Since we started Jewish Humor Central in 2009 we have posted 129 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 was performed by the Ukrainian band Kommuna Lux.
Enjoy!
As Phylissa Cramer wrote in The Times of Israel,
Francis, whose real name was Concetta Rosa Maria Franconero, grew up in Newark, New Jersey, in the 1940s, when the city was home to a large Jewish population (including Phillip Roth, four years her senior). “If you weren’t Jewish, you needed a password to get in,” she once told an interviewer, the Forward reported in 2018.
Francis wound up deploying the Jewish culture and language she picked up in her childhood neighborhood as she emerged as a vocal star in the late 1950s and early 1960s. She performed at Borscht Belt resorts during their heyday, then recorded an album of Jewish music as part of an effort to make herself as widely known as possible in the early 1960s.
"Hava Nagila" is a well-known Jewish folk song. Its Hebrew lyrics, meaning "Let us rejoice," were added by Abraham Zevi Idelsohn in early 20th-century Jerusalem and were inspired by the Psalms. The song quickly became a staple at Jewish celebrations like weddings and bar/bat mitzvahs, spreading globally as an anthem of joy and Jewish identity.
The Smothers Brothers, Tom and Dick, were one of the most iconic comedy duos in the history of television. They began performing as a duo in the late 1950s, playing in coffeehouses and clubs in San Francisco. Their act consisted of music, comedy, and witty banter, which quickly gained them a following. The Smothers Brothers became a household name in the late 1960s with their variety show, The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour. The show was groundbreaking in its approach to comedy, pushing the boundaries with political satire and social commentary.
The show also featured up-and-coming musical acts, including The Doors and The Who, and introduced the world to comedians like Steve Martin and George Carlin. The Smothers Brothers' irreverent style made them a beloved and enduring force in American comedy.
Enjoy!
Since we started posting on Jewish Humor Central in 2009, we have shared 126 renditions of this song with you. So here comes number 127.
Just yesterday, the 9th Grade Chorus of the Pennfield Middle School in a Pennsylvania suburb started off its winter concert with a performance of Hava Nagila.
Enjoy!
The main task of this show is to find and select universal vocalists who sing not only in different genres, but also in different languages. In the show, participants can demonstrate their vocal abilities to the audience and the jury both in the performance of jazz or rock, as well as folk songs or classical vocals.
In this episode aired on November 5, 13-year-old Sofiya Fadeyeva belts out a rousing version of Hava Nagila.
Enjoy!
The Protsenkos now live in California but we're not sure where this version of Hava Nagila was played because they have traveled the world and Karolina plays in many cities.
In this video a little girl asks her if she can play Hava Nagila and when she says yes, her father picks up the microphone and gets into the act.
Enjoy!
Since we started Jewish Humor Central in 2009 we have posted 123 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 was performed last month at Jarmark Jarosławski, an end of summer music and arts festival in Jaroslaw, a town in Eastern Poland.
Enjoy!
That's what happened today when we ran across a version that was performed last year by the Quaker City String Band at the Celebrate Israel parade.
The band, based in Philadelphia, has been entertaining audiences throughout the Philadelphia area and all over the world for decades.
In June 2023 the Quaker City String Band came to New York City to participate in the annual Celebrate Israel parade and turned in a lively performance of Hava Nagila.
Enjoy!
Georgia covers an area of 26,900 square miles. It has a population of 3.7 million, of which over a third live in the capital and largest city, Tbilisi. Georgians, who are indigenous to the region, constitute a majority.
We wouldn't expect to see a performance of Hava Nagila in Georgia, but since just about every country in the world has adopted one of Israel's most famous songs, we weren't surprised to find another version on the internet.
Here a group called Melomoney (მელოMoney) sings Hava Nagila on a Georgian TV show. It's the 122nd version that we've posted since starting Jewish Humor Central in 2009.
Enjoy!
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Here's
the latest version that we just found, a concert performance last month conducted by Tomaz Podlesnik. It's an expanded version, called Fantasy on a Hebrew Folk Song, performed at the annual concert of the Band of the Upper Savinja Valley, at the Mozirje sports hall in Slovenia.
Enjoy!
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Here's
the latest version that we just found, a concert performance a few days ago by the Veritas Choir of the Catholic University of Korea.
Enjoy!
A SPECIAL NOTE FOR NEW EMAIL SUBSCRIBERS: THE VIDEO MAY NOT BE VIEWABLE DIRECTLY FROM THE EMAIL THAT YOU GET EACH DAY ON SOME COMPUTERS AND TABLETS. YOU MUST CLICK ON THE TITLE AT THE TOP OF THE EMAIL TO REACH THE JEWISH HUMOR CENTRAL WEBSITE, FROM WHICH YOU CLICK ON THE PLAY BUTTON IN THE VIDEO IMAGE TO START THE VIDEO.
Enjoy!
A SPECIAL NOTE FOR NEW EMAIL SUBSCRIBERS: THE VIDEO MAY NOT BE VIEWABLE DIRECTLY FROM THE EMAIL THAT YOU GET EACH DAY ON SOME COMPUTERS AND TABLETS. YOU MUST CLICK ON THE TITLE AT THE TOP OF THE EMAIL TO REACH THE JEWISH HUMOR CENTRAL WEBSITE, FROM WHICH YOU CLICK ON THE PLAY BUTTON IN THE VIDEO IMAGE TO START THE VIDEO.
The event was also graced by an interfaith and interethnic panel which also included a delegation of Sri Lanka’s indigenous people.
Last Sunday’s event showcased Sri Lanka and Israel’s historic interactions going back 3,000 years when the island traded spices, precious stones and exotic fauna with ancient Jewish kingdoms.
This was followed by short films on Israeli innovations in the field of medicine, education and agriculture that it is open to share with Sri Lanka. Video greetings were also shared from Israel including members of the Knesset.
The Kelaniya University dance troupe performed a rendition of the Jewish folk song ‘Nagila Hava’ with a Sri Lankan twist.
Enjoy!
A SPECIAL NOTE FOR NEW EMAIL SUBSCRIBERS: THE VIDEO MAY NOT BE VIEWABLE DIRECTLY FROM THE EMAIL THAT YOU GET EACH DAY ON SOME COMPUTERS AND TABLETS. YOU MUST CLICK ON THE TITLE AT THE TOP OF THE EMAIL TO REACH THE JEWISH HUMOR CENTRAL WEBSITE, FROM WHICH YOU CLICK ON THE PLAY BUTTON IN THE VIDEO IMAGE TO START THE VIDEO.
Here's the latest version that we just found, a concert performance last December by the KIC Pop Choir in the tiny Balkan country of Montenegro.
Montenegro is sandwiched between former Yugoslavian countries, Croatia, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Kosovo, Serbia and Albania. The country is famous for its spectacular mountains, glacial lakes, the elegant beach resorts of the Budva Riviera, and the UNESCO World Heritage listed Bay of Kotor.
And now, for Hava Nagila.
Enjoy!
A SPECIAL NOTE FOR NEW EMAIL SUBSCRIBERS: THE VIDEO MAY NOT BE VIEWABLE DIRECTLY FROM THE EMAIL THAT YOU GET EACH DAY ON SOME COMPUTERS AND TABLETS. YOU MUST CLICK ON THE TITLE AT THE TOP OF THE EMAIL TO REACH THE JEWISH HUMOR CENTRAL WEBSITE, FROM WHICH YOU CLICK ON THE PLAY BUTTON IN THE VIDEO IMAGE TO START THE VIDEO.
Because the it got such an enthusiastic reception, there will be a repeat concert in the FMH Cultural Center in Budapest on April 16.
Enjoy!
A SPECIAL NOTE FOR NEW EMAIL SUBSCRIBERS: THE VIDEO MAY NOT BE VIEWABLE DIRECTLY FROM THE EMAIL THAT YOU GET EACH DAY ON SOME COMPUTERS AND TABLETS. YOU MUST CLICK ON THE TITLE AT THE TOP OF THE EMAIL TO REACH THE JEWISH HUMOR CENTRAL WEBSITE, FROM WHICH YOU CLICK ON THE PLAY BUTTON IN THE VIDEO IMAGE TO START THE VIDEO.
Today we're going back 50 years to share a parody of the song by three British actors and musicians, with a translation that has nothing to do with the meaning of the original words.
In this video, Dudley Moore, Val Doonican, and Peter Cook collaborate in a spoof of Hava Nagila in which Nagila is a little Japanese sports car that's being sold by a British car dealer. Sure, it's silly, and so is the rest of the comedy sketch. But it was funny enough to air in 1972.
Enjoy!
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There is no description of the group or the location except for the words "Nedelec Herve." It seems to be an international folk dance group somewhere in France. Are they French? Russian? We don't have a clue, but their interpretation of Hava Nagila is interesting.
Enjoy!
A SPECIAL NOTE FOR NEW EMAIL SUBSCRIBERS: THE VIDEO MAY NOT BE VIEWABLE DIRECTLY FROM THE EMAIL THAT YOU GET EACH DAY ON SOME COMPUTERS AND TABLETS. YOU MUST CLICK ON THE TITLE AT THE TOP OF THE EMAIL TO REACH THE JEWISH HUMOR CENTRAL WEBSITE, FROM WHICH YOU CLICK ON THE PLAY BUTTON IN THE VIDEO IMAGE TO START THE VIDEO.
She became a national superstar when she moved to TV Globo in 1986 for the Xou da Xuxa. She was the first Brazilian to appear on Forbes magazine's list of richest artists in 1991, taking 37th place with an annual gross income of US$19 million.
Over her 30-year career, Xuxa has sold over 30 million copies of her records worldwide, which makes her the highest-selling Brazilian female singer. Her net worth was estimated at US$100 million in the early 1990s. As of 2020, she continues to be among Brazil's most prominent celebrities. Also successful as a businesswoman, she has the highest net worth of any Brazilian female entertainer, estimated at US$400 million.
In this video, Xuxa, wearing a supersize Magen David, leads a group of 12 children singing and dancing Hava Nagila.
Enjoy!
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SOME COMPUTERS AND TABLETS. YOU MUST CLICK ON THE TITLE AT
THE TOP OF THE EMAIL TO REACH THE JEWISH HUMOR
CENTRAL WEBSITE, FROM WHICH YOU CLICK ON THE
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VIDEO.
This is the 112th version of Hava Nagila that we've posted since starting Jewish Humor Central in October 2009. We're getting ready to celebrate our 4,000th post in less than two weeks. Watch for something special.
Enjoy!
A SPECIAL NOTE FOR NEW EMAIL SUBSCRIBERS: THE VIDEO MAY NOT BE VIEWABLE DIRECTLY FROM THE EMAIL THAT YOU GET EACH DAY ON SOME COMPUTERS AND TABLETS. YOU MUST CLICK ON THE TITLE AT THE TOP OF THE EMAIL TO REACH THE JEWISH HUMOR CENTRAL WEBSITE, FROM WHICH YOU CLICK ON THE PLAY BUTTON IN THE VIDEO IMAGE TO START THE VIDEO.
Famous Dutch violinist and conductor Andre Rieu is best known for creating the waltz-playing Johann Strauss Orchestra. Together they have turned classical and waltz music into a worldwide concert touring act, as successful as some of the biggest global pop and rock music acts.
Last week Rieu and his orchestra swept into Tel Aviv for a few days of performances at the Menora Mivtachim Arena. It was the second visit to Israel for Rieu and his 75 singers, dancers, and musicians. Their first visit was in 2018, when they toured Tel Aviv, Jaffa, and Jerusalem. Rieu and his son met with Holocaust survivors who were saved from the Nazis by Rieu's wife's mother, who was active in the Dutch Resistance.
Rieu's father was conductor of the Maastricht Symphony Orchestra.
Showing early promise, André began studying violin at the age of five.
From a very early age, he developed a fascination with orchestra.
Rieu created the Johann Strauss Orchestra in 1987 and began with 12
members, giving its first concert on 1 January 1988. Over the years it
has expanded dramatically, nowadays performing with between 80 and 150
musicians. Rieu and his orchestra have performed throughout Europe, North and
South America, Japan, and Australia. The size and revenue of their tours
are rivaled only by the largest pop and rock music acts.
Here is the complete concert from 2018. The musical numbers and the commentary are worth watching, but if you only have time to watch Hava Nagila and Jerusalem of Gold, they are at 18 minutes and 33 minutes from the start of the concert.
Enjoy!
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