To the backdrop of footage from the Yom Kippur War, this moving video shows the IDF Chief Cantor Ltc. Shai Abramson and IDF soldiers singing the prayer «Unetanneh Tokef» to the melody composed by Yair Rosenblum at the request of Kibbutz Bet HaShita, a secular kibbutz that lost 11 members during the Yom Kippur War in 1973. A powerful and dramatic prayer recited on both Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur in many communities, Unetaneh Tokef describes God sitting in the seat of judgement deciding the fate of each individual during the Days of Awe. Following such an enormous tragedy on Yom Kippur, the non-observant kibbutz members felt connected to this haunting prayer, which they now gather to sing each year on Yom Kippur.
To see an example script to introduce this version of the prayer and the immense weight of the Yom Kippur War in Israeli society to your community, click here. This resource was created by the educational wing of the Jewish Agency, Makom, an organization that empowers community leaders to ask tough questions and articulate compelling visions, and provides the content and tools to craft honest programming that embraces the vibrant complexity of Israel.