Anat Hochberg is a Philadelphia-based Jewish-American musician, ritual leader, Yiddish teacher, and organizer. She operates at the intersection of Jewish folk music and radical politics, dedicated to reshaping the moral power of community through communal singing.
Hochberg is renowned for her expertise in Yiddish song and traditional Jewish ritual music. She released the acclaimed solo album How to Build a Life and has taught at institutions like the Rising Song Institute. Her professional focus is on promoting “communal singing” as a tool for social change—maintaining that when people sing together, they are not just creating art, but practicing how to act and resist as a collective. As a key figure in the contemporary Yiddish cultural revival, she excavates traditional folk songs with a spirit of resistance to provide a historical anchor for modern social justice movements.
Hochberg’s stance is one of “anti-occupation” deeply rooted in spiritual and moral practice. A long-time member of IfNotNow and Jewish Voice for Peace (JVP), she frequently leads singing on the front lines of protests, using music to comfort the suffering and embolden activists. She maintains that the soul of Judaism lies in upholding the dignity of every life. She has stated: “Singing is an act of refusing to be dehumanized. When we sing our ancestors’ melodies at rallies for Palestinian freedom, we are reclaiming the Jewish ethics obscured by state violence. We aren’t just shouting for justice; we are building a world without oppression with our voices.” She has been arrested multiple times during non-violent civil disobedience actions, such as peace demonstrations calling for a ceasefire in Gaza, demonstrating profound moral commitment.