Sunday, May 25, 2014

Jewish Traces in Unexpected Places - Russian Jewish Choir Sings Jewish Folk Songs in Australia


Continuing our sporadic series of Jewish traces that show up where we would least expect them, we found a another example "down under."

The location: a suburb of Melbourne, Australia. The performers: the Nadezhda Russian Choir. What do you expect them to sing? What else? A medley of Jewish folk songs. Of course!

In a five minute burst of song, the choir sings

Hevenu Shalom Aleichem
A Zemerel
Chiri Biri Bom
A song that we don't recognize (Can you identify it?)
Bei Mir Bist du Schein 
Hava Nagila

Enjoy!

(Coming tomorrow: Lots of jokes to start the week)

(A SPECIAL NOTE FOR NEW EMAIL SUBSCRIBERS:  THE VIDEO MAY NOT BE VIEWABLE DIRECTLY FROM THE EMAIL THAT YOU GET EACH DAY ON SOME COMPUTERS AND TABLETS.  YOU MUST CLICK ON THE TITLE AT THE TOP OF THE EMAIL TO REACH THE JEWISH HUMOR CENTRAL WEBSITE, FROM WHICH YOU CLICK ON THE PLAY BUTTON IN THE VIDEO IMAGE TO START THE VIDEO.)                                                                                             

7 comments:

  1. I don't understand why you call "Jews in Australia" an "unexpected place". When American Jews will realize that there are Jews everywhere in the world, not just America, Russia and Israel?. Most of those small communities are more involved in Jewish life and in supporting Israel than many of the "main stream" American Jewry. It is almost offensive.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It sounds as if you are offended by the title of this marvelous celebration of Jewish Folk Songs.... Well try to enjoy the video clip and expand the culture and religion with joy and gladness

      Delete
    2. Thanks for your input. I certainly didn't mean to offend. Fewer than 2% of my readers live in Australia, and I try to include humor, music, and interesting news items from Australia. The combination of Yiddish and Hebrew folk songs by a Russian choir that's not specifically Jewish in a small suburb of Melbourne seemed to me to be unusual enough to include it in my classification of Jewish Traces in Unexpected Places. I accept your premise and agree that Australian Jews are making significant contributions to Jewish life and in supporting Israel.

      Delete
    3. Al, thanks for including an Australian connection. I enjoy your daily emails - they brighten up my day - and am not offended how you described us from "down under". Kol hakavod and may you continue to bring such joy and inspiration to all of us regardless of where we live.

      Delete
  2. A welcomed expression of joy and gladness. Thank you for uplifting a rather dreary Sunday.

    ReplyDelete
  3. I play in a Klezmer band and we know that tune as "740". That's the only title I have seen for it. I didn't know that it had lyrics, though. It's popular at Russian weddings, I am told.

    ReplyDelete