Shalom and welcome.
!שלום וברוכים הבאים
I’m Daphna.
I help individuals and families find their way into Jewish tradition when they feel drawn to it, but aren’t always sure how to begin.
Much of my work takes place at the thresholds of Jewish life — moments when people are seeking a meaningful way to enter, reconnect, or deepen their relationship with Jewish tradition.
I specialize in guiding families who feel spiritually drawn to Jewish tradition but aren’t always sure where they fit within the denominational landscape. Through education, music, and ceremony, my work creates welcoming entry points into Jewish ritual and Jewish life, bringing a contemporary lens to ancient Hebrew liturgy and Kabbalistic ideas.
Raised between cultures and religious worlds, I grew up in a secular Israeli home while attending yeshivah schools—an experience that taught me early how to move between different expressions of Jewish life. I later lived in Israel for many years, working on Kibbutz, serving in the Israeli Defense Forces, and spending a decade in American broadcast media there during some of the country’s most tumultuous periods.
Living between worlds has become a defining thread in my life and work: between secular and religious communities, Israeli and American cultures, ancient liturgy and contemporary meaning. Because of this background, I am especially drawn to working with families who want meaningful Jewish ritual but are unsure where they fit within the denominational landscape.
I recently completed a two-year fellowship at the Davvenen Leadership Training Institute, where I studied Jewish communal prayer, leadership, and public ritual with leading spiritual leaders from the Jewish Renewal movement. I hold a BA in Middle Eastern Studies from UC Berkeley and currently work as a cantorial soloist in and around Los Angeles, teach religious school, and guide families through Bar, Bat, and B’nei Mitzvah and other Jewish lifecycle moments.)