Debbie Friedman

It was kol isha (the voice of women) for col isha (every woman) that inspired me to write inclusive music. It is beneficial not only for women, but for men and children as well. Singing helps us learn how to be vocal. Ultimately, the voices of women, their sense of empowerment, can be borne from song, which can form the core of political, spiritual, and economic transformation. The more our voices are heard in song, the more we become our lyrics, our prayers, and our convictions. Then every woman will be heard, and every voice will be heard: kol isha for col isha.

Debbie Friedman is a singer, songwriter, and guitarist, who has recorded 19 albums. Friedman’s music is living Judaism, teaching children and adults to love prayers that might otherwise have remained strings of foreign words, unrelated to their lives. Her music is so fully integrated into synagogue liturgy that in many congregations it is considered “traditional.” Friedman has performed in hundreds of cities in the United States, Canada, Europe, and Israel and has received numerous awards and honors. She served as cantorial soloist at the New Reform Congregation in Los Angeles, California, and directed the music component of the intensive Hebrew Chalutzim program at Olin-Sang-Ruby Union Institute in Oconomowoc, Wisconsin, where she continues to co-lead Hava Nashira, the annual song-leading and music workshop she created. Friedman has served on the faculty of many institutions and colleges, and she also teaches workshops, directs a 300-person chorale, and performs in concert.

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