๐ถ๐ Na ‘Hava Nagila’ I Dey Hear for Club?
The beloved Jewish folk song, wey don tey like century, don begin show face for sport events, private parties, and trendy bars. ๐๐บ
On a Monday afternoon for May, “Hava Nagila,” di infectious Jewish folk song, dey sound for Monte-Carlo Beach Club, one resort wey dey near Mediterranean Sea for Monaco. Di music dey come from one open-air venue wey dey high for cliff-side, where revelers dressed in suits and dresses dey dance for circles and dey swirl cloth napkins for air. ๐๐๐ฉ
Some people wey pass by talk say e sweet well well as Jewish wedding dey happun for dere. But one server quick quick correct dem. E talk say no be Jewish wedding dey happun, na after-party for the Formula 1 car race wey happun di previous day. ๐คต๐ฐ๐๐๏ธ
โHava Nagila,โ one song wey dey traditionally play for Jewish celebrations like weddings and bar and bat mitzvahs, don begin show face for highly secular, non-Jewish gatherings. You fit hear am for sport events, trendy bars and clubs, music festivals, and private parties. ๐ต๐๐
“It dey play from time to time here for Citi Field, especially when we get organist,” Julia Baxley, one spokesperson for di Mets baseball team, write for one email.
E dey play at least once every weekend for Calissa, one Greek restaurant for Water Mill, N.Y., wey dey host big-name D.J.s and performers like Samantha Ronson and Wyclef Jean. “We dey give our D.J.s list of songs wey we like make dem include for dia set, and dis na one of dem,” Kylie Monagan, one of di owners talk, e add say dem still play other culturally significant tracks like “Zorba’s Dance” and songs by Alabina, one group wey dey play world music. ๐๐ฝ๏ธ๐ถ
She talk say she get the idea afta she hear am for restaurants and beach clubs for Mykonos and Ibiza. “We do some research and we travel around Mediterranean, we hear these very chic clubs and restaurants dey play dis song, and we love am,” she talk. “We notice say wetin dey make people stand up from dia seat and dance na songs wey dem sabi well well.”
“We even see people carry person for chair recently,” she add, as she refer to one traditional Jewish dance wey dem dey call “hora,” wey people dey perform for weddings to di tune of “Hava Nagila.”
James Loeffler, one professor of Jewish history for University of Virginia wey don study di song well well, talk say e no surprise am say “Hava Nagila” dey popular now. “Na song wey dey talk about transformation and reinvention, so e dey destined to continue dey popular,” e talk. “E don dey get new lives since long time.” ๐ถ๐
Dem write di song for 1918 by Abraham Zvi Idelsohn, one composer wey believe say Jewish people need new music at dat time when Zionism and di push for Jewish homeland dey strong. “E want create melody wey go capture di spirit of di people,” Professor Loeffler talk about di song, wey di title for Hebrew mean “make we rejoice.” (Other lyrics include “make we rejoice and be happy,” “make we sing,” and “wake my brothers with happy heart.”) “E take melodies from ancient Judaism, from Hasidism and text from Jewish psalms, and e turn am into dis catchy little chant-anthem.”
“E become instant informal hit,” e talk. (A banger, if you will.) Jewish youth groups, inside and outside di United States, adopt am. By di 1940s, Jewish people for diaspora start to sing am afta di Holocaust. “E become symbol of happiness, and a symbol of joyful renewal and survival, and e keep going on from there,” Professor Loeffler talk. ๐ตโก๏ธ๐ซ
Harry Belafonte, wey marry Jewish woman, Julie Robinson, record di song for late 1950s, and e make am even more mainstream. “Dat one give am big appeal,” Professor Loeffler talk. “People come begin do other versions of am.” By di 1990s, European soccer teams dey play am for dia stadiums, and Eastern European gymnasts dey use am for dia floor routines.
“E dey very recognizable, and e na dis simple, easy, and common thing,” e add. “Na why e dey work for di ballpark, e dey work for di ice skating rink.” โฝ๏ธ๐ต๐
Musicians wey dey play am today talk say di crowd dey always happy when dem hear am.
Alex Megane, one 44-year-old D.J. and producer from Greifswald, Germany, create one club mix track of di song with Marc van Damme, one sound engineer. “I don play am for Australia, Germany, France, Italy, Estonia, Poland โ basically all around Europe,” e talk. “Di record really catch people, and dem love am.”
Di timing fit surprise some people, especially as antisemitic incidents dey increase. “We dey live for one odd moment wen antisemitism dey rise for dis country, especially for Europe,” Professor Loeffler talk. But research still show, e add, say Americans like di religion of Judaism, and Jewish culture dey popular. “I think ‘Hava Nagila’ na interesting reflection of dis,” e talk. “People everywhere and every time dey sing along.”
For May, Brian St. John, wey be 35 years old and dey lead one band for New Jersey wey dem call the Brian St. John band, find himself dey play “Hava Nagila” during one gig by mistake. “We dey play Grateful Dead songs, and normally to transition from one song to the other, we dey tease other melodies inside, and all of a sudden I start dey do di ‘Hava Nagila’ melody,” Mr. St. John talk. E add say di rest of di band members follow join, and dem get good response from di crowd, so dem decide say dem go definitely play am again.
Dem repeat di same performance for one music festival during di Memorial Day weekend. “Everybody for New Jersey don go at least one Jewish wedding, so e dey bring response from everybody,” e talk. “Dem dey little bit confused why we dey mix dis Jewish song wey don dey tey with our Grateful Dead songs, but dem start clap along.”
Mr. St. John talk say di band fit even consider dey play am as one stand-alone song. “Why not?” e talk. “I go play anything wey go make people excited.”
For some Jews, as dem dey hear “Hava Nagila” for places wey e no dey originally come from, e fit bring nostalgia and pride.
Marie Salome, wey be 36 years old and dey work as art curator for Brooklyn, dey always hear am for Chez Georges, one wine cave wey she dey always go when she dey live for Paris. “Everybody go dey do small circle even though di bar dey small and embrace and dey happy,” she talk. “Di song na about joy and dance. E dey fun well well.”
Ms. Salome, wey be Jewish, dey for one point for her life where she no too dey go Jewish weddings or bar or bat mitzvahs, so she go like hear di song for more places, even secular ones. “I love di idea of people dey dance to each other’s cultural songs,” she talk. “Na one way wey we fit share small small and come together.”
But Professor Loeffler understand why some other Jews fit dey surprise. “I believe say when I dey hear am play for all dis random contexts, e dey feel like say dem dey trivialize am, and e dey get element of mockery,” e talk. “Na one cavalier attitude toward dis minority culture and group of people.”
But e still encourage people to remember say dis na sign say di song dey appreciated and loved. “I believe say every culture wan preserve im identity and uniqueness, and e still wan make di world value am,” e talk. “I believe say Idelsohn go happy say di Jews dey give something to di world.” ๐ถ๐๐
NOW IN ENGLISH
๐ถ๐ Is That ‘Hava Nagila’ I’m Hearing at the Club?
The beloved Jewish folk song, which has been around for about a century, is making appearances at sports events, private parties, and trendy bars. ๐๐บ
On a Monday afternoon in May, “Hava Nagila,” the infectious Jewish folk song, could be heard at the Monte-Carlo Beach Club, a resort located near the Mediterranean Sea in Monaco. The music was emanating from an open-air venue perched on a cliff, where people dressed in suits and dresses were dancing in circles and twirling cloth napkins in the air. ๐๐๐ฉ
Some passersby assumed that a Jewish wedding was taking place and commented on how lovely it was. However, a server quickly corrected them, stating that it was not a Jewish wedding but an after-party for the Formula 1 car race that had occurred the previous day. ๐คต๐ฐ๐๐๏ธ
“Hava Nagila,” a song traditionally played at Jewish celebrations such as weddings and bar and bat mitzvahs, is now making appearances at secular and non-Jewish gatherings. It can be heard at sports events, trendy bars and clubs, music festivals, and private parties. ๐ต๐๐
“It is played occasionally here at Citi Field, especially when we have an organist,” said Julia Baxley, a spokesperson for the Mets baseball team, in an email.
At Calissa, a Greek restaurant in Water Mill, N.Y., which hosts renowned DJs and performers like Samantha Ronson and Wyclef Jean, the song is played at least once every weekend. Kylie Monagan, one of the owners, explained, “We provide our DJs with a list of songs that we would like them to incorporate into their set, and ‘Hava Nagila’ is one of them.” She also mentioned that they play other culturally significant tracks such as “Zorba’s Dance” and songs by Alabina, a group that specializes in world music. ๐๐ฝ๏ธ๐ถ
The idea to include “Hava Nagila” came to her after hearing it at restaurants and beach clubs in Mykonos and Ibiza. “We did some research and traveled around the Mediterranean, where we heard these very stylish clubs and restaurants playing this song, and we fell in love with it,” she said. “What we found is that songs people are familiar with really get them out of their seats and dancing.”
“We even had people lifting someone up in a chair recently,” she added, referring to the traditional Jewish dance called the hora, which is often performed at weddings to the tune of “Hava Nagila.”
James Loeffler, a professor of Jewish history at the University of Virginia who has extensively studied the song, wasn’t surprised by its increasing popularity. “It’s a song that is about transformation and reinvention, so it is destined to continue evolving,” he said. “It has always had new lives.” ๐ถ๐
The song was composed in 1918 by Abraham Zvi Idelsohn, a composer who believed that the Jewish people needed new music at a time when Zionism and the movement for a Jewish homeland were gaining momentum. “He wanted to create a melody that captured the spirit of the people,” Professor Loeffler explained. The song’s title translates from Hebrew to “let us rejoice.” (Other lyrics include “let us rejoice and be happy,” “let us sing,” and “awake my brothers with a happy heart.”) “He incorporated melodies from ancient Judaism, Hasidism, and texts from Jewish psalms, transforming them into this catchy little chant-anthem.”
“It became an instant informal hit,” he said. (A banger, if you will.) Jewish youth groups, both within and outside the United States, embraced it. By the 1940s, Jews in the diaspora began singing it as a symbol of happiness, joyful renewal, and survival in the aftermath of the Holocaust. “And it has continued to evolve and resonate ever since,” Professor Loeffler added. ๐ตโก๏ธ๐ซ
The song gained even more popularity when Harry Belafonte, who was married to a Jewish woman named Julie Robinson, recorded it in the late 1950s. “That gave it a tremendous appeal,” Professor Loeffler said. “People started creating their own versions of it.” In the 1990s, European soccer teams began playing it in their stadiums, and Eastern European gymnasts incorporated it into their floor routines.
“It is instantly recognizable, and it’s a simple, easy, and universally appealing tune,” he added. “That’s why it works at ballparks and ice skating rinks.” โฝ๏ธ๐ต๐
Musicians who perform the song today report that it always pleases the crowd.
Alex Megane, a 44-year-old DJ and producer from Greifswald, Germany, created a club mix track of the song in collaboration with sound engineer Marc van Damme. “I have played it in Australia, Germany, France, Italy, Estonia, Poland โ basically all around Europe,” he said. “The record really catches people’s attention, and they love it.”
The timing of the song’s popularity may seem surprising, given the rise in antisemitic incidents. “We live in an odd moment, particularly in this country and in Europe, where antisemitism is on the rise,” Professor Loeffler remarked. However, research also shows that Americans have an affinity for the Jewish religion, and Jewish culture is widely appreciated. “I think ‘Hava Nagila’ is an interesting reflection of this,” he said. “People from all walks of life and at all times sing along.”
In May, Brian St. John, a 35-year-old musician who leads a band called the Brian St. John Band in New Jersey, found himself accidentally playing “Hava Nagila” during a gig. “We play Grateful Dead songs, and usually, as a transition between songs, we play around with different melodies, and all of a sudden, I started playing the ‘Hava Nagila’ melody,” said Mr. St. John, who is not Jewish. “The other guys caught on, and we received such a positive response from the crowd that we decided to do it again.”
They repeated the same performance at a music festival over the Memorial Day weekend. “Almost everyone in New Jersey has attended a Jewish wedding, so it elicits a response from everyone,” he said. “They were a bit confused about why we were incorporating this 100-plus-year-old Jewish song into our Grateful Dead songs, but they started clapping along.”
Mr. St. John said the band would even consider playing it as a standalone song. “Why not?” he said. “I’ll play anything that gets people excited.”
For some Jews, hearing “Hava Nagila” in unexpected settings evokes feelings of nostalgia and pride.
Marie Salome, a 36-year-old art curator in Brooklyn, used to hear it at Chez Georges, a wine cave she frequented when she lived in Paris. “Everyone would form small circles, even though the bar was narrow, and they would embrace and be happy,” she said. “The song is literally about joy and dance. It was just so much fun.”
Ms. Salome, who is Jewish, finds herself at a stage in her life where she doesn’t attend as many Jewish weddings or bar and bat mitzvahs. Therefore, she would love to hear the song in more settings, even secular ones. “I love the idea of people dancing to songs from different cultures,” she said. “It’s a way to share a little bit and come together.”
However, Professor Loeffler understands why some Jews may feel taken aback. “I do think that when I hear it played in all these random contexts, it can feel trivializing, and there’s an element of mockery there,” he said. “It’s a cavalier attitude toward this minority culture and group of people.”
Nevertheless, he encourages people to remember that the song’s increasing popularity signifies that it is appreciated and loved. “I believe that every culture wants to preserve its identity and uniqueness while also being valued by the world,” he said. “I think Idelsohn would be excited to see that the Jews are contributing something to the world.” ๐ถ๐๐
