Draft:Bat Ella

Bat Ella Birnbaum (Known by her stage name Bat Ella, born September 12, 1966 in Dimona, Israel) is an Israeli singer-songwriter and musician.

Biography
Bat Ella was born in Dimona to Yael and Yitzchak, members of the Persian and Aleppo communities which founded Dimona in the 1950s..

She grew up in a musical household. Her father is from a family of singers. At her parents' home she would hear the song of the Aleppo prayers, alongside the soundtrack from the Friday night movies in Arabic, classical music, foreign music and Hebrew songs.

In her youth she studied at the local Conservatory of music. She excelled in piano and baroque flute studies. As part of the conservatory, she performed at the President's House in Jerusalem, at official city events and won several national awards. At the age of 9, she participated in the 6th Children's Songs Festival (1976) with the singers Ilana Rubina and Miri Aloni.

At the age of 16, she sent on behalf of the scout movement, as part of the "Friendship Caravan" band, to the summer camps and Jewish communities in North America.

In 1985 she joined the IDF and served in the Southern Command band. After her military service, she sent as a singing leader ambassador, on behalf of the Jewish Agency to the Jewish summer camps in the United States such as the Young Judeans Camp.

In 1990 she completed her studies for a bachelor's degree in oriental studies and political science at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. During her studies she met her husband Daniel Birnbaum. At the end of their studies, the two moved to the United States to study for a master's degree, where they lived for ten years and started their family of four children. In the United States she expanded her studies in music and integrated the teaching of music in schools while performing in the Jewish communities in the United States and Europe.

In 1994, she began working, performing and creating with the Jewish-American singer and creator Debbie Friedman. The collaboration between the two included concert tours in the United States, England and Sweden with repertoire and musical arrangements that connected Judaism and Israeliness.

Upon her return to Israel in 2003, she became a member of the TALI Foundation's network of state schools and kindergartens and for more than ten years she conducted "Jewish-Israeli musical experience" programs for children, teachers and parents and produced and managed musical conferences. {

In Israel, in addition to studying music, she expanded her knowledge in the field of "Jewish-Israeli culture" in the educational frameworks of: at the Shechter Institute for Jewish Studies, at the Shalom Hartman Institute, at Oranim College, at Elul Beit Midrash, at Bina College and on the 929-Tanakh project.

In 2010, she became friends with the musician Amos Ben-David and with him she released three solo albums, including "Lekhi Lech" (2015), from the songs of the Jewish-American singer and composer Debbie Friedman, which were translated into Hebrew for the first time. Ben-David accompanies Bat Ella to this day as a musical director and arranger in her performances in Israel and abroad.

In 2020-2021, the years of the COVID-19 pandemic, Bat Ella initiated and led a national concert tourof over 100 performances with "Embracing the Golden Age" an itinerant show encouraging and strengthening the community of the elderly in nursing homes.

Since 2020 she has participated as a regular singer in the Shabbat services of project 929 - Bible Together. She has appeared for them at the "Brodt Center" Tel Aviv and at the first Bible conference at the International Convention Center, Jerusalem.

In the winter of 2021, she initiated and produced a series of tribute shows to mark the tenth anniversary of Debbie Friedman 's death, including the performance of Debbie Friedman's songs in Hebrew, at the Rabin Center Tel Aviv, on the American television network Jewish Life Television, on broadcasts of the JMI Jewish Music Institute in England and more.

In June 2022, she appeared at the Park Avenue Synagogue in New York, together with cantor Azi Schwartz in a celebratory concert that was the opening of an international concert tour.

Collaborations
She has collaborated over the years with a large number of artists and cultural leaders including cantor Azi Schwartz (New York), the Raanana Symphonette Orchestra, Rabbi Benny Lau (929: Tanakh B'yachad), the pianist Guy Mintos, the violinist Nitzan-Chen Razel, soloist of the Nazareth Hiva Tahish Orchestra, and with her son, the musician Nitzan Birnbaum.

Discography

 * "Eternity in a moment" (2020) - musical direction and arrangements - Amos Ben David
 * "Bat Ella LIVE with Guy Mintos and Simpont Ra'anana" (2020), musical management and arrangements - Guy Mintos.
 * "Moments" (2018), musical management and arrangements, Ariel Keshet
 * "Lechi Lach" (2015) Debi Friedman's songs in Hebrew, musical production and arrangements, Amos Ben-David
 * "Tefilati" (2010), musical production and arrangements, Amos Ben-David
 * "Together in Prayer", Teli Foundation (2006), music management and production, Bat Ella.
 * "i Pray" (2003), singing, music management and production, Bat Ella.
 * "Rhythm Of The Land" (1997), musical management and arrangements, Rami Harel.

Family
Bat Ella and Daniel Birnbaum live in Tel Mond, and have four children.