Blog

Many of us are still feeling a deep sense of sadness, fear and rage as we process the overt antisemitism that occurred in our neighborhoods this past week. 

As I was navigating my own emotions about the incidents of antisemitism initiated by the so-called Goyim Defense League, I was encouraged by a recent New York Times article that I stumbled upon titled "Is That 'Hava Nagila' I'm Hearing at the Club?"

“On a Monday Afternoon in May, Hava Nagila, the infectious Jewish Folk Song was reverberating through the Monte Carlo Beach Club...Hava Nagila, a song traditionally played at Jewish Life Events...is now making appearances at highly secular, non-Jewish gatherings. You can hear it at sporting events, trendy bars and clubs, music festivals, and private parties... Hava Nagila...it's a song that is about transformation and reinvention.” 

Despite the dangerous hatred that is directed at us as Jews, Hava Nagila reminds us of our strength and our purpose; it reminds us that even in the hardest of times, we are still joyful and proud.  

The article shares that “Hava Nagila was Written in 1918 by composer Abraham Zvi Idelsohn who believed the Jewish people needed new music at a time when Zionism and the push for a Jewish homeland were gaining strength.” The song quickly became a popular song of joy and gladness. And in the aftermath of the Holocaust...it became a symbol of renewal and survival. 

Parashat Balak, this week’s Torah portion, includes famous words of song and blessing that fill us with a sense of strength and pride as we recite them traditionally each morning. 

As the story goes, Balak, the neighboring Moabite king, feels threatened by the power of the neighboring Israelite tribes and summons a character named Balaam to go forth and curse the Israelites. 

However,  instead of cursing, he declares words of blessing, most notably: Mah tovu ohalecha Ya'akov,mishk'notecha Yisrael, "How fair are your tents, O Jacob, your dwellings, O Israel" (Numbers 24:5).

The commissioned curses turn into the opposite. They evolve into blessings.

At times, antisemitism might make us hesitant to proudly and boldly proclaim our Judaism. Throughout the millennia, others have tried to curse and belittle us, to frighten us, and bring us down, but we still sing our song loudly and proudly. We do not let the hateful nor the ignorant define us, but rather we define ourselves. 

Whether it's ‘Mah Tovu’ or ‘Hava Nagila’, our tradition has a powerful legacy of music and storytelling. One does not need to be Jewish to understand the power of Hava Nagila, but for us, it represents something extra special. It is an anthem of familiarity, a celebration of Jewish life throughout the generations.  When we hear it, our heart knows to beat to a certain pace. It knows that, regardless of the hatred directed towards us, we are still able to be joyful, and that our tradition is stronger than ever.

Shabbat Shalom