Jewish Traces in Unexpected Places: South Korean Children Sing "Hevenu Shalom Aleichem"

We've shared 24 versions of the classic Hebrew song Hevenu Shalom Aleichem with you over the years. But we keep finding new renditions just as we've found 127 versions of Hava Nagila and 12 of Hinei Ma Tov.

Here's a performance of Hevenu Shalom Aleichem by a large group of children in South Korea.

This song really gets around. Enjoy!

Jewish Traces in Unexpected Places: YidLife Crisis Visits Stockholm to Create New Comedy Film for Miami Jewish Film Festival

Get ready to laugh and kvell with Swedishkayt: YidLife Crisis in Stockholm as self-proclaimed international Yiddish-ish icons YidLife Crisis—comedy duo Eli Batalion and Jamie Elman—bravely step onto Swedish soil to unearth a hidden treasure trove of Jewish culture. 

From the moment they arrive in Stockholm, our heroes, like gefilte fish out of water, prepare for a big live show while unraveling the little-known history of Sweden’s Jewish community in their hilarious and heartfelt journey.

Jamie Elman & Eli Batalion are filmmakers, writers and performers hailing from Montreal with credits spanning 25 years of theater, music, television and film - from starring in Mad Men, House MD and Curb Your Enthusiasm to writing, directing and producing films shown at the Sundance, Toronto, Berlin and SXSW film festivals.

Their unique friendship spawned an irreverent tribute to the Yiddish language, culture and comedic tradition they were reared on. Calling it YidLife Crisis, they hatched the world’s first Yiddish sitcom, toasting, roasting and wrestling with the modern Jewish experience. Its popularity has led to various awards and nominations, over 4 million online views, frequent live performances across North America and Europe, and hours of documentary content covering their travels and the Jewish diaspora.

The new film, Swedishkayt: YidLife Crisis in Stockholm, makes its debut this weekend at the Miami Jewish Film Festival.

There will be two showings. The first, on Saturday night, January 18 at 8 pm, will be at The Hub at Temple Beth Am, 5950 N. Kendall Drive, Pinecrest, Florida. The second, on Sunday, January 19 at 4 pm will be at the Michael-Ann Russell JCC, 18900 NE 25th Ave. Miami, FL 33180.

Both performances will feature a special live performance by YidLife Crisis to bring some LIVE SHTIK to this World Premiere event! Following the screening, there will be a Q&A with Eli Batalion and Jamie Elman.

Here is a trailer for the film. Enjoy!

Jewish Traces in Unexpected Places: Pennfield Middle School Starts Winter Concert with Hava Nagila

We never stop being amazed at the popularity and resiliency of Hava Nagila, probably the most played Hebrew song of all time, and how often it appears in non-Jewish venues around the world.

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!

Jewish Traces in Unexpected Places: Tracing Nat King Cole's "Nature Boy" to an Old Yiddish Song

Nature Boy is a song first recorded by American jazz singer Nat King Cole. It was released on March 29, 1948, as a single by Capitol Records. The song has a very unusual history that goes back to a Yiddish song that was written in 1935 by Herman Yablokoff, a veteran of the Yiddish theatre. 

The song was written for Yablokoff's play Papirosn, with a title song that also became very popular with Yiddish theatre-goers.

Yablokoff's song was the basis for a song written by eden ahbez, a hippie before there were hippies, who refused to capitalize his name because in his view only God and Infinity deserved capitalization.

This video explains the evolution of the song from the Yiddish theatre to becoming one of the most enchanting songs of all time and the song most associated with Nat King Cole.

Enjoy!

 

 

Jewish Traces in Unexpected Places: 13-Year-Old Sofiya Sings Hava Nagila in Uzbekistan's Talent Show "The Voice"

Ovoz is an Uzbek entertainment vocal talent show. It is the Uzbek version of the format of the television vocal competition "The Voice", bought by a franchise from a Dutch producer.It airs on the channel "Zo'r TV" from April 20, 2024.

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!

Jewish Traces in Unexpected Places: Hava Nagila by Street Musician Karolina Protsenko

16-Year-Old Karolina Protsenko moved to California with her family from Ukraine a few years ago and established herself as a street musician playing the violin. Her style is to start playing in the street and let passers-by ask her to play their favorite songs. 

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!

Hava Nagila Around the World - A New Performance in Jaroslaw, Poland

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 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!

Abanibi, Eurovision Song Winner in 1978, is Still Popular Around the World

It's been 46 years since A Ba Ni Bi, a seemingly nonsensical song, won first prize for Israel in the 1978 Eurovision Song Contest. In 2010 we noted that the song has taken off and found expression in many languages and in many venues that are surely surprising original singer Izhar Cohen, composer Nurit Hirsh, and songwriter Ehud Manor.

It's still a feature in the Jewish camp scene where it's a staple of the song and dance fesitvals that are focal points of the camp season.

A Ba Ni Bi is actually not nonsensical, at least when sung in Hebrew. It gets a little weird when it's sung in Chinese, Spanish, Thai, and other languages. 

It's cleverly written in S'fat HaBet (B Language,) an Israeli variation of Pig Latin.  The phrase Aba Nibi Obo Hebev Obo Tabach is simply Ani Ohev Otach (I Love You) with the suffixes ba, bi, bo, and beh appended to each syllable.  If it were sung in English, the words would be Iby Lubuve Youboo.  But nobody sings it that way.

We found a new version by Chilean singer Ariel Toro, recorded earlier this year in his studio.

Enjoy!

Jewish Traces in Unexpected Places: Oklahoma's Canterbury Voices Sing Hevenu Shalom Aleichem

Hevenu Shalom Aleichem is one of the most widely played and sung Hebrew songs around the world, probably second only to Hava Nagila. We have been sharing versions of this song as performed in India, Guatemala, Australia, Korea, Belarus, and in an Irish pub.

Today we came across another posting of this song, the 24th that we've shared with you. It was posted by Canterbury Voices, a chorus based in Oklahoma.

Canterbury Voices was founded in May 1969 as Canterbury Choral Society. The 165-member Adult Chorus is the flagship program of the organization and the largest of its kind in the state of Oklahoma. All singers are auditioned and most have extensive musical and stage experience. 

 

The Adult Chorus collaborates with many sister arts agencies like the Oklahoma City Philharmonic, Oklahoma City Ballet, and Oklahoma City Jazz Orchestra, as well as many talented singers and musicians from around the United States including, Kelli O’Hara, Sarah Coburn and Ron Raines.

 

Enjoy!

 

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Jewish Traces in Unexpected Places: 5 Surprising Locations Jews Live Today

From Iquitos, Peru to Namibia, Gibraltar, Japan, and Siberia, Jewish communities are found on every continent today outside of Antarctica. Each presenting a unique flavor of Judaism, these communities have continued to cling to their Jewish culture and keep their ancient traditions alive.

Join us in visiting these five locations to see how these very different Jewish communities maintain their culture in environments that you wouldn't expect Jewish traditions to thrive in.

Enjoy!

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Tumbalalaika Around the World: As Sung by Jimmy Kelly and the Kelly Family

The Yiddish folk love song Tumbalalaika originated in Eastern Europe in the 19th century, but its exact origin is hard to pinpoint. That hasn't prevented it from being sung and played over and over, not only in places where Yiddish songs are sung, but just about everywhere in the world, in vocal and instrumental versions, in cabarets and in the movies.

Just as we have followed the songs Hava Nagila, Adon Olam, Hevenu Shalom Aleichem, and Abanibi as they took different forms as interpreted by a wide variety of singers, musicians, and dancers, we're continuing the series today that we started back in 2012, sharing our 23rd version of this universal courting and love song.

This rendition of Tumbalalaika was recorded by Jimmy Kelly and the Kelly Family.

The Kelly Family is a European-American music group consisting of a multi-generational family, usually nine siblings who were joined occasionally on stage in their earlier years by their parents. They play a repertoire of rock, pop, and folk music, and sing in English, Spanish, German, and Basque. The group had chart and concert success around the world, predominantly in continental Europe - mainly in Germany, the Benelux countries, Scandinavia, Poland, Slovakia, Spain, and Portugal - and some in Ireland. 

They have sold over 20 million albums since the early 1980s and were ranked as the 6th most popular music act in Germany in the 1990s. Despite their American origins, the group is virtually unknown in the United States.

Enjoy!

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Jewish Traces in Unexpected Places: Hava Nagila Performance in Georgia

Georgia is a transcontinental country in Eastern Europe and West Asia. It is part of the Caucasus region, bounded by the Black Sea to the west, Russia to the north and northeast, Turkey to the southwest, Armenia to the south, and Azerbaijan to the southeast. 

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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Jewish Traces in Unexpected Places: Malawi Men's Choir Pays Tribute to Gaza Hostages Singing Israeli Song

In a video published to the X account of the Israel Foreign Ministry on Wednesday, a Christian men's choir, named ACA for Him, from Malawi in East Africa, sings the song "Home" in Hebrew, while calling for the release of the hostages in Gaza.

As the Jerusalem Post reported this week,

The video of the men's choir was filmed by Solomon Chilemba, edited by Ehud Manor, composed by Yair Klinger, and the audio was by Kingsley Tembenu. The video opens up with text reading, “On October 7 2023, Hamas conducted a terror attack on Israel and killed innocent people. They abducted over 200 people including women, children, and elderly. ACA - 4 - HIM is calling the world to bring hostages back home. Israel and Jews have the right to exist and defend themselves like any other country.”

In its X post, the Foreign Ministry wrote, “Many and diverse parties from around the world are joining the fight to return the abductees from Gaza in different and diverse ways.” The Foreign Ministry said this video, in particular, moved them. 

Malawi was the first country in Africa to open an embassy in Jerusalem.  

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Jewish Traces in Unexpected Places: Hava Nagila with Full Band in Slovenia

We continue to be amazed by the number of countries where Hava Nagila has been performed. This is the 121st rendition of the popular Hebrew song that we've posted since starting Jewish Humor Central in 2009.

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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Jewish Traces in Unexpected Places: The Catholic University of Korea Veritas Choir Sings "Hava Nagila"

We continue to be amazed by the number of countries where Hava Nagila has been performed. This is the 120th rendition of the popular Hebrew song that we've posted since starting Jewish Humor Central in 2009.

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.

The Catholic University of Korea is a private Roman Catholic university  in Bucheon-si, Gyeonggi-do, South Korea. It was established in 1855. The Catholic University of Korea operates campuses in Seoul and in the neighboring Bucheon City. The university's school of medicine operates eight affilIated hospitals throughout the country.

Enjoy!

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Tumbalalaika Around the World: Baklava Klezmer Soul Sings in the Synagogue of Cuneo, Italy

Today we share yet another version of the Yiddish folk song Tumbalalaika.

Baklava Klezmer Soul is a young group formed in May 2017, on the initiative of Isacco Basilotta and Roberto Avena. The group, starting from a melodic research, proposes arrangements of Klezmer music in a Balkan key with Gypsy references; the goal is to popularize a musical genre that is almost unknown to the culture of Italy.  

The formation is typical of the genre, and is made up of five musicians: clarinet (Isacco Basilotta), accordion (Roberto Avena), voice and percussion (Michela Giordano), percussion (Lorenzo Armando) and electric bass (Nicolò Cavallo).

The performers thank the Jewish Community of Turin who authorized the filming inside the Cuneo Synagogue.

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Jewish Traces in Unexpected Places: Turkish Patriotic Song Uses Melody from "Der Rebbe Elimelech"

We never expected to feature a Turkish patriotic song on Jewish Humor Central, but we just had to share this revelation by Zecharia Golden in the Forward this weekend.

In honor of the hundredth jubilee of the Turkish Republic, a patriotic song from 1972 is often heard in the Turkish social media this year. The song, "Bir Bashkadr Benim Memleketim" (My hometown is special) has a beautiful melody and the words paint a rural scene. It sounds like a classic Turkish folk song.  

The melody of the song comes from the Yiddish song Der Rebbe Elimelech, which
was first translated into a French song "Lavougl" from 1969 (The Blind Man), and then into the Turkish "Memlektim".

Here is a video of the Turkish song followed by a video of Eynat Betzalel singing Der Rebbe Elimelech. acccompanied by L'Orchestre Festival led by arranger and conductor Meinrad Koch. 

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Jewish Traces in Unexpected Places: Jews of the Wild West

Jews of the Wild West is a feature length documentary about resilience and identity in an unexpected place. The film tells a positive immigration story and highlights the dynamic contributions Jewish Americans made to shaping the Western United States. With today's rise in antisemitism, these stories are more important now than ever.

The documentary includes the story of Josephine Marcus Earp, the Jewish wife of Wyatt Earp, American lawman and gambler in the American West, including Dodge City, Deadwood, and Tombstone. Earp was involved in the famous gunfight at the O.K. Corral, during which lawmen killed three outlaw Cochise County Cowboys.

Also profiled are the immigrant families that created Levi's jeans and Samsonite luggage and Ray Frank, the first woman to preach from a synagogue pulpit.

The film is available to watch on Kanopy, a free service provided by most public libraries and academic institutions.

Here's a preview. Enjoy!

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Jewish Traces in Unexpected Places: Hava Nagila in Ghent, Belgium

Since starting Jewish Humor Central 14 years ago, we've posted 118 versions of Hava Nagila, arguably the most played Jewish song around the world. Here's the latest one that we found while surfing the Internet, in a kiosk in the Belgian city of Ghent.

Enjoy!

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Jewish Traces in Unexpected Places: "Jerusalema", South African Zulu Song and Dance Finds a Home in Israel

Jerusalema is a song in the Zulu language by South African DJ and record producer Master KG featuring South African vocalist Nomcebo. The upbeat gospel-influenced house song was initially released on November 29, 2019 after it garnered positive response online, with a music video following on December 21. The music video of the song has generated half a billion views on YouTube. 

It was later included on Master KG's second album of the same title, released in January 2020. A single edit was released on streaming services on July 10, 2020, after it went viral during mid-2020, garnering international reaction due to the #JerusalemaChallenge. The dance challenge was started by a group of young men in Angola and it was their video of them dancing to the song which sparked a global trend.

A remix featuring Nigerian singer Burna Boy was released on 19 June 2020. It reached number one in Belgium, Netherlands, Romania and Switzerland, while peaking in the top ten of multiple other European countries. A second remix featuring Venezuelan singer Micro TDH and Colombian singer Greeicy was released on 17 September 2020.

At the third ceremony of the African Entertainment Awards USA "Jerusalema" won the Song of the Year award.

After winning awards all around the world and inspiring dances in many countries, the song finally found its way to Israel where it was translated to Hebrew and found favor with Israelis across the religious and non-religious sectors.

Enjoy!

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