"Hava Nagila" is one of the most famous Hebrew songs in the world, arguably the most recognized of all Hebrew melodies. This song was born in Eastern Europe, but became emblematic of Israel. It went global as a universal anthem of celebration. Israeli Post dedicated its special stamp to this world famous song. This bright philatelic item shows people of different ages and nationalities dancing to the energetic tune of Hava Nagila. Let’s take a closer look at this interesting stamp and other bright stamps on music.
“Hava Nagila”, a melody that originated more than 200 years ago, was born as a song without words (in Hebrew, “niggun”). The melody and the humming of this wordless tune became a song of hope for many Jews. The lyrics were written by composer Zvi Idelsohn and his students at the Lemel School. He was the first professional Jewish composer in Jerusalem and in all of Eretz Israel. The song was first performed in 1918. It was later performed by many different artists, Jews and non-Jews alike. Although lyrics have been written in other languages, most renditions of “Hava Nagila” feature all of the Hebrew lyrics and it is probably the most recognized Hebrew song in the world.
