Hava Nagila

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  • Opened March 1, 2013 (NY; 3/8 Limited)
  • 1 hr 13 min
  • NR

  • It is instantly recognizable – musical shorthand for anything Jewish, a happy party tune that you dance to at weddings, bar mitzvahs and even at Major League Baseball games. It conjures up wistful smiles, memories of generations past...and no shortage of eye rolling. But as audiences will discover in Hava Nagila (The Movie), the song is much more than a tale of Jewish kitsch and bad bar mitzvah fashions. It carries with it an entire constellation of history, values and hopes for the future. In its own believe-¬-it-¬-or-¬-not way, Hava Nagila encapsulates the Jewish journey over the past 150 years. It also reveals the power of one song to express and sustain identity, to transmit lessons across generations and to bridge cultural divides and connect us all on a universal level. Full synopsis

  • Cast: Johnny Yune, Josh Kun, Henry Sapoznik, James Loeffler, Chazzan Danny Maseng
  • Director: Roberta Grossman
  • Genres: Documentary

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Critic Reviews

85
NPR
| Ella Taylor

According to Hava Nagila: The Movie, an infectiously high-spirited new documentary by Roberta Grossman, the most cornball song in the Jewish repertoire has a colorful history that has carried Ashkenazi Jews through the joy and sorrow of 150 years of being thrown around the world. Read full review

80
Los Angeles Times
| Gary Goldstein

It's a fun, nostalgic, informative journey. Aided by vivid archival footage and photos, the movie charts the evolution of the song through the Holocaust, the birth of Israel and the modern Jewish Diaspora. Read full review

75
Movie Nation
| Roger Moore

Roberta Grossman’s cute documentary gives weight to the tune, tracing its lineage to a town – Sadagora, in the Ukraine – and the 19th century. It bubbled to life as a “Nigun,” a wordless hymn or prayer, more hummed than sung. Read full review

75
Boston Globe
| Loren King

Hava Nagila (The Movie) guarantees that the next time you hear the song at a party, you won’t think of it quite the same way. Of course, that won’t slow anyone rushing to the dance floor. Read full review

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A scene from "Hava Nagila."