While the Jewish world is blessed with an abundance of talented musicians, Hanukkah songs (aside from the one about making dreidels out of clay) can still be surprisingly hard to find.
This playlist highlights local Jewish artists and their output of reimagined classic Jewish melodies, festive holiday tunes and songs that simply match the cozy, light-filled vibe of the season. Whether you’re flipping latkes or snuggling on a quiet winter evening, these tracks can help enhance the mood. Do you have a favorite local Jewish musician you want to add to the playlist? Let us know at [email protected].
About the Artists
Davka
“Davka” is a Hebrew word with several nuanced meanings, most commonly translating to “just because” or “out of spite.” This Berkeley-based band leans into contradiction and describes its sound as “classical Middle Eastern Ashkenazi jazz.” While only one album can be found on Spotify, most of Davka’s repertoire (including its most recent release) is available on YouTube.
Kitka
“Kitka” means bouquet in Bulgarian and Macedonian, a frequently occurring symbolic word in Balkan folk songs. This nine-woman, Oakland-based ensemble focuses on Eastern European women’s vocal traditions, featuring songs in Russian, Bulgarian, Serbian, Turkish, Yiddish and Georgian. See Kitka in concert.
Isaac Zones and Shamati
Isaac Zones is a Bay Area–based musician who specializes in Jewish, spiritual, folk and family music. The longtime Camp Tawonga songleader often teaches classes, leads prayer and performs for audiences of all ages with the band Shamati (Hebrew for “I have heard you”), which he founded with violinist and singer Nathaniel Markman.
Matisyahu
While Matisyahu grew up in New York, he lived in Berkeley until he was 5 — so we’re claiming him. The singer, rapper and beatboxer blends reggae, rock and hip-hop with Hasidic themes.
Melita
Melita Silberstein is a Berkeley-based singer-songwriter, sound healer and music specialist for young children whose work spans contemporary folk, spiritual medicine music and Jewish ceremonial song. She is a founder of the family-friendly group Octopretzel,and previously created and directed the children’s program at Wilderness Torah, the earth-based Jewish environmental organization.
Miriam Raziel
Miriam Raziel is a Berkeley-based singer-songwriter and Jewish educator whose sound blends reggae, jazz, Middle Eastern and pop influences with an infusion of Jewish spirituality.
Mostly Kosher
While technically L.A.-based, Mostly Kosher is playing two Bay Area shows for Hanukkah — and this group is really good, so it gets a spot on the list. The klezmer/rock ensemble reimagines Jewish and American musical traditions with influences including jazz, folk and Latin music and is powered by some of L.A.’s top musicians. See Mostly Kosher in concert.
Noa Levy
San Francisco–based Israeli jazz vocalist Noa Levy is known for her unique, expressive style, blending classic and contemporary sounds. In addition to her jazz career, Levy also works as a Jewish educator, Hebrew teacher and cantorial soloist.
People’s Bizarre
People’s Bizarre was formed when members of the Midwest and San Francisco avant-garde jazz community came together to work on the same project. The band’s unique sound features cinematic chamber music, Balkan-inspired rock, edgy jazz, soulful ballads and lyrics in English and Macedonian.
Rachel & Eliyahu, the Qadim Ensemble
Qadim Ensemble, named for a word meaning both “ancient” and “that which will come” in Arabic and Hebrew, celebrates the shared musical and spiritual heritage of the Middle East and Mediterranean through a vibrant repertoire spanning Arabic, Jewish, Turkish Sufi, Hebrew-Yemenite, Armenian, Greek, Ladino and Moroccan traditions. The San Francisco–based group is headed by husband and wife Eliyahu Sills on the ney (reed flute) and Rachel Valfer Sills on oud and vocals.
Sam Reider
Sam Reider is a Latin Grammy–nominated pianist, accordionist, composer and educator from San Francisco whose genre-blending music spans jazz, folk, pop and chamber influences, earning features on NPR, PBS and the BBC. His most recent project, “The Golem and Other Tales,” showcases his ensemble the Human Hands performing a large-scale instrumental tone poem based on the Jewish legend. See Sam Reider in concert.
San Francisco Yiddish Combo and Dirty Cello
The San Francisco Yiddish Combo was born when a shared love of klezmer collided with musical backgrounds in jazz, blues, folk, classical and hip-hop, resulting in a genre-bending, high-energy sound all its own. The group is led by cellist Rebecca Roudman, who also fronts Dirty Cello — a raucous band that blends blues, rock, Americana and more. See Dirty Cello in concert.
Sol Tevél
Led by Israeli-born Lior Ben-Hur, San Francisco–based Sol Tevél weaves global sounds, rhythms and multilingual lyrics into music that offers a contemporary interpretation of ancient Jewish texts, ideals and mysticism.
The Klezmorim
The Klezmorim was one of the first of the revivalist bands to play klezmer when it formed in 1975 in Berkeley. The group is often credited with kickstarting the klezmer renaissance of the 1970s and 1980s with renditions of pre-1930 Russian, Ukrainian and Romanian Yiddish instrumental music, often featuring tunes that predated the recording era.
The San Francisco Klezmer Experience
Now known as the Klez-X, this band is known for its energetic and diverse blend of klezmer, Yiddish, folk and jazz music.
Veretski Pass
Bay Area–based ensemble Veretski Pass is named after Verecke Pass, the mountain pass through which Magyar tribes crossed into the Carpathian Basin to settle what later became the Austro-Hungarian Empire. The klezmer trio features Carpathian, Jewish, Romanian, Ottoman, Moldavian, Bessarabian and Polish sounds.