February 19, 2026 Soul Sounds: Havruta

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How is the meaning of a word shaped by melody? How does the Torah we learn shape the music that we make? Join us on February 19th for a concert born in the beit midrash. Inspired by the ancient practice of paired Torah study, musicians and rabbinical students Sam Tygiel and Julia Sabra weave together original, familiar, and ancestral melodies to crack open the heart of the verse.

With deep gratitude to our series sponsors Jack, Joseph and Morton Mandel Foundation; Suzanne Priebatsch; Susan and James Snider; Diane Troderman and an anonymous donor.

Interested in sponsoring an upcoming event or course in honor or memory of a loved one? Contact Rosa Franck, Director of Development, at [email protected].

Our Musicians

Sam Tygiel is an alumnus of Hadar’s Rising Song Residency, Or Halev’s Yesod Jewish Meditation Training and a fifth year rabbinical student at Hebrew College. In his teaching and prayer leadership, Sam draws on the rich narrative and ancestral musical traditions of Judaism to create emotional openings for people to discover connection, curiosity and healing. Sam prioritizes unusual and forgotten Jewish narratives to illuminate the treasure trove of Jewish mythology and expand notions of what is normative, permissible, and possible within contemporary Judaism. Sam also composes original Jewish music, which can be heard on his website: samtygiel.com.

Julia Sabra is a shana dalet rabbinical student at Hebrew College, a singer-songwriter and musician currently living in Cambridge, MA. As a classically trained musician from South Florida, Julia found her doorway into Judaism through music. She has worked as a song leader and cantorial soloist, traveling to unite communities internationally. She is passionate about prayer leadership and using music as a tool to inspire and amplify the voices of those around her, particularly through writing and teaching her own musical settings of liturgy and Jewish texts. Julia uses her text study to inform her music, and her music to deepen her text study. During the 2024-2025 academic year, Julia lived in Jerusalem where she studied at Pardes, served as a Nava Tehila Levite, and began recording her first studio album, “BaMerchav” (to be released in 2026). In her spare time, Julia enjoys cooking and hosting shabbat meals, playing boardgames, and spending time outdoors with her dog, Ralphie.

Save the date

Hosted by the Boston Festival of New Jewish Music

Kedmah is an ensemble of musicians and prayer leaders excavating the power and beauty of Mizrahi Jewish expression through ancient poetry and song. Led by Rabbi Yosef Goldman and Yoni Avi Battat, (including Hebrew College Artist-in-Residence Rabbi Jessica Kate Meyer `10),  Kedmah honors the artists’ Iraqi, Syrian, and Yemenite ancestry in conversation with their intersecting musical influences. Purchase tickets.

Sunday, March 15 at Multicultural Arts Center
41 Second St, East Cambridge, MA 02141
Co-sponsored by Hebrew College Soul Sounds, Hadar Boston, and Base Boston.

6:30-7:15 PM | Pre Concert Lecture/Text study with Rabbi Yosef Goldman
7:30-9:30 PM | Performance