Beloved for her warm smile, soulful voice and inviting presence, Naomi is celebrated by communities for her musical imagination and innovation, tenderness and pizzazz!
It’s hard to put Naomi’s skills into one box. Her influences include experiences as a Rising Song Institute Fellow, Institute for Jewish Spirituality Education Fellow, Schusterman ROI Facilitator, Institute for Informal Education Fellow, JTS and Northwestern University alum and training counselors and leaders in Jewish camps across the continent.
naomi less
music. ritual. education.
musician.
Musically, Naomi is equal parts Jewish powerhouse popstar and spiritual chanteuse - whether rocking a stage, holding space for intimate lifecycle events, or hosting her feminist Jewish Women Rock” Radio Show.
Over the years, Naomi’s ensemble has included Jewish music greats such as Meg Okura, Saskia Lane, Daniel Ori, Ziv Shalev, Shahar Mintz, Shy Kedmi, Glenn Grossman, Yoshi Fruchter, Gil Goldin, Yula Be’eri and Carey White. She headlined Limmud conferences (UK, LA, Chicago, Atlanta, NY, Australia, Vancouver), national Jewish organizational conferences, JCC’s, synagogues and Jewish campfires across the country.
educator.
Naomi Less is a nationally recognized voice in Jewish education and Jewish music education, known for cultivating the next generation of educators and leaders. A sought-after mentor, trainer, and creative partner, she has helped launch national curricula and training initiatives that bring fresh vision, creativity, and purpose to the field, including: Storahlab and the Storahtelling Maven Training for Clergy and Educators in NYC, Denver and Boston, The Becoming Training Lab for b mitzvah educators, The Cornerstone Fellowship/Foundation for Jewish Camp, Addressing Evaded Issues in Jewish Education (which became part of Mayan’s and Keshet’s core trainings), SLBC (formerly Songleader Bootcamp)’s Teen Chavura as well as serving as a founding Jewish Star mentor.
spiritual leader.
Widely known in the Jewish community for her role as a Founding Company Member of Storahtelling and as Co-Founder of Lab/Shul, a Laboratory for Jewish Innovation and Belonging, Naomi has seeded and executed countless national training initiatives for Lab/Shul’s signature pedagogy: the Storahtelling Maven Method, including StorahLab at CAJE, Big Apple Maven Training for NYC clergy and educators, StorahSteps Jewish Education Project training, HUC and JTS seminary training institutes, the Denver Mile High Maven Training, and most recently the Becoming Training Lab. Naomi mentors and designs/facilitates ongoing professional development for b mitzvah educators, addressing specific needs of children with ADHD and language based learning challenges and mentors .
innovator.
Naomi has helped shape three pioneering Jewish start-up ventures: Foundation for Jewish Camp, Storahtelling, and Lab/Shul, where she currently serves as Co-Founder, Ritual Leader, and Associate Director. Her work consistently bridges education, ritual, and music, bringing bold ideas to life at the intersection of art and Jewish communal innovation.
As an artist, Naomi brings vulnerability and courage to deeply personal stories. She co-created TRYmester, a performance art piece for Uprooted: A Jewish Response to Fertility Challenges, sponsored by UJA-Federation of New York. She also partnered with Toratah founder Yael Kanarick to produce ZimraTah: Songs of Toratah, the first Toratah album and live concert.
