Kedmah is an ensemble of musicians and prayer leaders excavating the power and beauty of Mizraḥi Jewish expression through ancient poetry and song. Led by Rabbi Yosef Goldman and Music Director Yoni Avi Battat, Kedmah honors the artists’ Iraqi, Syrian, and Yemenite ancestry in conversation with their intersecting musical influences. Their interactive performances, workshops, and recordings allow listeners to experience the spiritual and emotional depth of Middle Eastern piyyut (liturgical poetry) and the ages-old tradition of Arab melodies that adorn them. From Temple times to today, piyyutim utilize complex and beautiful Hebrew poetry to infuse spirit and meaning into both sacred and ordinary moments of human experience. The stirring melodies are rooted in the illustrious tradition of maqam- a distinct system of musical expression found exclusively in the music of the Arab world, Turkey, Iran, and North Africa. Kedmah honors and reinvents these living sacred traditions without compromising the nuances that distinguish it from the Ashkenazi and Western soundscape of American Jewish music. Their debut album, Simu Lev, was released in April 2024 on Rising Song Records. SIMU LEV ARTISTS Yoni Avi Battat: oud, violin, viola, vocals, music director Yosef Goldman: vocals, rabbinic and literary consultant Joey Weisenberg electric fretless bass, vocals April Centrone: percussion Yahala Lachmish/ יהלה לחמיש: vocals Anat Halevy Hochberg: vocals Rabbi Jessica Kate Meyer: vocals