Led by Rabbi Steven Rein and based in Alexandria, Virginia, the congregation describes itself as a community built on covenantal relationships, generating the connections that bind one individual to another and one generation to the next.
Today we're welcoming Shabbat with Hazzan Dienstfrey and the band easing into the Kabbalat Shabbat service with a version of Yedid Nefesh by Josh Warshawsky.
Enjoy, and Shabbat shalom!
From age four through her graduation from high school, Madeleine took every opportunity to be engaged with Jewish life, from singing in multiple choirs to performing in Purim Shpiels to taking on leadership opportunities in her synagogue community. Through these experiences, Madeleine began to appreciate how building community – a true sense of connection and belonging – is essential to sustaining Judaism.
In this video, Madeleine leads the congregation in singing Yismechu.
Enjoy, and Shabbat shalom!
Her focus is on technique and expression, and she is known for her professionalism and ability to adapt to diverse performance environments. She also collaborates with other musicians and artists.
Today we welcome Shabbat with Rivka Arki-Amar playing Uzi Hitman's version of Adon Olam on her harp as filmed in Jerusalem's City of David.
Enjoy, and Shabbat shalom!
Led by Rabbi Steven Rein and based in Alexandria, Virginia, the congregation describes itself as a community built on covenantal relationships, generating the connections that bind one individual to another and one generation to the next.
Today we're welcoming Shabbat with Hazzan Dienstfrey and the band easing into the Kabbalat Shabbat service with a touch of country and bluegrass sound.
Enjoy, and Shabbat shalom!
Kol Kinor is a small mixed voice choir of singers who perform, enjoy and enthuse about Jewish music. It has a rich and diverse repertoire covering many aspects of Jewish culture including liturgical and synagogue pieces set to modern, traditional and folk arrangements. It has Jewish and non-Jewish members.
The choir sings in Yiddish, Hebrew, English and Ladino, and complement this with commentaries on the history and significance of each piece in relation to musical development and religious emphasis within individual festivals and services.
Over the years, the choir has performed all over the UK in many varied venues including cathedrals, churches, synagogues, music festivals, City of Birmingham events; the choir has also sung in the USA.
In this video, Kol Kinor sings Lecha Dodi, a traditional part of the Kabbalat Shabbat service.
Shabbat shalom!
Today we're sharing a version in the spirit of Jimmy Buffet's Margaritaville, as interpreted by Cantor Danny Mendelson of Congregation Kol Ami, a Reform synagogue in White Plains, New York.
Enjoy, and Shabbat shalom!
In this video, a trio from the Maccabeats sing an excerpt from Lecha Dodi, a major liturgical piece from the Kabbalat Shabbat service sung on Friday night.
Enjoy, and Shabbat shalom!
It all started with a question posed by a group of Yeshiva students in Israel to a weekly bulletin on Jewish law. They expressed their concern about whether weekday consumption of cholent, the beef stew traditionally eaten on Shabbat, diminishes the sanctity of the day.
Feasting on cholent on Thursday nights has become a popular activity among Yeshiva students in Israel, and also in Yeshiva communities in the United States.
Citing Talmudic, Kabbalistic and later rabbinic sources, Zilberstein wrote that it is “very appropriate not to eat [cholent] on weekdays, so that one can delight in it on Shabbat as is proper.” He went on to note that cholent is not only spiritually designated for Shabbat, but that its heavy ingredients may even pose a health risk when eaten without the merit of the holy day.
The ruling was quickly picked up by haredi news outlets, with some dramatic headlines interpreting the text as a formal prohibition.
The simmering public response about Zilberstein’s ruling was enough to provoke a partial retraction. His grandson, Rabbi Chaim Malin, emphasized that the original response was not meant to impose a universal ban, but was rather intended as a recommendation for those seeking to elevate the uniqueness of Shabbat.
The statement noted that cholent served at mitzvah meals — weddings, bar mitzvahs and other religious celebrations — is fully permitted, as is the Thursday-night practice of serving it in yeshivas, with the rabbi clarifying that students should follow the guidance of their yeshiva leadership. The statement concluded: “Let the humble eat and be satisfied.”
If you want to check out the best cholent spots in Israel, there's a YouTube channel called Cholent and Chill that rates the many restaurants that feature cholent in all of its varieties on Thursday nights.
Enjoy!
Itay Benda, also known as Itay Ben David, was born in Jerusalem with music in his soul. Enthralled by music
from a young age, he convinced his friends to take music lessons to form
his first band. He’s since gone on to tour around the globe with some
of the most prominent Israeli and European acts as both a singer and
musician.
Currently based in Los Angeles and performing around
the world, Itay brings new meaning and life to audiences as he shares
the songs inside his soul. As a solo act or alongside a band of up to
twelve, Itay incorporates nuances and flavors from his time spent
touring the world.
Join us in welcoming Shabbat tonight with Shalom Aleichem, as sung by Itay Benda.
Shabbat shalom!
The congregation is located in Ridgefield, Connecticut approximately one mile from South Salem, New York. It is a union of Jewish Family Congregation of South Salem, NY and Temple Shearith Israel of Ridgefield, CT. Though a Reform congregation, its congregants come from Reform, Conservative and Orthodox backgrounds or no religious background at all.
This version was recorded at the installation of Cantor Megdal in March 2025.
Enjoy, and Shabbat shalom!
Ori leads singing circles, Shabbat and Kirtan receptions, leading healing journeys with sounds – sound healing, accompanying yoga classes with a wide variety of instruments from all over the world.
Ori drums and sings in various ensembles (curamundo, HaQawwaliya), guides educational and experiential workshops/lectures – a musical journey around the world for all ages (3 months to 100), accompanies couples to the hupa, leads cocoa ceremonies, and more… everything is dynamic, adjusted and attentive to the audience and the atmosphere.
Enjoy, and Shabbat shalom!
Founded in 2023, ApiChorus is a coed group comprised of current students at Harvard University. They sing a diverse repertoire of Hebrew and English classics, represent a broad range of Jewish backgrounds, and perform at venues locally in Cambridge as well as in concerts across the country.
Enjoy, and Shabbat shalom!
The purpose of the choir is to encourage musical children and to give them a good feeling and to instill in them confidence in the talent that God has blessed them with. Also to create a situation in which they will strengthen their studies at school.
The choir publishes songs and music videos, as well as occasional performances that give a lot of satisfaction and confidence to the children.
As we welcome Shabbat, Pirchei Shamayim sings Anim Zemirot, a liturgical poem that most synagogues sing toward the conclusion of the Shabbat morning service.
Enjoy, and Shabbat shalom!
Since July 2020, the religious leader of the CIM has been Rabbi Lucca Myara.
In this video, Rabbi Myara sings Shalom Aleichem, which is usuallly sung at the beginning of the Shabbat meal.
Enjoy, and Shabbat shalom!
Led by Rabbi Yosef Goldman and Yoni Avi Battat, Kedmah honors the artists’ Iraqi, Syrian, and Yemenite ancestry in conversation with their intersecting musical influences. Their interactive performances, workshops, and recordings allow listeners to experience the spiritual and emotional depth of Middle Eastern piyyut (liturgical poetry) and the ages-old tradition of Arab melodies that adorn them. Part educational initiative, part performance group, the social and pedagogical impact of this project is strengthened by a commitment to musical creativity, historical accuracy, spirituality, and public performance at the highest level.
Enjoy, and Shabbat shalom!
Enjoy and Shabbat shalom!
Congregation Beth Israel, the historic center of Jewish life in San Diego, is an inclusive Reform congregation that offers a warm welcome and a nurturing home to all who seek a meaningful and enduring connection to Judaism.
Enjoy, and Shabbat shalom!
Posts
All Comments
