Today is Yom Kippur, one of the holiest days in Judaism. Also known as the Day of Atonement, its central themes are atonement and repentance and this holy day is observed with a 25-hour period of fasting and intensive prayer, with Jews often spending most of the day in synagogue services. [Source: Wiki and my memory.] Having grown up in a Jewish community in Southern California (with The Dreydl Song being the first song I ever learned), I'm always aware of Jewish holidays and today is no exception.
In line with my post earlier today about the musically unexpected, you might be interested to know that Yiddish has found its way into many songs by African-American artists. Did you know that the infamous Brown Girl Nina Simone recorded Eretz Zavat Chalav (see below)? or that the beloved Lena Horne recorded her own version of Hava Nagila called NOW!? or that Johnny Mathis sang Kol Nidre? Even Cab Calloway got in on the act! [Source: http://www.npr.org/templates/transcript/
Check out Black Sabbath: The Secret History of Black-Jewish Relations. OMG, I love this stuff!
