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.)