This beautiful tune, El Nora Alila, is sung at Congregation Etz Ahaim in Highland Park at nei’la time, the last prayer of Yom Kippur. My husband said the first tune on this video, the Turkish one, is the melody used at our synagogue, which makes sense since it was founded by immigrants from Salonika and Turkey.
Hat Tip: a friend who used to belong to Congregation Etz Ahaim and now lives in Israel; and another friend who was pleased to hear it sung at his father’s Reform temple in a suburb north of New York City.
What we sang last night sounds more like the second version, which is not surprising since the prayer leader is from Morocco.
It is a beautiful prayer.
At this point, we probably have more congregants that are from North Africa (or descendants from) than Turkey. One of the people who leads Yamim Noraim prayers at Etz Ahaim is originally from Morocco, now from Paris (both his daughters live in Highland Park).
I keep turning the video on, every now and then. It is soothing.
It is such a beautiful prayer…sending shivers through my body with its soulfulness.
Thank you for sharing El Nora Alila.
I sung alone, in the middle of the night, here in our living room. A strong and at the same time soothing song.
I hope you don’t mind that an “infidel” sung along with you.
All the brothers of my father and several of my cousins have visited Jerusalem and “The wall of Complaints”(That’s what it’s called in Norwegian).
Now I have prayed in front of that wall too.
Once again, thanks.
Felisol, oh, we don’t use the term ‘infidel’ – rather, B’nei Noach, a child of Noah, who doesn’t need to take on all our commandments.
I’m glad you enjoyed the pretty tune.