Yom Kippur Starts Tonight -- IDF Chief Cantor Shai Abramson Sings Kol Nidrei

Every year when Yom Kippur comes around, we search the internet for something appropriate to post. Jokes just aren't right for the most serious and spiritual day of the Jewish year, and the music videos that appear in the weeks before the other holidays either don't appear for Yom Kippur or seem inappropriate for the awesomeness of the day.

So we're left with Kol Nidrei, which has been sung and recorded by almost every cantor and singer in the world, including the great Jewish cantors and popular singers such as Neil Diamond, Johnny Mathis, and Perry Como.


Most of our readers will hear Kol Nidre chanted three times tonight when they attend their local house of worship, and the melody will be the same, regardless of whether it's Orthodox, Conservative, or Reform. Today we're posting a version of this traditional start to Yom Kippur because some of our readers can't get to their shul, synagogue, or temple because of illness or physical limitations.

This year we're sharing a version by Shai Abramson, the Chief Cantor of the Israel Defense Forces, as recorded during a rehearsal on October 2019 at the "Shaarei Shamayim" synagogue in Toronto. Cantor Abramson was accompanied by a choir conducted by Gabriel Shuraki. 

We hope this melody puts you in the proper mood to experience a meaningful day of prayer and reflection. G'mar Chatimah Tovah!