View an Exhibit on the Popular Folk Song Hava Nagila

Hava Nagila: From Idelsohn to Belafonte & Beyond
Originally uploaded by Jewish Music Research Centre

Hava Nagila is one of the most striking icons of Jewish life and culture worldwide. Originally a Hassidic niggun, Hava Nagila became a pan-Jewish folk song that gained popularity in Zionist circles in the United States, Europe, and Palestine. During the 1920’s and 1930’s, it was published in several Jewish children's songbooks in Palestine, Germany, and the United States, and was commercially recorded by a number of cantors and Jewish folk singers. Since then, it has been performed and recorded by Jewish and non-Jewish musicians alike, and featured in a number of popular American television series and movies.

The great popularity and far reaching recognition of Hava Nagila exemplifies the process by which a song can become a powerful marker of identity. This exhibit will guide you through the fascinating origins and reception of Hava Nagila, including never before published materials from the Abraham Zvi Idelsohn collection at the Department of Music of the Jewish National and University Library (hereby JNUL). By retracing the origins and path of this popular song, we will come to understand the process by which many Jewish “folk songs” came into being in the 20th century. To view the exhibit in its entirely click here.