the diverse neighborhood.