Jewish Traces in Unexpected Places: Meet Zevulun, Rice Farmer in Thailand

We knew that many Israelis, after completing their army service, spend time traveling in Thailand. But until now, we hadn't heard of an American Jew from Kansas moving to Thailand to be a rice farmer in a small village.

Rabbi Yoni Golker, a member of the rabbinic team at St. John's Wood and Saatchi Synagogue in London, has started a series of videos portraying Jewish life around the world, including places where you wouldn't expect to see it thriving.

In the middle of the coronavirus lockdowns, while in Jerusalem, Rabbi Golker interviewed Zevulun, the rice farmer in a virtual session between Jerusalem and Thailand.

Rabbi Golker was fascinated to meet Zevulun the rice farmer, from Sakon Nakhon, North East Thailand. Zevulun, originally from the USA, is certainly not your typical Thai farmer. He lives in a 34 acre farm in rural Thailand and is an observant Jew . He wakes up daily before sunrise to pray Shacharit and put on tefillin. He spends one Shabbat a month in Bangkok, returning with a suitcase of kosher chicken and meat. His story is incredible and he is certainly an inspiration!

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.

Hava Nagila Around the World: Thailand Girl Group Celebrates Israel's 71st Birthday

After posting 75 versions of Hava Nagila, Israel's most loved and most hated song, from all over the world, you'd think we'd run out of versions? Nope, not a chance. They keep coming up and keep on being posted on YouTube. 

This latest one was performed by six members of the famous BNK48 band together with an Israeli singer last month at the 71st Independence Day of the State of Israel Reception in Thailand.

The group is named after Bangkok, the capital city of Thailand, where its theatre, BNK48 the Campus, is located.

Enjoy!

A SPECIAL NOTE FOR NEW EMAIL SUBSCRIBERS:  THE VIDEO IS NOT VIEWABLE DIRECTLY FROM THE EMAIL THAT YOU GET EACH DAY.  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.

Jewish Traces in Unexpected Places: Abanibi Is Still a Big Hit.....in Thailand

A Ba Ni Bi, a seemingly nonsensical song that won first prize for Israel in the 1978 Eurovision Song Contest, 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.

The song was the subject of an article in Tablet magazine, in which Marjorie Ingalls reflects on the song's explosion onto the Jewish camp scene where it was and still is a staple of the zimriah and rikudiah (song and dance festvals) 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. We have posted previous versions of the song performed in Spain, Malaysia, and Singapore.

As Ingalls, points out, 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.

Here is a version of the song performed recently in Thailand. The singers can't pronounce the words in the refrain correctly. The verses are either in Thai or in English. Either way, we can't figure them out. If you can, please let us know in your comments.

Just below, we're sharing the original Hebrew version that won the 1978 Eurovision song contest for Israel. Enjoy!

(A SPECIAL NOTE FOR NEW EMAIL SUBSCRIBERS:  THE VIDEO IS NOT VIEWABLE DIRECTLY FROM THE EMAIL THAT YOU GET EACH DAY.  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.)   

Jewish Traces in Unexpected Places: Thailand Ladyboys Sing Hava Nagila

Today's blog post combines two of our recurring themes -- Unusual juxtapositions of Jewish music and culture in strange environments and the continuing popularity of Hava Nagila around the globe.

We wouldn't expect to encounter a group of transgendered singers and dancers performing a rousing version of Hava Nagila on a stage in Bangkok, Thailand, but that's exactly what we found. This is the 48th version of Hava Nagila that we've posted since we started Jewish Humor Central five years ago.

Bangkok's entertainers include a large number of what they call Ladyboys, and why these performers chose to exhibit their talents to one of the most popular Jewish melodies is beyond us. 

If you think the whole thing is somehow backwards, take a look at the writing on the stage wall. It's Hava Nagila in English, Thai, Chinese, Japanese, and Hebrew, but the Hebrew letters are backwards, written from left to right instead of from right to left.

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.) 

Jewish Traces in Unexpected Places: Hava Nagila Scores Big in Thailand

In April 2010, around the time we started our series of Hava Nagila around the world, we found and posted a somewhat risque version of the popular song -- actually a burlesque version. We regarded it as an oddity. What a surprise this week to find a more mainstream performance on Thailand's popular TV show, The Voice Thailand. 

The Voice is a reality talent show focusing on singing competition. It's a worldwide series that started in the Netherlands as The Voice of Holland in 2010. Soon after, many other countries including the USA have adapted the format and are airing their national versions. It's part of a talent competition phenomenon that includes American Idol, Britain's Got Talent and Israel's Kochav Nolad (A Star is Born).

We don't know how far this singer will get in the talent competition and how many times Hava Nagila will resound through the airwaves in Thailand, but for the time being, we can just enjoy the performance.

(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.)