Song as a Channel for Blessing
with Batya Levine
Drawing on the concept of aliyot - being called up to bless and be blessed by the chanting of the Torah - we will interweave song with ritual in a co-created group space to call our prayers into the song, and call the song into our prayers. We will explore the concept of blessings, learn melodies, and have space to give and receive the blessing of song together.

Batya Levine (they/them) uses song as a tool for cultivating healing and resilience in their work as a
communal song leader, musician, shaliach tzibur (Jewish prayer leader) and cultural organizer. They
believe in the liberatory power of song to untie what is bound within us, and sustain us as we build a more
just and beautiful world. Through workshops, song-circles, and prayer experiences, Batya taps into song
as a pathway towards connection and healing within ourselves, with each other and with the Divine.
 

Batya composes original music made of Ashkenazi yearning, queer heart-medicine, and emunah (faith).
Batya released their debut album of original music, Karov, with Rising Song Records in 2020. Batya is a
co-founder and currently the Director of Programs at Let My People Sing!. They have worked with the
Rising Song Institute as an artist, teacher, and alumna of their Fellowship and Residency programs.
 

As a cultural organizer and a lifelong student of Jewish song and ritual, Batya supports people to dig into
the juiciness of Jewish tradition, for the sake of healing and connection. This work is especially important
for those of us who have felt disconnected, alienated or marginalized from Jewish tradition and within
Jewish community. Batya is dedicated to building a vibrant Judaism that simultaneously reaches
backward and forward in time, and is wide enough for our whole selves.