Hava Nagila Around the World - Spanish Singer Raphael Sings it on The Ed Sullivan Show

One of the joys of posting videos on Jewish Humor Central is discovering new versions of traditional Jewish and Hebrew songs as they are performed around the world, often in unexpected places.

Since we started Jewish Humor Central in 2009 we have posted 132 different versions of Hava Nagila. The song has shown up in many countries, including some unexpected ones (Scroll down the left column on this page and click on Hava Nagila in the Keywords list and you'll see what we mean.)

Today we're posting a version of Hava Nagila that Spanish singer Raphael sang on The Ed Sullivan Show in 1970. In the many video clips of him singing this song, he always pronounces it "Haba Nagila."

Of course, you don't have to be Jewish to sing Hava Nagila. Miguel Rafael Martos Sánchez (born 5 May 1943), known professionally as Raphael, is a Spanish singer and actor. He is widely recognized for his extensive vocal range and charismatic stage presence. He has sold over 70 million albums in up to 7 languages. His career has spanned more than six decades, leaving a lasting influence on Spanish-speaking music.

Raphael rose to fame in the early 1960s after winning the Benidorm Song Festival. He represented Spain in the Eurovision Song Contest in 1966 and 1967 with the songs "Yo soy aquél" and "Hablemos del amor", finishing in seventh and sixth place, respectively. In 1967, he performed at Madison Square Garden in New York City before an audience of 48,000 people. In 1982, he received a uranium record for surpassing 50 million records sold, making him one of the best-selling Latin music artists in history.

Enjoy!