“Kol Nidrei” sung by Johnny Mathis

“Kol Nidrei” sung by Johnny Mathis

This most iconic and instantly recognizable sacred Jewish song has had a lot of treatments over the many centuries it’s been around. While the Aramaic lyrics are quite a mouthful even for a native Hebrew speaker, a surprising number of mainstream pop singers...
Carrie Newcomer:  If Not Now

Carrie Newcomer: If Not Now

One of my resolutions this year is to think more about the “other”—the other person, the other point of view, the other side of the world. As you might imagine, Judaism has a lot to say about it. The great rabbi Hillel, who lived in the earliest days of...
Eviatar Banai:  Abba (Dad)

Eviatar Banai: Abba (Dad)

At the risk of sounding hackneyed, I think becoming a father has made me a better person in every way. It has also given me new insight into all the father figures I’ve known, and, especially at this time of year—to use appropriate prayer book parlance—into the...
Joey Weisenberg:  Nachamu Nigun

Joey Weisenberg: Nachamu Nigun

The High Holy Days have arrived yet again, the busiest time of a cantor’s year. I find that a song without words (Hebrew: nigun) puts my heart and mind at ease more than any other. When composing this one, my friend and teacher Joey Weisenberg was inspired by...