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“Hava Nagila” is the typical soundtrack to Jewish weddings and b’nai mitzvah — and, these days, brutal hand-to-hand fighting with naked combatants. Two streaming shows have recently picked up where ...

Whether you love it or you hate it, you know it: "Hava Nagila." Maybe you grew up listening to Harry Belafonte's rendition, or found yourself in a chair being hoisted into the air by a singing crowd ...

NEW YORK (JTA) — You’re at a wedding or bar mitzvah when you hear it — the opening notes of a familiar tune that irresistibly carries you and other guests to the dance floor for the rousing dance ...

“Hava Nagila.” It’s the song that rings true to the Jew, brings joy to the goy, makes a shiksa wanna shake and sends an Israeli girl into a swirl. It’s the melody made most famous in America by a ...

MOBILE, Alabama--What song do Harry Belafonte, Bob Dylan and Bar and Bat Mitzvah bands all across the land have in common? Why, "Hava Nagila," of course. Belafonte's 1959 Carnegie Hall performance of ...

One day, in the summer of 2008, the question “‘Hava Nagila’ — what is it?” popped into Roberta Grossman’s head. Although she was familiar with the ubiquitous song, she was clueless about its origins.

Born in Ukraine, raised in Palestine, the toast of the Catskills and the inevitable guest star at countless Jewish celebrations the world over, the song “Hava Nagila” has pulled many a goy (and I’d ...

Roberta Grossman’s new film explores the phenomenon behind the iconic folk song and offers some perspective on why it has been so beloved — and so hated — over the years. NEW YORK (JTA) — You’re at a ...

I grew up on "Hava Nagila," and I'll admit it's not the catchiest of tunes. The ingenuous Hebrew lyrics ("Come! Let us rejoice and be happy!") don't wear well in our age of knowing irony and ennui.