Zipser Artist in Residence Sunday Morning Children's Concert featuring Elena Jagoda and Saul Kaye

Elana Jagoda
Musician

Elana Jagoda Kaye is a soulful and dynamic Jewish musician. She blends her deep love for Jewish tradition with an inspiring, creative spirit, making her an influential voice in contemporary Jewish music. With a background in both secular and religious musical traditions, she has crafted a unique sound that bridges cultures and generations.

A passionate educator and longtime Cantor, Elana has inspired communities through her uplifting melodies and engaging performances. Her music—infused with themes of joy, connection, and spirituality—has been widely embraced in synagogues, camps, and classrooms across the country. She has released multiple albums, including collections of Jewish liturgical music and children's songs, all reflecting her commitment to making sacred music accessible and meaningful. Her latest release, "This is What I Offer You," is a deeply personal exploration of light, struggle, and finding her voice through these challenging times.

Elana enriches worship experiences with her vibrant and soulful approach. Whether leading services, performing on stage, or mentoring the next generation of Jewish songleaders, Elana continues to inspire with her warm voice, heartfelt songwriting, and deep commitment to music as a tool for connection and healing. Elana tours with her husband Saul Kaye and together, they are lighting up Jewish communities around the country with their unique approach to Jewish music, steeped in deep love and Jewish knowledge.

Saul Kaye
Musician

Saul Kaye is a Jewish Music artist, rabbinic intern, and spiritual leader who has spent his career bringing the Delta to the Torah. Trained at Berklee College of Music and a graduate of UC Berkeley (BA, Middle Eastern Languages and Cultures), Saul pioneered the genre of Jewish Blues — forging a sound that lives where Muddy Waters meets Shlomo Carlebach, where the struggle of African slavery and the experience of Jewish exile speak to each other across centuries. Like his great-grandfather, who blazed a trail from Russia to South Africa trading cattle between warring tribes, Saul has always crossed borders others thought uncrossable.

He has released ten full-length albums under his own name and produced seven for other artists, performing over 100 shows and services annually across four continents. He is also the host of The Holy Sparks Podcast, which showcases people doing impactful work in the Jewish world and beyond, and the author of three books.

In recent years, Saul's work has deepened beyond the stage. He completed a two-year certification in Jewish Meditation and is currently studying at the Academy of Jewish Religion's Rabbinical School, on track to receive his Rabbinical Smicha (ordination). Most every Shabbat, he can be found leading services somewhere in the United States — as a guest artist, a Kabbalat Shabbat leader, or an Artist in Residence woven into a full community weekend of music, teaching, and Torah.

Saul is available to Jewish communities for concerts, weekend residencies, lifecycle events, and educational programs. He is passionate about connecting Jews to Judaism, growing Jewish community, and finding the sacred in the blues. Saul has been a featured Artist at the Wexner Heritage Program, the Urj Biennial, New Caje, Limmud UK, all the major Jewish Music Festivals, and is currently serving as a Rabbinic Intern at Temple Israel in Alameda.