Jewish Traces in Unexpected Places: Old School Klezmer is Alive and Well with Hava Nagila in Puebla, Mexico

Dressed in the clothing of a Hasidic Jew, Juan "El Maestro" Perez performs in a band called El Colectivo Klezmorino that plays klezmer, a style of Jewish folk music that originated in Eastern Europe.

Perez is not Jewish and neither are the other band members. They play in the streets of Puebla, a city without much Jewish life. It's about 60 miles southeast of Mexico City, which has most of the Jewish population of Mexico.

Klezmer is a unique sound in Puebla, where most street musicians play mariachi guitars and sing romantic Mexican songs. Perez loves the music and says it was easy to learn. He taught himself to play more than 60 klezmer pieces, mostly by watching YouTube videos.

Here's one with the band playing Hava Nagila. Enjoy!

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