FILMS

You know it, you sing it, you can’t wed without it. It’s Hava Nagila, one of the most infectious celebration songs ever written in any language. But do you know where it came from and how it evolved from a Jewish staple to a world-wide phenomenon covered by everybody from Harry Belafonte and Connie Francis to Bob Dylan and Elvis? Find out in this entertaining, illuminating tale that follows the song from the shtetls of Ukraine to Israel, the Catskills, Greenwich Village, Hollywood and beyond. Studded with celebrity interviews and funny vignettes, the film explores Jewish roots, identity and cross-cultural connection that only music can achieve.