Avinu Malkeinu (Max Janowski)

In this prayer, within the same breath, we refer to God as both our Parent and our Sovereign. This demonstrates the relationship of majesty and deep intimacy that we feel throughout the High Holidays. Janowski simultaneously captures this grandeur and intimacy through its majestic and beautiful melody.

Featuring: Cantor Lilah, members of CBY’s adult choir, and Ron Drotos on piano.

Heal Us Now (Leon Sher)

A prayer of healing for both the individual and the community. This prayer give us words to ask for healing and wholeness of the mind, body, and spirit. This touching melody inspires hope and healing in communities throughout the Jewish world.

Featuring: Cantor Lilah, CBY’s Adult choir and Ron Drotos on piano.

Mi Chamocha (Dan Nichols)

Our prayer of redemption that the Israelites sang as they walked through the parted sea on their way toward freedom. I love this melody since it has a call and response; these echoes back and forth remind listeners of the waves of the parted sea.

Featuring: Cantor Lilah, voice and guitar, Rabbi Strom percussion, and Ron Drotos on piano.

Yih Yuh L’ratzon (Charles Shapiro),

This beautiful melody is written by a congregant who is a composer and shares his melodies with the community. In this piece, he combines the Hebrew of “Yih Yuh L’ratzon,” the English, and “Oseh Shalom.” We pray for our words and prayers to be heard, and for peace.

Featuring: Cantor Lilah and congregant Suzette Roth-Jacobs, Ron Drotos on piano, and a congregant, Lori Horowitz on violin.

Mi Chamocha (Allan Naplan)/CBY’s Social action& Social Justice Video

This prayer reminds us of how far we have come from slaves in Egypt. However, it also reminds us of the work that still needs to be done for all peoples. For High Holidays we asked the community to share reflections, photos, or Videos about or taken during moments of social action or social justice to accompany Mi Chamocha. This was a way for our community to see all the amazing ways members of the community are participating in acts of tikkun olam, repairing the world.

Featuring Cantor Lilah, members of CBY’s adult choir, and Ron Drotos on piano.

Olam Chesed Yibaneh (Rabbi Menachem Creditor)

A world of loving kindness we will build. One small act of chewed, loving kindness, can lead to another, and this prayer speaks of how each person’s acts of loving kindness together will lead to a world of loving kindness. My hope is that, as a community, we continue to inspire each other to create a world of loving kindness one act at a time. I also invite you to notice how the melody itself reflects the idea of building a world of loving kindness through the way the melody builds upon itself changing slightly with each repeat of the melody.

Ufros Aleinu (Cantor Lindsay Kantor)

Ufros Aleinu prays for a “sukkot shlomecha,” a shelter of peace to be placed over all of us. In a time when we often feel so divided, it is beautiful to take some time from our night to set an intention of safety and peace for all. This melody is by my dear friend and cantorial classmate Cantor Lindsay Cantor.

Featuring: Cantor Lilah, Rabbi Strom and Ron Drotos on piano.

L’dor Vador (Josh Nelson)

This prayer sings about passing our tradition to the next generation. I also like to think about reverse l’dor vador, that it is also our obligation to learn from the younger generations. Each person in our community has a gift to give, and each person keeps our tradition alive and vibrant.

It is very meaningful to sing about passing from generation while having the different generations of our youth and adult choir sing together.

Featuring: Cantor Lilah, members of CBY’s Adult Choir, and Shir Joy-Youth choir. Ron Drotos on piano

Elohai (Cantor Natalie Young)

Elohai is a prayer of gratitude for our souls and life. This meaningful melody is written by Cantor Natalie Young. Natalie is one of my cantor mentors and my youth choir director growing up. She inspired me to share my voice with the community, and now I have the privilege of empowering the next generation.

Featuring: Cantor Lilah and Darby Schlosser and Ron Drotos on piano.

Hashkiveinu (Dan Nichols)

In this prayer we pray for peace and protection as we get ready to go to sleep. Here our Shir Joy-Youth Choir leads the congregation in prayer.

Also Featuring: Cantor Lilah on guitar, and Ron Drotos on piano.

High Holiday Teaching & Shalom Rav (Cantor Jeff Klepper)

Shalom Rav sings of peace, and in Hebrew, the word shalom, peace has the same root as the word shlemut wholeness, so we pray not just peace, a lack of war but a sense of wholeness.

Featuring: Cantor Lilah, members of CBY’s Adult Choir, and Shir Joy-Youth choir. Ron Drotos on piano and high schooler Wyatt Charron on viola.

Oseh Shalom (Elana Jagoda)

With these words we prayer for peace for all beings on this earth.

Featuring: Shir Joy-Youth choir, Cantor Lilah on guitar, Rabbi Strom and Jonah Strom on percussion, and Ron Drotos on piano.

Ahavat Olam (Gabriel Mann & Piper Rutman arr. Drotos)

This prayer reminds us of God’s love that is shown through the gift of the Torah.

The Platt brothers made this enchanting melody famous, and I wanted to find a way to engage and honor these post- b’nai mitzvah teens, so I worked with our pianist to create an arrangement of this melody for them to sing at our Kol Nidre service.