Zamru ENSEMBLE
Zamru ENSEMBLE
Composed of stellar musicians from across Israel, the Zamru Ensemble offers inspiring short-term residencies consisting of sacred song circles, ritual workshops, concerts, Shabbat services, and staff, student, and musical mentorships in communities across North America.
We welcome inquiries from schools, synagogues, JCCs, and federations seeking dynamic, creative Israeli culture. Meet the 2026-2027 Zamru Ensemble below. Follow us on @zamru.music for new work and upcoming programs. Contact uri@fuchsbergcenter.org for more information.
DOV WIEDER
Jerusalem-based musician and artist, prayer leader and workshop facilitator, singer, composer, and instrumentalist. Dov creates live spaces of song and prayer in which the audience is a full partner in the journey. His music moves between ancient Hasidic nigunim, piyyutim, Eastern mantras, and contemporary Israeli music, forming a spiritual-musical experience that is connective and deeply moving.
Born in Jerusalem, Dov grew up in the ultra-Orthodox community, nourished from childhood by melody and prayer. At age 23, he set out on a journey to the Far East, where he was exposed to mantra chanting and Buddhism, and later to Turkey and the world of Sufi spirituality. All of these influences now flow into his creative work, through which he offers a human voice – simple, sensitive, and authentic – inviting connection and an open heart.
Dov leads the Zamru Song Circles — a Jerusalem-based prayer community at the Fuchsberg Jerusalem Center, which has been meeting weekly since 2023. He also leads the Zamru Ensemble, serves as the musical director of Ma’agal HaLevi’im at Nava Tehila, and regularly performs as a musician for the Western Wall Heritage Foundation. Dov is a graduate of the Mizmor School of Music and the Zamru Fellows Annual Program for prayer leaders at the Fuchsberg Jerusalem Center.
Artist Page on Facebook
www.facebook.com/dov.music.art
Music
https://youtu.be/awg-SzRer7w?si=bCWBdlrXRWlMOX-7
Song Cirlce Snippet
https://youtu.be/r0G_iN5fjZ8
YAARA SAMINA
Musician, singer, and creator, blending Israeli, traditional, and world music influences. Yaara is a percussionist and multi-instrumentalist. Her music weaves together tenderness and sensitivity with power and rhythm. She is a graduate of the Mizmor School of Music (2011–2013), where she later led the Music Production department in 2015.
Yaara performs with leading artists and various groups in Israel and abroad, and takes part as a key musician in social and community projects. She lives in Jerusalem and plays in the Ma’agal HaLevi’im at Nava Tehila, Kula Liba, and the Zamru Song Circle at the Fuchsberg Jerusalem Center.
With a background in musical-community work, Yaara teaches music to both children and adults, bringing her unique sound into spaces that include people with special needs. She works at Kfar Shaul with individuals dealing with mental health challenges, as well as in the ‘Dawn of Meirav’ project for cancer recovery.
Yaara seeks to bring sounds of emotion, soul, and a beating heart into the many spaces in which she operates.
Music
www.youtube.com/watch?v=IlvMs27DS30&list=RDIlvMs27DS30&start_radio=1
www.youtube.com/watch?v=U_vDtLK6FHk&list=RDU_vDtLK6FHk&start_radio=1
TALIA ERDAL
A versatile musician, instrumentalist, creator, and composer, Talia enjoys a rich and multifaceted musical career. She is the Principal Cellist of the Jerusalem Symphony Orchestra and is an active composer and performer of original music. She has appeared as a soloist with the Jerusalem Symphony Orchestra, the Trinity Laban Symphony Orchestra in London, the Be’er Sheva Sinfonietta, the Tel Aviv Soloists Ensemble, the Mendi Rodan Symphony Orchestra of the Jerusalem Academy of Music and Dance, and the Jerusalem Street Orchestra.
Her repertoire as a cellist spans early music, classical, contemporary, folk, jazz, rock, world music, and free improvisation. Her compositions and songs have been performed both in Israel and in numerous countries around the world. In 2017, she was appointed Associate Principal Cellist of the Jerusalem Symphony Orchestra, and in 2020 she assumed the role of Principal Cellist. Beginning in 2024, Talia has served as a teaching fellow at the Jerusalem Academy of Music and Dance, where she teaches classical cello, multidisciplinary cello, and coaches chamber ensembles.
Talia is a graduate of the Ashira Tehilot program for prayer leaders. She played in the musical ensemble accompanying the prayers of the Zion community in Jerusalem between 2022–2024, and has been a permanent member of the Ma’agal HaLevi’im at Nava Tehila since 2020.
Website
https://www.taliaerdal.com/
Music
https://youtu.be/rvPX-Mygaag?si=aaOb-lAyHhH9-AvF
https://youtu.be/Zy_RmSi_Fxc?si=W95TekdJ_r5bsLmv
https://youtu.be/d84iSVJBpSs?si=pBdMOQdwPw__Yhnv
AMITAI MANN
Clarinetist, singer, composer, and creator based in Jerusalem. Amitai’s musical world flows between cinematic soundscapes, Mediterranean grooves, and the intimate warmth of folk and jazz traditions. He holds both Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in performance from the Jerusalem Academy of Music and Dance, and completed professional training in Bulgaria, where he immersed himself in Bulgarian and Balkan music. These studies continue to inspire his sound, rich with color, rhythm, and emotion.
Amitai is a founding member of Gute Gute, an internationally touring band that brings together Eastern European, Mediterranean, and Middle Eastern influences. With the group he has performed in Vietnam, Japan, and India, as well as throughout Europe and Israel. Alongside his ensemble and stage work, he leads original artistic projects such as Simanim — a musical exploration of ancient Jewish melodies and a contemporary commentary on the Haftarot and Megillot.
His work is guided by curiosity, empathy, and a deep sense of connection. Within the Zamru Ensemble, Amitai brings his clarinet and voice into spaces of shared listening and presence, where music becomes a living prayer.
Website
www.amitai-mann.com
Music
Spotify
YouTube
Apple Music
Artist Page on Instagram
www.instagram.com/woodwind.il/?hl=en
ITAMAR ZAKAI
Artist, musician, creator, he breathes and speaks music. For Itamar, music is both a tool for expression and play, as well as a means of remembrance and inner connection with oneself and with God.
Itamar studied music at a variety of institutions, including Eastern Music at Musrara and Makamat, and traditional music at Elsheikh Music School. He has performed with leading artists at festivals across Israel and around the world, and has led hundreds of song, prayer, and healing circles as a musician.
Itamar plays a wide range of string and wind instruments from different cultures across the globe. In his work, he bridges East and West — an original and versatile creator and performer, weaving together ancient Eastern traditions, Jewish music, and contemporary Israeli sound.
Over the years, he discovered that his music helps people connect to themselves, to their surroundings, and to community – creating encounters of the heart, the soul, and the spirit.
Website
https://beacons.ai/itamarz
Music
https://youtu.be/HrY31Q9VrYc?si=tjmhVp9qA5W0c1TX
In Partnership with
This program is a partnership of Sha’arei Bracha: A Celebration of Jewish Ritual Innovation