https://youtu.be/2zMCsrg_-_A# Shema Koli | AmsterdamIn the Spanish and Portuguese Sephardi tradition the service on the eve of Kippur begins with this majestic Piyyut composed in the eleventh century by Rav Hai Gaon. Recounting the Almighty’s recurring acts of deliverance to our people and prophets in times of travail, it concludes with the prayer that our supplications be answered on this holiest of days. Within the Spanish and Portuguese diaspora, the communities of Amsterdam, New York, and London share the same basic melody, a version of which is also known in North Africa. A feature peculiar to the Amsterdam variant, presented in this recording, is the caesura at the end of each stanza. Please like and share.