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! 

Wishing All Our Readers a Meaningful Yom Kippur With a New Interpretation of Kol Nidrei

Yom Kippur begins at sundown tonight. Whether or not you fast, whether you attend services in a synagogue or via Zoom or live streaming, we wish you a meaningful Day of Atonement.

To get in the mood for the day, we're sharing a new version of Kol Nidrei by Cantor Azi Schwartz of New York's Park Avenue Synagogue.

In the spirit of renewed tradition, here is a new interpretation of Kol Nidrei. It blends the ancient melodic motifs with contemporary harmonies and orchestration, offering a modern reflection of this timeless Jewish prayer. 

Wishing you a G'mar Chatima Tova!

Yom Kippur Begins Tonight with the Ancient Prayer "Kol Nidrei"

Tonight, Jews all over the world will congregate toward sunset to mark the start of Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement.  The most universally recognized part of the Yom Kippur liturgy is the chanting of Kol Nidrei, a medieval annulment of vows set to a melody composed as Opus 47 for cello and orchestra by a German Protestant named Max Bruch in 1881.

Kol Nidrei has been sung by a long list of artists, Jewish and non-Jewish, in recording studios, on stage and on movie screens.  These singers included Yossele Rosenblatt, Richard Tucker, Perry Como, Johnny Mathis, Al Jolson, Neil Diamond, and Jerry Lewis.  Jolson, Diamond, and Lewis all sang the song as part of their portrayal of a cantor's son in The Jazz Singer, through three versions of the film.

Today we're sharing a version sung last year by Azi Schwartz, the cantor of the Park Avenue Synagogue in New York City.

Wishing you an easy and meaningful fast, whether you'll be in shul, Zooming, or live streaming. We'll be back on Thursday with our usual mix.

A SPECIAL NOTE FOR NEW EMAIL SUBSCRIBERS:  THE VIDEO MAY NOT BE VIEWABLE DIRECTLY FROM THE EMAIL THAT YOU GET EACH DAY ON SOME COMPUTERS AND TABLETS.  YOU MUST CLICK ON THE TITLE AT THE TOP OF THE EMAIL TO REACH THE JEWISH HUMOR CENTRAL WEBSITE, FROM WHICH YOU CLICK ON THE PLAY BUTTON IN THE VIDEO IMAGE TO START THE VIDEO. 

Throwback Thursday Yom Kippur Special: Final Scene of "The Jazz Singer" with Neil Diamond

With this Throwback Thursday coming one day before the Yom Kippur Kol Nidrei service, we're going back 37 years, not for the usual comedy skit, but for the emotional scene toward the end of the 1980 film The Jazz Singer.

In this clip, Neil Diamond as young cantor Yussel Rabinovich who has taken the stage name of Jess Robin, returns to the synagogue of his ailing cantor father (played by Sir Laurence Olivier) and sings Kol Nidrei, leading to a reconciliation.

Enjoy!

(A SPECIAL NOTE FOR NEW EMAIL SUBSCRIBERS:  THE VIDEO MAY NOT BE VIEWABLE DIRECTLY FROM THE EMAIL THAT YOU GET EACH DAY ON SOME COMPUTERS AND TABLETS.  YOU MUST CLICK ON THE TITLE AT THE TOP OF THE EMAIL TO REACH THE JEWISH HUMOR CENTRAL WEBSITE, FROM WHICH YOU CLICK ON THE PLAY BUTTON IN THE VIDEO IMAGE TO START THE VIDEO.)

Johnny Mathis Sings and Reflects on Kol Nidrei

Kol Nidrei, the chant that begins the evening service on Yom Kippur has been recorded by just about every cantor who had access to recording equipment. 

Considered by many to be the most sacred song in the Jewish liturgy, it is not really a prayer, but a legal formula involving the annulment of vows.

You don't have to be Jewish to sing Kol Nidrei. Many famous and popular singers have been attracted to the haunting melody and included it in their recordings. We remember Perry Como singing it on TV, and we had a copy of his version on a 45 rpm record.

Johnny Mathis also recorded Kol Nidrei, and in 2011 he talked about his connection to Jewish music in an interview posted by the Idelsohn Society for Music Preservation. We hope you enjoy Johnny's version and his reflections on the recording.

The Jewish Humor Central family and staff extend best wishes for a G'mar Chatima Tova to our readers and their families. We'll be in shul tonight and Wednesday and back with more Jewish humor on Thursday.

(A SPECIAL NOTE FOR NEW EMAIL SUBSCRIBERS:  THE VIDEO MAY NOT BE VIEWABLE DIRECTLY FROM THE EMAIL THAT YOU GET EACH DAY ON SOME COMPUTERS AND TABLETS.  YOU MUST CLICK ON THE TITLE AT THE TOP OF THE EMAIL TO REACH THE JEWISH HUMOR CENTRAL WEBSITE, FROM WHICH YOU CLICK ON THE PLAY BUTTON IN THE VIDEO IMAGE TO START THE VIDEO.)  



Reflections on Kol Nidrei by Johnny Mathis

Two Versions of Kol Nidrei as Yom Kippur Starts Tonight

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 every year 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. Another reason we post one or more versions of this traditional start to Yom Kippur is that some of our readers can't get to their shul, synagogue, or temple because of illness or physical limitations.

This year we're sharing two versions, so you can choose your favorite, or better still, watch and listen to both of them to get in the mood for the Day of Atonement. We're posting a version by Shai Abramson, the Chief Cantor of the Israel Defense Forces, and by Angela Warnick Buchdahl, the first woman to be ordained as both a cantor and a Reform rabbi, and the first Asian American to obtain either post.

We hope these melodies put you in the proper mood to experience a meaningful day of prayer and reflection. G'mar Chatimah Tovah!

SPECIAL NOTE FOR NEW EMAIL SUBSCRIBERS:  THE VIDEO MAY NOT BE VIEWABLE DIRECTLY FROM THE EMAIL THAT YOU GET EACH DAY ON SOME COMPUTERS AND TABLETS.  YOU MUST CLICK ON THE TITLE AT THE TOP OF THE EMAIL TO REACH THE JEWISH HUMOR CENTRAL WEBSITE, FROM WHICH YOU CLICK ON THE PLAY BUTTON IN THE VIDEO IMAGE TO START THE VIDEO.)

 

A Yom Kippur Special: Cantor Yitzchak Meir Helfgot and Violinist Itzhak Perlman

At sundown on Tuesday evening, Jews all over the world will gather at their synagogues to attend the start of Yom Kippur services, beginning with the singing of Kol Nidrei. As we pointed out in a blog post two years ago, Kol Nidrei is a medieval annulment of vows set to a melody composed as Opus 47 for cello and orchestra by a German protestant named Max Bruch in 1881.

There are almost as many recordings of Kol Nidrei as there are cantors to sing it. This year, lovers of cantorial music were given a special treat because the prayer is included in a new CD by Cantor Yitzchak Meir Helfgot and master violinist Itzhak Perlman titled Eternal Echoes: Songs and Dances for the Soul.

We found the Kol Nidrei cut from the CD on YouTube, along with a short video of Perlman and Helfgot preparing for the 2011 concert at which the CD was recorded. Both videos appear below. We hope they enrich your Yom Kippur experience.

We will be attending Yom Kippur services in Jerusalem this week, so there will be no posts on Tuesday and Wednesday. We'll be back on Thursday with our usual Jewish Humor Central mix, with an emphasis on the holiday of Sukkot, which starts next Sunday evening.

We wish all of our readers a G'mar Chatima Tova, a wish that even the buses in Jerusalem are carrying this week.

(A SPECIAL NOTE FOR NEW EMAIL SUBSCRIBERS:  THE VIDEO MAY NOT BE VIEWABLE DIRECTLY FROM THE EMAIL THAT YOU GET EACH DAY ON SOME COMPUTERS AND TABLETS.  YOU MUST CLICK ON THE TITLE AT THE TOP OF THE EMAIL TO REACH THE JEWISH HUMOR CENTRAL WEBSITE, FROM WHICH YOU CLICK ON THE PLAY BUTTON IN THE VIDEO IMAGE TO START THE VIDEO.)