אוֹחִילָה - Ochilah

Just before the High Holiday morning services reach their peak, the communal emissary of prayer, the Shaliach Tzibbur, turns their focus from praying on behalf of the collective and offers aloud a brief but powerful personal prayer of yearning: 
"Ochilah La'El, I put my hope in You, Dear One, that I may come into Your presence," despite the limits of speech, of my vulnerable bodies, of my singing voice.  The prayer leaders beseech the Creator to allow them to convey the stirrings of our souls to sway the hearts of our communities through the tools of song and prayer.
_______________

LYRICS:

Ochilah la’El, achaleh fanav, esh'alah mimmenu ma'aneh lashon.
Asher beek'hal am ashirah uzo, abbi'ah renanos be'ad mif'alav.
Le'adam ma'archei lev, u'mei-Hashem ma'aneh lashon.
Hashem sefasai tiftach u-fi yaddid tehillasecha
_

I put my hope in You, Dear One, That I may come into Your presence.
Grant me proper speech, that I may sing of Your strength
Amidst this gathering of our community
and utter praises describing Your deeds.

All that we can do is align our hearts; God alone can grant us eloquence of speech.

God, open my lips that my mouth may speak Your praise.
_
אוֹחִילָה לָאֵל
אֲחַלֶּה פָנָיו
אֶשְׁאֲלָה מִמֶּנּוּ מַעֲנֵה לָשׁוֹן
אֲשֶׁר בִּקְהַל עָם אָשִׁיר עֻזּוֹ
אַבִּיעָה רְנָנוֹת בְּעַד מִפְעָלָיו
לְאָדָם מַעַרְכֵי לֵב וּמֵה׳ מַעֲנֵה לָשׁוֹן
ה׳ שְׂפָתַי תִּפְתָּח וּפִי יַגִּיד תְּהִלָּתֶךָ

_______________

CREDITS: 
Yosef Goldman - lead vocals

Michael Winograd - clarinet
Orel Oshrat - piano
Yankale Segal - bass, tar, synths, programming
Yoed Nir - cello
Shahar Haziza - drums, percussion
Eitan Kantor - violin

Chava Mirel - harmony vocals
Eitan Kantor - harmony vocals
Marni Loffman - harmony vocals
Yoni Avi Battat - harmony vocals

Written by Yosef Goldman, with Eitan Kantor
Lyrics- High Holiday Mussaf liturgy

Produced by Yankale Segal
Arranged by Yankale Segal, with Yosef Goldman
Vocal Arrangement - Yosef Goldman
Mixed by Shlomi Givli, Ogen Studios, Kibbutz HaOgen, Israel

Rising Song Records


__________

During a time of chronic illness and pain, when I was uncertain that my body could sustain the stress of leading service, this is is how I expressed the prayer of Ochilah in my own words:

Holy One, Beloved One.
As I sit here trembling,
vulnerable, scared,
preparing to open my mouth, my heart,
my soul, to stand before my sacred community as a conduit of prayer,
and feeling wholly unworthy of the task,

I pray that You grant me the softness of heart
and expansiveness of breath;
that the words and sounds
that come from within me--
from within us--
weave together so that we become
the prayers we never even knew we needed to be.

Even when my joints and muscles hurt.
Even when my heart and soul ache.
Even if my abdomen swells
so that I can hardly inhale.
Even if I can barely rise
to stand before Your Awesome presence.
I promise
that I will step into Your presence,
into the heart of community.
It is in You that I will find
the ever-renewing strength
to open myself and those who gather with me,
to express our innermost yearnings.
license

Ochilah (Yosef Goldman with Eitan Kantor)

Ki Lo Na’eh
	Words: Passover Haggadah 

Open My Heart is an album of original Jewish devotional world music. 

The eclectic soundscape of this album reflects my mixed Ashkenazi, Yemenite, and Syrian-Turkish heritage, and my own diverse influence. On the album you’ll hear echoes of Chassidic devotional songs; the microtonal scales and instrumentation of Arab classical music; colors of jazz, funk, and Klezmer; Ashkenazi prayer modes; Sufi chanting; and rhythms that I learned playing in my hometown of New York with musicians from around the world. 

I combine these diverse elements into a unique Jewish World Music that is deep and prayerful, filled with aspiration and yearning, heartache and joy. This is music for listening, for singing together, and for praying.

This album was recorded live off the floor (with minimal overdubbing) in the sanctuary of the Germantown Jewish Centre, in Philadelphia, bringing together some of my favorite musicians/ spiritual artists for a 3-day immersive session and capturing the energy that can only from playing together live.

There’s an old Jewish saying that words expressed from the heart are received wholeheartedly. The songs on this album are the prayerful expressions of my heart. I hope that it will move you, and maybe even open your heart, as it has mine.

TRACKS: 

LECHU (“Come, Let Us Sing Joyously”) 
Words: Kabbalat Shabbat Liturgy, Psalms 95:1-3
Vocal Arrangement: Ayo Awosika, Yosef Goldman

SEFIRAT HA'OMER NIGGUN
Words: Liturgy for Counting the Omer
Music: Shir Yaakov Feit, Zach Fredman, Yosef Goldman
Musical Direction: Yosef Goldman, Joey Weisenberg

GESHER (“The Bridge”) 
Hebrew Words: Rabbi Nachman of Breslov; English Words: Yosef Goldman
Vocal Arrangement: Ayo Awosika

EIN OD (“There is No Other”)
Words: Aleinu prayer (Deuteronomy  4:39, Zechariah 14:9)


YEDID NEFESH (“Soul Mate”)
Words: Elazar Azikri, Shabbat Liturgy
Music: Traditional Sepharadi-Yerushalmi (Maqam Sigah)
Musical Direction: Zach Fredman

OPEN MY HEART
Words: Rami Shapiro, Yosef Goldman
Vocal Arrangement: Ayo Awosika


ELIYAHU HANAVI (“Elijah the Prophet”)
	Words: Liturgy for Havdalah
	Music: Annie Lewis & Yosef Goldman
(written for the bris of Shir Emet Goldman)

Shalom Aleichem ("Welcoming the Angels")
Words: Liturgy for Shabbat Evening Meal
Music Direction: Yosef Goldman & Joey Weisenberg

Ki Lo Na’eh ("To You All Praise is Due")
	Words: Passover Haggadah 


OPEN MY HEART WILL BE AVAILABLE FOR STREAMING AND DOWNLOAD DECEMBER 3, FROM RISING SONG RECORDS
risingsong.org/buy

Produced by Yosef Goldman & Joey Weisenberg 
Music Composed by Yosef Goldman* 
Musical Direction by Yosef Goldman*
Engineered, Mixed, and Mastered by Don Godwin
CD Design/Layout: Lisa Weinberger, Masters Group Design

*Except where noted.


PERSONNEL: 
Yosef Goldman—Lead Vocals
Chava Mirel—Vocals
Deborah Sacks Mintz—Vocals
Megan Gould—Violin
Joey Weisenberg—Electric Guitar, Mandolin
Zach Fredman—Guitar, Oud
Uri Sharlin—Piano, Keyboards, Accordion
Daniel Ori—Double Bass, Electric Bass
Rich Stein—Percussion
Arturo Stable—Drums, Percussion

Special Guests: 
Dan Blacksberg—Trombone (#8)
Ertuğrul Erkişi—Tambur (#4,# 9) 
Aslıhan Erkişi—Classical Kemençe (#4,# 9) 
Don Godwin—Tuba (#8)
Annie Lewis—Lead Vocals (#7)
Micah Shapiro—Backing Vocals (#7)


Recorded live off the floor at Germantown Jewish Centre in Philadelphia, April 2019

Filmed versions of some of these songs will be available on YouTube and at www.yosefgoldman.com, filmed by Shmulie Lowenstein.

Ki Lo Na'eh

Shalom Aleichem ("Welcoming the Angels")
Words: Liturgy for Shabbat Evening Meal
Music Direction: Yosef Goldman & Joey Weisenberg

Open My Heart is an album of original Jewish devotional world music. 

The eclectic soundscape of this album reflects my mixed Ashkenazi, Yemenite, and Syrian-Turkish heritage, and my own diverse influence. On the album you’ll hear echoes of Chassidic devotional songs; the microtonal scales and instrumentation of Arab classical music; colors of jazz, funk, and Klezmer; Ashkenazi prayer modes; Sufi chanting; and rhythms that I learned playing in my hometown of New York with musicians from around the world. 

I combine these diverse elements into a unique Jewish World Music that is deep and prayerful, filled with aspiration and yearning, heartache and joy. This is music for listening, for singing together, and for praying.

This album was recorded live off the floor (with minimal overdubbing) in the sanctuary of the Germantown Jewish Centre, in Philadelphia, bringing together some of my favorite musicians/ spiritual artists for a 3-day immersive session and capturing the energy that can only from playing together live.

There’s an old Jewish saying that words expressed from the heart are received wholeheartedly. The songs on this album are the prayerful expressions of my heart. I hope that it will move you, and maybe even open your heart, as it has mine.

TRACKS: 

LECHU (“Come, Let Us Sing Joyously”) 
Words: Kabbalat Shabbat Liturgy, Psalms 95:1-3
Vocal Arrangement: Ayo Awosika, Yosef Goldman

SEFIRAT HA'OMER NIGGUN
Words: Liturgy for Counting the Omer
Music: Shir Yaakov Feit, Zach Fredman, Yosef Goldman
Musical Direction: Yosef Goldman, Joey Weisenberg

GESHER (“The Bridge”) 
Hebrew Words: Rabbi Nachman of Breslov; English Words: Yosef Goldman
Vocal Arrangement: Ayo Awosika

EIN OD (“There is No Other”)
Words: Aleinu prayer (Deuteronomy  4:39, Zechariah 14:9)


YEDID NEFESH (“Soul Mate”)
Words: Elazar Azikri, Shabbat Liturgy
Music: Traditional Sepharadi-Yerushalmi (Maqam Sigah)
Musical Direction: Zach Fredman

OPEN MY HEART
Words: Rami Shapiro, Yosef Goldman
Vocal Arrangement: Ayo Awosika


ELIYAHU HANAVI (“Elijah the Prophet”)
	Words: Liturgy for Havdalah
	Music: Annie Lewis & Yosef Goldman
(written for the bris of Shir Emet Goldman)

Shalom Aleichem ("Welcoming the Angels")
Words: Liturgy for Shabbat Evening Meal
Music Direction: Yosef Goldman & Joey Weisenberg

Ki Lo Na’eh ("To You All Praise is Due")
	Words: Passover Haggadah 


OPEN MY HEART WILL BE AVAILABLE FOR STREAMING AND DOWNLOAD DECEMBER 3, FROM RISING SONG RECORDS
risingsong.org/buy

Produced by Yosef Goldman & Joey Weisenberg 
Music Composed by Yosef Goldman* 
Musical Direction by Yosef Goldman*
Engineered, Mixed, and Mastered by Don Godwin
CD Design/Layout: Lisa Weinberger, Masters Group Design

*Except where noted.


PERSONNEL: 
Yosef Goldman—Lead Vocals
Chava Mirel—Vocals
Deborah Sacks Mintz—Vocals
Megan Gould—Violin
Joey Weisenberg—Electric Guitar, Mandolin
Zach Fredman—Guitar, Oud
Uri Sharlin—Piano, Keyboards, Accordion
Daniel Ori—Double Bass, Electric Bass
Rich Stein—Percussion
Arturo Stable—Drums, Percussion

Special Guests: 
Dan Blacksberg—Trombone (#8)
Ertuğrul Erkişi—Tambur (#4,# 9) 
Aslıhan Erkişi—Classical Kemençe (#4,# 9) 
Don Godwin—Tuba (#8)
Annie Lewis—Lead Vocals (#7)
Micah Shapiro—Backing Vocals (#7)


Recorded live off the floor at Germantown Jewish Centre in Philadelphia, April 2019

Filmed versions of some of these songs will be available on YouTube and at www.yosefgoldman.com, filmed by Shmulie Lowenstein.

Shalom Aleichem

Eliyahu Hanavi (“Elijah the Prophet”)
	Words: Liturgy for Havdalah
	Music: Annie Lewis & Yosef Goldman

Open My Heart is an album of original Jewish devotional world music. 

The eclectic soundscape of this album reflects my mixed Ashkenazi, Yemenite, and Syrian-Turkish heritage, and my own diverse influence. On the album you’ll hear echoes of Chassidic devotional songs; the microtonal scales and instrumentation of Arab classical music; colors of jazz, funk, and Klezmer; Ashkenazi prayer modes; Sufi chanting; and rhythms that I learned playing in my hometown of New York with musicians from around the world. 

I combine these diverse elements into a unique Jewish World Music that is deep and prayerful, filled with aspiration and yearning, heartache and joy. This is music for listening, for singing together, and for praying.

This album was recorded live off the floor (with minimal overdubbing) in the sanctuary of the Germantown Jewish Centre, in Philadelphia, bringing together some of my favorite musicians/ spiritual artists for a 3-day immersive session and capturing the energy that can only from playing together live.

There’s an old Jewish saying that words expressed from the heart are received wholeheartedly. The songs on this album are the prayerful expressions of my heart. I hope that it will move you, and maybe even open your heart, as it has mine.

TRACKS: 

LECHU (“Come, Let Us Sing Joyously”) 
Words: Kabbalat Shabbat Liturgy, Psalms 95:1-3
Vocal Arrangement: Ayo Awosika, Yosef Goldman

SEFIRAT HA'OMER NIGGUN
Words: Liturgy for Counting the Omer
Music: Shir Yaakov Feit, Zach Fredman, Yosef Goldman
Musical Direction: Yosef Goldman, Joey Weisenberg

GESHER (“The Bridge”) 
Hebrew Words: Rabbi Nachman of Breslov; English Words: Yosef Goldman
Vocal Arrangement: Ayo Awosika

EIN OD (“There is No Other”)
Words: Aleinu prayer (Deuteronomy  4:39, Zechariah 14:9)


YEDID NEFESH (“Soul Mate”)
Words: Elazar Azikri, Shabbat Liturgy
Music: Traditional Sepharadi-Yerushalmi (Maqam Sigah)
Musical Direction: Zach Fredman

OPEN MY HEART
Words: Rami Shapiro, Yosef Goldman
Vocal Arrangement: Ayo Awosika


ELIYAHU HANAVI (“Elijah the Prophet”)
	Words: Liturgy for Havdalah
	Music: Annie Lewis & Yosef Goldman
(written for the bris of Shir Emet Goldman)

Shalom Aleichem ("Welcoming the Angels")
Words: Liturgy for Shabbat Evening Meal
Music Direction: Yosef Goldman & Joey Weisenberg

Ki Lo Na’eh ("To You All Praise is Due")
	Words: Passover Haggadah 


OPEN MY HEART WILL BE AVAILABLE FOR STREAMING AND DOWNLOAD DECEMBER 3, FROM RISING SONG RECORDS
risingsong.org/buy

Produced by Yosef Goldman & Joey Weisenberg 
Music Composed by Yosef Goldman* 
Musical Direction by Yosef Goldman*
Engineered, Mixed, and Mastered by Don Godwin
CD Design/Layout: Lisa Weinberger, Masters Group Design

*Except where noted.


PERSONNEL: 
Yosef Goldman—Lead Vocals
Chava Mirel—Vocals
Deborah Sacks Mintz—Vocals
Megan Gould—Violin
Joey Weisenberg—Electric Guitar, Mandolin
Zach Fredman—Guitar, Oud
Uri Sharlin—Piano, Keyboards, Accordion
Daniel Ori—Double Bass, Electric Bass
Rich Stein—Percussion
Arturo Stable—Drums, Percussion

Special Guests: 
Dan Blacksberg—Trombone (#8)
Ertuğrul Erkişi—Tambur (#4,# 9) 
Aslıhan Erkişi—Classical Kemençe (#4,# 9) 
Don Godwin—Tuba (#8)
Annie Lewis—Lead Vocals (#7)
Micah Shapiro—Backing Vocals (#7)


Recorded live off the floor at Germantown Jewish Centre in Philadelphia, April 2019

Filmed versions of some of these songs will be available on YouTube and at www.yosefgoldman.com, filmed by Shmulie Lowenstein.

Eliyahu Hanavi

"Open My Heart"
Words: Rami Shapiro, Yosef Goldman
Vocal Arrangement: Ayo Awosika

Open My Heart is an album of original Jewish devotional world music. 

The eclectic soundscape of this album reflects my mixed Ashkenazi, Yemenite, and Syrian-Turkish heritage, and my own diverse influence. On the album you’ll hear echoes of Chassidic devotional songs; the microtonal scales and instrumentation of Arab classical music; colors of jazz, funk, and Klezmer; Ashkenazi prayer modes; Sufi chanting; and rhythms that I learned playing in my hometown of New York with musicians from around the world. 

I combine these diverse elements into a unique Jewish World Music that is deep and prayerful, filled with aspiration and yearning, heartache and joy. This is music for listening, for singing together, and for praying.

This album was recorded live off the floor (with minimal overdubbing) in the sanctuary of the Germantown Jewish Centre, in Philadelphia, bringing together some of my favorite musicians/ spiritual artists for a 3-day immersive session and capturing the energy that can only from playing together live.

There’s an old Jewish saying that words expressed from the heart are received wholeheartedly. The songs on this album are the prayerful expressions of my heart. I hope that it will move you, and maybe even open your heart, as it has mine.

TRACKS: 

LECHU (“Come, Let Us Sing Joyously”) 
Words: Kabbalat Shabbat Liturgy, Psalms 95:1-3
Vocal Arrangement: Ayo Awosika, Yosef Goldman

SEFIRAT HA'OMER NIGGUN
Words: Liturgy for Counting the Omer
Music: Shir Yaakov Feit, Zach Fredman, Yosef Goldman
Musical Direction: Yosef Goldman, Joey Weisenberg

GESHER (“The Bridge”) 
Hebrew Words: Rabbi Nachman of Breslov; English Words: Yosef Goldman
Vocal Arrangement: Ayo Awosika

EIN OD (“There is No Other”)
Words: Aleinu prayer (Deuteronomy  4:39, Zechariah 14:9)


YEDID NEFESH (“Soul Mate”)
Words: Elazar Azikri, Shabbat Liturgy
Music: Traditional Sepharadi-Yerushalmi (Maqam Sigah)
Musical Direction: Zach Fredman

OPEN MY HEART
Words: Rami Shapiro, Yosef Goldman
Vocal Arrangement: Ayo Awosika


ELIYAHU HANAVI (“Elijah the Prophet”)
	Words: Liturgy for Havdalah
	Music: Annie Lewis & Yosef Goldman
(written for the bris of Shir Emet Goldman)

Shalom Aleichem ("Welcoming the Angels")
Words: Liturgy for Shabbat Evening Meal
Music Direction: Yosef Goldman & Joey Weisenberg

Ki Lo Na’eh ("To You All Praise is Due")
	Words: Passover Haggadah 


OPEN MY HEART WILL BE AVAILABLE FOR STREAMING AND DOWNLOAD DECEMBER 3, FROM RISING SONG RECORDS
risingsong.org/buy

Produced by Yosef Goldman & Joey Weisenberg 
Music Composed by Yosef Goldman* 
Musical Direction by Yosef Goldman*
Engineered, Mixed, and Mastered by Don Godwin
CD Design/Layout: Lisa Weinberger, Masters Group Design

*Except where noted.


PERSONNEL: 
Yosef Goldman—Lead Vocals
Chava Mirel—Vocals
Deborah Sacks Mintz—Vocals
Megan Gould—Violin
Joey Weisenberg—Electric Guitar, Mandolin
Zach Fredman—Guitar, Oud
Uri Sharlin—Piano, Keyboards, Accordion
Daniel Ori—Double Bass, Electric Bass
Rich Stein—Percussion
Arturo Stable—Drums, Percussion

Special Guests: 
Dan Blacksberg—Trombone (#8)
Ertuğrul Erkişi—Tambur (#4,# 9) 
Aslıhan Erkişi—Classical Kemençe (#4,# 9) 
Don Godwin—Tuba (#8)
Annie Lewis—Lead Vocals (#7)
Micah Shapiro—Backing Vocals (#7)


Recorded live off the floor at Germantown Jewish Centre in Philadelphia, April 2019

Filmed versions of some of these songs will be available on YouTube and at www.yosefgoldman.com, filmed by Shmulie Lowenstein.

Open My Heart

Yedid Nefesh (“Soul Mate”)
Words: Elazar Azikri, Shabbat Liturgy
Music: Traditional, Sepharad-Yerushalayim (Maqam Sigah)
Musical Direction: Zach Fredman

Open My Heart is an album of original Jewish devotional world music. 

The eclectic soundscape of this album reflects my mixed Ashkenazi, Yemenite, and Syrian-Turkish heritage, and my own diverse influence. On the album you’ll hear echoes of Chassidic devotional songs; the microtonal scales and instrumentation of Arab classical music; colors of jazz, funk, and Klezmer; Ashkenazi prayer modes; Sufi chanting; and rhythms that I learned playing in my hometown of New York with musicians from around the world. 

I combine these diverse elements into a unique Jewish World Music that is deep and prayerful, filled with aspiration and yearning, heartache and joy. This is music for listening, for singing together, and for praying.

This album was recorded live off the floor (with minimal overdubbing) in the sanctuary of the Germantown Jewish Centre, in Philadelphia, bringing together some of my favorite musicians/ spiritual artists for a 3-day immersive session and capturing the energy that can only from playing together live.

There’s an old Jewish saying that words expressed from the heart are received wholeheartedly. The songs on this album are the prayerful expressions of my heart. I hope that it will move you, and maybe even open your heart, as it has mine.

TRACKS: 

LECHU (“Come, Let Us Sing Joyously”) 
Words: Kabbalat Shabbat Liturgy, Psalms 95:1-3
Vocal Arrangement: Ayo Awosika, Yosef Goldman

SEFIRAT HA'OMER NIGGUN
Words: Liturgy for Counting the Omer
Music: Shir Yaakov Feit, Zach Fredman, Yosef Goldman
Musical Direction: Yosef Goldman, Joey Weisenberg

GESHER (“The Bridge”) 
Hebrew Words: Rabbi Nachman of Breslov; English Words: Yosef Goldman
Vocal Arrangement: Ayo Awosika

EIN OD (“There is No Other”)
Words: Aleinu prayer (Deuteronomy  4:39, Zechariah 14:9)


YEDID NEFESH (“Soul Mate”)
Words: Elazar Azikri, Shabbat Liturgy
Music: Traditional Sepharadi-Yerushalmi (Maqam Sigah)
Musical Direction: Zach Fredman

OPEN MY HEART
Words: Rami Shapiro, Yosef Goldman
Vocal Arrangement: Ayo Awosika


ELIYAHU HANAVI (“Elijah the Prophet”)
	Words: Liturgy for Havdalah
	Music: Annie Lewis & Yosef Goldman
(written for the bris of Shir Emet Goldman)

Shalom Aleichem ("Welcoming the Angels")
Words: Liturgy for Shabbat Evening Meal
Music Direction: Yosef Goldman & Joey Weisenberg

Ki Lo Na’eh ("To You All Praise is Due")
	Words: Passover Haggadah 


OPEN MY HEART WILL BE AVAILABLE FOR STREAMING AND DOWNLOAD DECEMBER 3, FROM RISING SONG RECORDS
risingsong.org/buy

Produced by Yosef Goldman & Joey Weisenberg 
Music Composed by Yosef Goldman* 
Musical Direction by Yosef Goldman*
Engineered, Mixed, and Mastered by Don Godwin
CD Design/Layout: Lisa Weinberger, Masters Group Design

*Except where noted.


PERSONNEL: 
Yosef Goldman—Lead Vocals
Chava Mirel—Vocals
Deborah Sacks Mintz—Vocals
Megan Gould—Violin
Joey Weisenberg—Electric Guitar, Mandolin
Zach Fredman—Guitar, Oud
Uri Sharlin—Piano, Keyboards, Accordion
Daniel Ori—Double Bass, Electric Bass
Rich Stein—Percussion
Arturo Stable—Drums, Percussion

Special Guests: 
Dan Blacksberg—Trombone (#8)
Ertuğrul Erkişi—Tambur (#4,# 9) 
Aslıhan Erkişi—Classical Kemençe (#4,# 9) 
Don Godwin—Tuba (#8)
Annie Lewis—Lead Vocals (#7)
Micah Shapiro—Backing Vocals (#7)


Recorded live off the floor at Germantown Jewish Centre in Philadelphia, April 2019

Filmed versions of some of these songs will be available on YouTube and at www.yosefgoldman.com, filmed by Shmulie Lowenstein.

Yedid Nefesh

Ein Od (“There is No Other”)
Words: Aleinu prayer (Deuteronomy  4:39, Zechariah 14:9)

Open My Heart is an album of original Jewish devotional world music. 

The eclectic soundscape of this album reflects my mixed Ashkenazi, Yemenite, and Syrian-Turkish heritage, and my own diverse influence. On the album you’ll hear echoes of Chassidic devotional songs; the microtonal scales and instrumentation of Arab classical music; colors of jazz, funk, and Klezmer; Ashkenazi prayer modes; Sufi chanting; and rhythms that I learned playing in my hometown of New York with musicians from around the world. 

I combine these diverse elements into a unique Jewish World Music that is deep and prayerful, filled with aspiration and yearning, heartache and joy. This is music for listening, for singing together, and for praying.

This album was recorded live off the floor (with minimal overdubbing) in the sanctuary of the Germantown Jewish Centre, in Philadelphia, bringing together some of my favorite musicians/ spiritual artists for a 3-day immersive session and capturing the energy that can only from playing together live.

There’s an old Jewish saying that words expressed from the heart are received wholeheartedly. The songs on this album are the prayerful expressions of my heart. I hope that it will move you, and maybe even open your heart, as it has mine.

TRACKS: 

LECHU (“Come, Let Us Sing Joyously”) 
Words: Kabbalat Shabbat Liturgy, Psalms 95:1-3
Vocal Arrangement: Ayo Awosika, Yosef Goldman

SEFIRAT HA'OMER NIGGUN
Words: Liturgy for Counting the Omer
Music: Shir Yaakov Feit, Zach Fredman, Yosef Goldman
Musical Direction: Yosef Goldman, Joey Weisenberg

GESHER (“The Bridge”) 
Hebrew Words: Rabbi Nachman of Breslov; English Words: Yosef Goldman
Vocal Arrangement: Ayo Awosika

EIN OD (“There is No Other”)
Words: Aleinu prayer (Deuteronomy  4:39, Zechariah 14:9)


YEDID NEFESH (“Soul Mate”)
Words: Elazar Azikri, Shabbat Liturgy
Music: Traditional Sepharadi-Yerushalmi (Maqam Sigah)
Musical Direction: Zach Fredman

OPEN MY HEART
Words: Rami Shapiro, Yosef Goldman
Vocal Arrangement: Ayo Awosika


ELIYAHU HANAVI (“Elijah the Prophet”)
	Words: Liturgy for Havdalah
	Music: Annie Lewis & Yosef Goldman
(written for the bris of Shir Emet Goldman)

Shalom Aleichem ("Welcoming the Angels")
Words: Liturgy for Shabbat Evening Meal
Music Direction: Yosef Goldman & Joey Weisenberg

Ki Lo Na’eh ("To You All Praise is Due")
	Words: Passover Haggadah 


OPEN MY HEART WILL BE AVAILABLE FOR STREAMING AND DOWNLOAD DECEMBER 3, FROM RISING SONG RECORDS
risingsong.org/buy

Produced by Yosef Goldman & Joey Weisenberg 
Music Composed by Yosef Goldman* 
Musical Direction by Yosef Goldman*
Engineered, Mixed, and Mastered by Don Godwin
CD Design/Layout: Lisa Weinberger, Masters Group Design

*Except where noted.


PERSONNEL: 
Yosef Goldman—Lead Vocals
Chava Mirel—Vocals
Deborah Sacks Mintz—Vocals
Megan Gould—Violin
Joey Weisenberg—Electric Guitar, Mandolin
Zach Fredman—Guitar, Oud
Uri Sharlin—Piano, Keyboards, Accordion
Daniel Ori—Double Bass, Electric Bass
Rich Stein—Percussion
Arturo Stable—Drums, Percussion

Special Guests: 
Dan Blacksberg—Trombone (#8)
Ertuğrul Erkişi—Tambur (#4,# 9) 
Aslıhan Erkişi—Classical Kemençe (#4,# 9) 
Don Godwin—Tuba (#8)
Annie Lewis—Lead Vocals (#7)
Micah Shapiro—Backing Vocals (#7)


Recorded live off the floor at Germantown Jewish Centre in Philadelphia, April 2019

Filmed versions of some of these songs will be available on YouTube and at www.yosefgoldman.com, filmed by Shmulie Lowenstein.

Ein Od

Gesher (“The Bridge”) 
Hebrew Words: Rabbi Nachman of Breslov; English Words: Yosef Goldman
Vocal Arrangement: Ayo Awosika

Open My Heart is an album of original Jewish devotional world music. 

The eclectic soundscape of this album reflects my mixed Ashkenazi, Yemenite, and Syrian-Turkish heritage, and my own diverse influence. On the album you’ll hear echoes of Chassidic devotional songs; the microtonal scales and instrumentation of Arab classical music; colors of jazz, funk, and Klezmer; Ashkenazi prayer modes; Sufi chanting; and rhythms that I learned playing in my hometown of New York with musicians from around the world. 

I combine these diverse elements into a unique Jewish World Music that is deep and prayerful, filled with aspiration and yearning, heartache and joy. This is music for listening, for singing together, and for praying.

This album was recorded live off the floor (with minimal overdubbing) in the sanctuary of the Germantown Jewish Centre, in Philadelphia, bringing together some of my favorite musicians/ spiritual artists for a 3-day immersive session and capturing the energy that can only from playing together live.

There’s an old Jewish saying that words expressed from the heart are received wholeheartedly. The songs on this album are the prayerful expressions of my heart. I hope that it will move you, and maybe even open your heart, as it has mine.

TRACKS: 

LECHU (“Come, Let Us Sing Joyously”) 
Words: Kabbalat Shabbat Liturgy, Psalms 95:1-3
Vocal Arrangement: Ayo Awosika, Yosef Goldman

SEFIRAT HA'OMER NIGGUN
Words: Liturgy for Counting the Omer
Music: Shir Yaakov Feit, Zach Fredman, Yosef Goldman
Musical Direction: Yosef Goldman, Joey Weisenberg

GESHER (“The Bridge”) 
Hebrew Words: Rabbi Nachman of Breslov; English Words: Yosef Goldman
Vocal Arrangement: Ayo Awosika

EIN OD (“There is No Other”)
Words: Aleinu prayer (Deuteronomy  4:39, Zechariah 14:9)


YEDID NEFESH (“Soul Mate”)
Words: Elazar Azikri, Shabbat Liturgy
Music: Traditional Sepharadi-Yerushalmi (Maqam Sigah)
Musical Direction: Zach Fredman

OPEN MY HEART
Words: Rami Shapiro, Yosef Goldman
Vocal Arrangement: Ayo Awosika


ELIYAHU HANAVI (“Elijah the Prophet”)
	Words: Liturgy for Havdalah
	Music: Annie Lewis & Yosef Goldman
(written for the bris of Shir Emet Goldman)

Shalom Aleichem ("Welcoming the Angels")
Words: Liturgy for Shabbat Evening Meal
Music Direction: Yosef Goldman & Joey Weisenberg

Ki Lo Na’eh ("To You All Praise is Due")
	Words: Passover Haggadah 


OPEN MY HEART WILL BE AVAILABLE FOR STREAMING AND DOWNLOAD DECEMBER 3, FROM RISING SONG RECORDS
risingsong.org/buy

Produced by Yosef Goldman & Joey Weisenberg 
Music Composed by Yosef Goldman* 
Musical Direction by Yosef Goldman*
Engineered, Mixed, and Mastered by Don Godwin
CD Design/Layout: Lisa Weinberger, Masters Group Design

*Except where noted.


PERSONNEL: 
Yosef Goldman—Lead Vocals
Chava Mirel—Vocals
Deborah Sacks Mintz—Vocals
Megan Gould—Violin
Joey Weisenberg—Electric Guitar, Mandolin
Zach Fredman—Guitar, Oud
Uri Sharlin—Piano, Keyboards, Accordion
Daniel Ori—Double Bass, Electric Bass
Rich Stein—Percussion
Arturo Stable—Drums, Percussion

Special Guests: 
Dan Blacksberg—Trombone (#8)
Ertuğrul Erkişi—Tambur (#4,# 9) 
Aslıhan Erkişi—Classical Kemençe (#4,# 9) 
Don Godwin—Tuba (#8)
Annie Lewis—Lead Vocals (#7)
Micah Shapiro—Backing Vocals (#7)


Recorded live off the floor at Germantown Jewish Centre in Philadelphia, April 2019

Filmed versions of some of these songs will be available on YouTube and at www.yosefgoldman.com, filmed by Shmulie Lowenstein.

Gesher

Sefirat Ha’Omer Niggun
Words: Liturgy for Counting the Omer
Music: Shir Yaakov Feit, Zach Fredman, Yosef Goldman
Musical Direction: Yosef Goldman, Joey Weisenberg

Open My Heart is an album of original Jewish devotional world music. 

The eclectic soundscape of this album reflects my mixed Ashkenazi, Yemenite, and Syrian-Turkish heritage, and my own diverse influence. On the album you’ll hear echoes of Chassidic devotional songs; the microtonal scales and instrumentation of Arab classical music; colors of jazz, funk, and Klezmer; Ashkenazi prayer modes; Sufi chanting; and rhythms that I learned playing in my hometown of New York with musicians from around the world. 

I combine these diverse elements into a unique Jewish World Music that is deep and prayerful, filled with aspiration and yearning, heartache and joy. This is music for listening, for singing together, and for praying.

This album was recorded live off the floor (with minimal overdubbing) in the sanctuary of the Germantown Jewish Centre, in Philadelphia, bringing together some of my favorite musicians/ spiritual artists for a 3-day immersive session and capturing the energy that can only from playing together live.

There’s an old Jewish saying that words expressed from the heart are received wholeheartedly. The songs on this album are the prayerful expressions of my heart. I hope that it will move you, and maybe even open your heart, as it has mine.

TRACKS: 

LECHU (“Come, Let Us Sing Joyously”) 
Words: Kabbalat Shabbat Liturgy, Psalms 95:1-3
Vocal Arrangement: Ayo Awosika, Yosef Goldman

SEFIRAT HA'OMER NIGGUN
Words: Liturgy for Counting the Omer
Music: Shir Yaakov Feit, Zach Fredman, Yosef Goldman
Musical Direction: Yosef Goldman, Joey Weisenberg

GESHER (“The Bridge”) 
Hebrew Words: Rabbi Nachman of Breslov; English Words: Yosef Goldman
Vocal Arrangement: Ayo Awosika

EIN OD (“There is No Other”)
Words: Aleinu prayer (Deuteronomy  4:39, Zechariah 14:9)


YEDID NEFESH (“Soul Mate”)
Words: Elazar Azikri, Shabbat Liturgy
Music: Traditional Sepharadi-Yerushalmi (Maqam Sigah)
Musical Direction: Zach Fredman

OPEN MY HEART
Words: Rami Shapiro, Yosef Goldman
Vocal Arrangement: Ayo Awosika


ELIYAHU HANAVI (“Elijah the Prophet”)
	Words: Liturgy for Havdalah
	Music: Annie Lewis & Yosef Goldman
(written for the bris of Shir Emet Goldman)

Shalom Aleichem ("Welcoming the Angels")
Words: Liturgy for Shabbat Evening Meal
Music Direction: Yosef Goldman & Joey Weisenberg

Ki Lo Na’eh ("To You All Praise is Due")
	Words: Passover Haggadah 


OPEN MY HEART WILL BE AVAILABLE FOR STREAMING AND DOWNLOAD DECEMBER 3, FROM RISING SONG RECORDS
risingsong.org/buy

Produced by Yosef Goldman & Joey Weisenberg 
Music Composed by Yosef Goldman* 
Musical Direction by Yosef Goldman*
Engineered, Mixed, and Mastered by Don Godwin
CD Design/Layout: Lisa Weinberger, Masters Group Design

*Except where noted.


PERSONNEL: 
Yosef Goldman—Lead Vocals
Chava Mirel—Vocals
Deborah Sacks Mintz—Vocals
Megan Gould—Violin
Joey Weisenberg—Electric Guitar, Mandolin
Zach Fredman—Guitar, Oud
Uri Sharlin—Piano, Keyboards, Accordion
Daniel Ori—Double Bass, Electric Bass
Rich Stein—Percussion
Arturo Stable—Drums, Percussion

Special Guests: 
Dan Blacksberg—Trombone (#8)
Ertuğrul Erkişi—Tambur (#4,# 9) 
Aslıhan Erkişi—Classical Kemençe (#4,# 9) 
Don Godwin—Tuba (#8)
Annie Lewis—Lead Vocals (#7)
Micah Shapiro—Backing Vocals (#7)


Recorded live off the floor at Germantown Jewish Centre in Philadelphia, April 2019

Filmed versions of some of these songs will be available on YouTube and at www.yosefgoldman.com, filmed by Shmulie Lowenstein.

Sefirat Ha'Omer Niggun

Lechu (“Come, Let Us Sing Joyously”) 
Words: Kabbalat Shabbat Liturgy, Psalms 95:1-3
Vocal Arrangement: Ayo Awosika, Yosef Goldman


Open My Heart is an album of original Jewish devotional world music. 

The eclectic soundscape of this album reflects my mixed Ashkenazi, Yemenite, and Syrian-Turkish heritage, and my own diverse influence. On the album you’ll hear echoes of Chassidic devotional songs; the microtonal scales and instrumentation of Arab classical music; colors of jazz, funk, and Klezmer; Ashkenazi prayer modes; Sufi chanting; and rhythms that I learned playing in my hometown of New York with musicians from around the world. 

I combine these diverse elements into a unique Jewish World Music that is deep and prayerful, filled with aspiration and yearning, heartache and joy. This is music for listening, for singing together, and for praying.

This album was recorded live off the floor (with minimal overdubbing) in the sanctuary of the Germantown Jewish Centre, in Philadelphia, bringing together some of my favorite musicians/ spiritual artists for a 3-day immersive session and capturing the energy that can only from playing together live.

There’s an old Jewish saying that words expressed from the heart are received wholeheartedly. The songs on this album are the prayerful expressions of my heart. I hope that it will move you, and maybe even open your heart, as it has mine.

TRACKS: 

LECHU (“Come, Let Us Sing Joyously”) 
Words: Kabbalat Shabbat Liturgy, Psalms 95:1-3
Vocal Arrangement: Ayo Awosika, Yosef Goldman

SEFIRAT HA'OMER NIGGUN
Words: Liturgy for Counting the Omer
Music: Shir Yaakov Feit, Zach Fredman, Yosef Goldman
Musical Direction: Yosef Goldman, Joey Weisenberg

GESHER (“The Bridge”) 
Hebrew Words: Rabbi Nachman of Breslov; English Words: Yosef Goldman
Vocal Arrangement: Ayo Awosika

EIN OD (“There is No Other”)
Words: Aleinu prayer (Deuteronomy  4:39, Zechariah 14:9)


YEDID NEFESH (“Soul Mate”)
Words: Elazar Azikri, Shabbat Liturgy
Music: Traditional Sepharadi-Yerushalmi (Maqam Sigah)
Musical Direction: Zach Fredman

OPEN MY HEART
Words: Rami Shapiro, Yosef Goldman
Vocal Arrangement: Ayo Awosika


ELIYAHU HANAVI (“Elijah the Prophet”)
	Words: Liturgy for Havdalah
	Music: Annie Lewis & Yosef Goldman
(written for the bris of Shir Emet Goldman)

Shalom Aleichem ("Welcoming the Angels")
Words: Liturgy for Shabbat Evening Meal
Music Direction: Yosef Goldman & Joey Weisenberg

Ki Lo Na’eh ("To You All Praise is Due")
	Words: Passover Haggadah 


OPEN MY HEART WILL BE AVAILABLE FOR STREAMING AND DOWNLOAD DECEMBER 3, FROM RISING SONG RECORDS
risingsong.org/buy

Produced by Yosef Goldman & Joey Weisenberg 
Music Composed by Yosef Goldman* 
Musical Direction by Yosef Goldman*
Engineered, Mixed, and Mastered by Don Godwin
CD Design/Layout: Lisa Weinberger, Masters Group Design

*Except where noted.


PERSONNEL: 
Yosef Goldman—Lead Vocals
Chava Mirel—Vocals
Deborah Sacks Mintz—Vocals
Megan Gould—Violin
Joey Weisenberg—Electric Guitar, Mandolin
Zach Fredman—Guitar, Oud
Uri Sharlin—Piano, Keyboards, Accordion
Daniel Ori—Double Bass, Electric Bass
Rich Stein—Percussion
Arturo Stable—Drums, Percussion

Special Guests: 
Dan Blacksberg—Trombone (#8)
Ertuğrul Erkişi—Tambur (#4,# 9) 
Aslıhan Erkişi—Classical Kemençe (#4,# 9) 
Don Godwin—Tuba (#8)
Annie Lewis—Lead Vocals (#7)
Micah Shapiro—Backing Vocals (#7)


Recorded live off the floor at Germantown Jewish Centre in Philadelphia, April 2019

Filmed versions of some of these songs will be available on YouTube and at www.yosefgoldman.com, filmed by Shmulie Lowenstein.

Lechu

Yosef Goldman is a musician, ritual artist, and educator. 

Raised in a mixed Orthodox Ashkenazi and Mizrahi home, Yosef has taught and led prayer in communities of every Jewish movement. He has served as a ba’al tefillah (prayer facilitator) for some of the most spiritually vibrant and creative Jewish prayer communities in the United States and Israel. and continues to serve as a consultant, advising synagogues and prayer communities seeking to deepen the communal spiritual experience through musical prayer. 


Yosef’s original Jewish music is sung at synagogues, schools, and camps across the country. As a sought-after vocalist, Yosef performs and records with a wide range of Jewish artists. He is a longtime featured vocalist in the Hadar Ensemble and a founding member of the Middle Eastern Jewish music ensemble the Epichorus. Along with trombonist Dan Blacksberg, Yosef was selected by the Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts for its 2018–19 Jazz Residency. 

Yosef received rabbinic ordination from the Jewish Theological Seminary in 2013, with a concentration in pastoral care and counseling, and was also awarded a Master of Sacred Music. In his passion for spiritual growth and community, Yosef has served as a hospital chaplain and as a congregational rabbi and music director. He serves as Senior Advisor of Hadar's Rising Song Institute, an organization devoted to cultivating Jewish community through music. 

He lives in Gaithersburg, MD, and serves as  co-rabbi of Shaare Torah synagogue, alongside his spouse, Rabbi Annie Lewis. 

His first album of original Jewish devotional World Music, Open My Heart, was released in December 2019 on Rising Song Records. His second album, Abitah, will be released late summer, 2023.

Yosef Goldman

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