Levite 2009-2010
Yosef Goldman is a rabbi, hazzan, composer, and ritual artist who renews ancient Jewish devotional forms as living practice. Rooted in both his Ashkenazi and Sephardic-Mizrahi heritage, he has led prayer and taught across the denominational spectrum and internationally, in congregations, seminaries, retreat centers, and festivals.
As a composer and musician, Yosef draws on the Arabic maqam tradition, Hasidic niggun, and contemporary Jewish songwriting. His albums Open My Heart (2019) and Abitah (2023) are sung in communities across North America and Israel. Together with fellow Nava Tehila levite Yoni Avi Batat he founded Kedmah an ensemble and educational initiative dedicated to Sephardic and Mizrahi piyyut, whose debut album Simu Lev was released in 2024. He has performed at the Kennedy Center and the Kimmel Center and is a voting member of the Recording Academy. Along with his identical twin brother, he got his start in Jewish music touring internationally with the Miami Boys Choir.
After years serving as senior clergy at synagogues in Philadelphia and the Washington, DC area, Yosef now works independently as a rabbi, artist, educator, and synagogue consultant. A trained spiritual director and chaplain, he also accompanies individuals and clergy in contemplative practice. He is Senior Advisor to Hadar's Rising Song Institute and teaches piyyut at HUC-JIR's Debbie Friedman School of Sacred Music. He holds rabbinic ordination and a Master of Sacred Music from JTS, and lives in Philadelphia with his wife, Rabbi Annie Lewis, and their two children.
One thing I learned from Nava Tehila:
Active listening is essential to sacred service. When everyone in a prayer ensemble is listening and responding to one another, less is usually more.
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