About Yoel Sykes

Yoel Sykes (he/him) is a spiritual facilitator who co-creates intentional community through music and prayer, cultivating and teaching deep listening and open hearted communication. 

Born and raised in Jerusalem, Yoel is known through his work as part of the Nava Tehila leadership team, where he has composed many melodies for Jewish liturgy, recorded 4 professional albums and co-led musical kabbalat Shabbat services for 13 years. Yoel studied music at the Center for Eastern Music in Jerusalem and flamenco guitar in the Fundacion de Christina Heeren school of Flamenco Arts in Seville, Spain. Currently he lives in Boulder, Colorado, and was ordained with Rabbi Emily as a Mashpia (jewish spiritual director) through ALEPH: Alliance for Jewish Renewal. Yoel travels to synagogues around the U.S. and the world to lead transformative and healing prayer experiences, with the intention of creating space for people to return home into their hearts and to expand into the spaciousness of the soul, into community and into the infinite oneness within and beyond.

If you would like to donate funds to thank Yoel for coming to KHL, please contact

Rabbi Emily with the amount you would like to donate.

If you love songs like, “Shalom Alechem”, “Pure Heart” and “Oseh Shalom” featured in Shabbat Unplugged? Come pray with the person who wrote them!