Hanna Yaffe was born in London to a Rabbinic family. She has lived in Plymouth (UK) and Sunderland, studied in  Gateshead, lived in Johannesburg, South Africa during the height of apartheid, an experience which shaped her into a humanist and spiritual activist by the  age of 19.

She moved to Jerusalem in 1975, where she is deeply involved with arts and culture as a means to Peacework.

 

Hanna has frequently shared forums with Muslim and Christian  storytellers, touring around the UK on the "Spirit of Peace Tour" with Sheik Ghassan Manasra and She is the Jerusalem Co-ordinator of Spirit of Peace (www.spiritofpeace.co.uk), a UK based charity.

 

She is an active member of Shira Hadasha, a Feminist Orthodox Synagogue. She regularly leads prayers there and for women's groups around the country. She defines herself as an unorthodox orthodox Rabbinic Jew(ess)

 

Hanna has produced three CD's:

 

"Birth in a Time of Bloodshed", a collection of lullabies from around the world written in time of war, exile  and slavery (2014) - just released.

 

"Lullabies from Jerusalem" a collection of folk lullabies sung by artists who belong to different faiths.  The disc was acclaimed by Martha Stewart as "Lullaby CD of the Year 2000".

 

"Return Again" is an anthology of Hassidic stories and melodies.​

 

Tour highlights of the past few years include:

 

Edinburgh Festival of Peace & Spirituality in the Middle East, Scotland

 

Edinburgh Festival, Scotland

 

World Parliament of Religions, Melbourne, Australia

 

Limmud Conference UK

 

Hanna currently lives in Jerusalem near her two children and five grandchildren.