18 Voices Sing Kol Nidre

Gr 9 Up—Kol Nidre is a solemn prayer, an invocation at the start of Yom Kippur, the Jewish world's holiest day of the year. On this Day of Atonement, worshippers reflect on the prior year's events and ask the Lord's forgiveness for any wrongful words or deeds. Kol Nidre is sung three times by the congregation's cantor (and choir), growing in intensity each time. The congregation usually doesn't join in. This documentary includes historical details surrounding the iconic tune and the text of Kol Nidre, including aspects of Judaism from Hasidic and Orthodox to modern Reconstructionism. Scholars help to interpret Kol Nidre's place in the lexicon of Jewish experience and 18 individuals, including a Hassidic rabbi, African-American author Julius Lester, a composer, and a film critic share their tales about the prayer. Multicultural and popular music genres have adopted the melody, and we hear various artists (Perry Como, Johnny Mathis, etc.) perform their adaptations. This respectful and informative overview of Kol Nidre makes much of its appearance in the earliest "talkie" motion picture with Al Jolson as "The Jazz Singer." The director might also have included a recording of the great Hazzan Moishe Oyshe, believed by many to be one of the finest cantors from the early 1900s. That aside, this production will serve Jewish communities and students of Judaism and its musical heritage very well.—Robin Levin, Fort Washakie School/Community Library, WY