Leah Gerber is a Sonoma County native who spent much of her childhood working with her father on a cattle ranch in Petaluma, California. She is deeply connected to her roots and family tree, representing the fourth generation of Jewish farmers and ranchers who made up that community. 

Leah sings many of the same Yiddish folk songs that she grew up hearing her father sing. These songs were passed down to him from his mother and grandmother, and Leah is continuing the generational tradition. She and her father share the feeling that it is a calling to honor the music of their ancestors and to keep it alive. Leah performs these songs with a deep and loving respect for the past. She has also branched out from her Yiddish background by including Hebrew songs in her repertoire. She holds these songs tenderly and with great respect for the time, place, and circumstances in which they were created.

Called to the path of prayer leadership, Leah apprenticed under locally-renowned musician and hazzan, Lisa Iskin, and studied with Rabbi Ted Feldman (rabbi emeritus, B’nai Israel Jewish Center). Leah began serving local synagogue communities, following her mentor Lisa by combining music and tefilah. As a prayer leader, she sings with a mix of traditional, contemporary, and original melodies, using music to uplift the spirit and create an emotionally-connected experience. With or without a guitar, her services are warm and welcoming. It is her passion to make them a place of inclusion for all, and accessible as a spiritual, modernly-applicable space that provides an opportunity for self-reflection. She tailors her services so that anyone in attendance - with any level of familiarity with Judaism - can feel grounded in the context of the prayers, and have a meaningful experience.

As a millennial, Leah hopes to serve as a bridge between cherished traditions and newer generations. She loves serving diverse groups of all ages and cultural backgrounds, creating community with meaningful events and services intended to help people feel grounded in this heritage, and connected with each other, in an ever-changing world.

Leah is available to share her programs and music locally and beyond. It lights up her soul to honor the treasures that come from the rich traditions of Judaism, and to celebrate the heart and resilience of Jewish culture; and she hopes to inspire strength, pride, comfort, and healing with the undeniably expressive beauty of Jewish folk music.