Neal Katz

Strength in Numbers Neal Katz

Rabbi Neal Katz has been making Jewish music for over seventeen years. Originally from Virginia Beach, VA, Neal grew up in the youth groups and summer camps of the Reform Movement and has song-led for three summers in Israel working with teen Israel trips. Also, he has led music for numerous youth group conclaves and congregational services, b'nai mitzvah, Sunday School programs, and retreats around the East Coast, Midwest, and the South. In addition to three summers as the student rabbi and song-leader at Camp Ben Frankel in Carbondale, IL, Neal song-led for a Progressive Jewish Summer camp in the Former Soviet Union in the summer of 1999. His debut album "Who Am I?" was released in 2002 with great success. From that CD, the song "Or Chadash" was included on the NFTY 2005 Ruach CD and it appeared in the Manginot 2 songbook. Neal's "Oseh Shalom" was included in the Shabbat Anthology 3 CD and book. In addition, many of Neal's songs have been incorporated into the music lists at Jewish camps, congregations, and youth groups. His new album is titled "Strength in Numbers" and will be released in Fall 2006. Neal was honored to work with producer Josh Nelson (of the great band Yom Hadash) on this incredible follow-up CD. "Strength in Numbers" includes the voices of fellow Jewish musicians including Rick Recht, Robbi Sherwin, Stacy Beyer, Jon Nelson, and Jenny Parks. Neal is the rabbi of Congregation Beth El in Tyler, TX. With his wife, Jennifer, they have a son, Micah and two daughters, Lila and Rebecca.