Hava Nagila
Traditional
Lyrics:
Transliteration in Hebrew:
Hava nagila, hava nagila
Hava nagila venis'mecha
Hava neranena, hava neranena
Hava neranena venis'mecha
Uru, uru achim
Uru achim belev same'ach
English translation:
Letās rejoice !
Letās rejoice and be happy!
Letās sing!
Letās sing and be happy!
Awaken brothers!
Awaken brothers, with a cheerful heart!
Activities:
Circle Dance/ Stand Up Song:
This song is usually accompanied by the Hora, a traditional Jewish circle dance that occurs during celebrations. There are variations on this dance, and you can experiment, but Iāll describe my favorite for this age group.
For the first verse, hold hands (if applicable, depending on age group) and walk in a circle. Typically this walk is done in a particular manner to the beat ā left foot crosses in front of the right foot, then the right foot steps to the right of the left foot, then the left foot crosses BEHIND the right foot, then the right
foot steps to the right of the left foot again and then repeat.
For the second verse (Hava neranena) change direction.
For the third verse (uru achim) move to the center and raise your hands for the first measure, and then move back and lower your
hands for the second measure. Repeat until āHava Nagilaā comes back around and repeat the dance.