Nava Tehila is a Jerusalem-based ensemble that plays original and traditional Jewish music that energizes and excites its audiences. The ensemble grew out of the shared experience of leading musical prayers in the Nava Tehila community in Jerusalem. Over the past several years we have performed in Israel and throughout the world, in concerts, festivals, conferences and private events.
We specialize in adapting our performance to you and your specific needs and interests. You may invite one of us or the whole ensemble as well as dding extra musicians with whom we collaborate: percussion, violin, flute, cello, ud and nai.
Daphna Rosenberg – Vocals and Guitar After traveling the world for many years as a wandering troubadour Daphna returned to Israel and reconnected to her Jewish roots through music. Daphna composes music to prayers and poetry, and is the main prayer leader in the Nava Tehila community. In her music one can hear the influence of folk and rock with a touch of klezmer. Daphna is active in the area of spiritual care for the ill, in creating heart to heart connections between people and dialogue circles between Israelis and Palestinians. Her compositions to prayers are popular in communities throughout the world.
Yoel Sykes – Vocals, Guitar and Percussion Yoel studied flamenco guitar at the Center for Eastern Music in Jerusalem, and at the Carmen de las Cuevas School in Granada. He is a prayer leader at Nava Tehila community. He has composed tens of melodies to prayers, ranging from simple chants to complex musical pieces. Some of these can be heard on the Nava Tehila album Dancing in the Glory, and on the second album that is currently in production. Yoel's music shows the influence of rock and blues, reggae and flamenco, Arabic, Moroccan and African music. He is a master of improvisation and an extraordinary vocal soloist, as well as a talented leader of spiritual prayer circles.
Rabbi Ilan Glazer – Percussion and Storytelling (US Spring Tour) Rabbi Ilan Glazer is a storyteller, percussionist, a sacred chant leader and an environmental educator. Ilan was Nava Tehila's Rabbinic Intern and lead percussionist in 2009-2010 and original melodies for prayer are used at Nava Tehila and in many other communities around the world.. Ilan received ordination from the ALEPH Rabbinic Program in 2012 and is currently a freelance rabbi based in Philadelphia, where he lives with his soul partner (and rabbinical student) Leslie Hilgeman. Ilan uses music, story, humor ,and joy to unlock gates of holiness, and to spread God's light wherever possible.
Navot Ben Barak – Vocals and Guitar
Navot, born on a Kibbutz in northern Israel, is a guitarist, composer and vocalist, who is influenced by jazz, world music, folk, Indian music, blues and rock. Navot has years of experience as a soloist and as a member of numerous bands. Two years ago he joined the Nava Tehila community as a prayer leader and musician and began to compose Psalms, liturgical poems (piyuttim) and verses from the Song of Songs. Navot practices Yoga and Chi Kong, is a Shiatsu therapist and leads joyous musical visits to the Hadassa Ein Kerem Hospital
Ruth Gan Kagan – Vocals and Facilitation Ruth is a rabbi and a teacher of Chasidut and Kabbaala. She is the spiritual leader of Nava Tehila community and the creator of the musical-spiritual style that has become identified with the ensemble. In the context of the Ensemble Ruth facilitates the performances, Kabbalot Shabbat, and chant circles, in which she weaves magical journeys of meaning for the participants. At ceremonies and weddings the ensemble includes the musicians only and Ruth joins them only for events in which she lfacilitales the ceremony.
