Fwd: more about Hava Nagila and Moshe Nathanson

[Judy Fertig <fertig...>]

Dear Friends:
Isn't the web wonderful.... Here's another version-- with even more
followup details-- on the Hava Nagila origins forwarded to me this morning
from the hasafran list, which was also discussing this same topic as this
list. 
Judy.

>Date: Tue, 10 Nov 1998 09:19:43 +0000
>From: Jim Rosenbloom <rosenbloom (at) brandeis(dot)edu>
>Subject: Fwd: Hava Nagila
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>To: fertig (at) brandeis(dot)edu
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>
>>Date: Mon, 09 Nov 1998 17:15 -0500 (EST)
>>From: joyce levine <jlevine (at) hotmail(dot)com>
>>Subject: Fwd: Hava Nagila
>>Sender: owner-hasafran (at) lists(dot)acs(dot)ohio-state(dot)edu
>>To: hasafran (at) lists(dot)acs(dot)ohio-state(dot)edu
>>Reply-to: jlevine (at) hotmail(dot)com
>>X-VMS-To: @HASAFRAN.DIS
>>
>>Dear Safranim,
>>I forwarded a query from this listserve to my brother, Daniel Green, who 
>>is a cantor in New Jersey. I thought his reply was so interesting that I 
>>would like to share it.
>>
>>Joyce Levine,
>>Hebrew Academy of Nassau County
>>Uniondale, NY
>>
>>Subject: Hava Nagila
>>
>>To Isaac L. Kaplan
>>
>>On October 30 you wrote to HaSafran:
>>Does anyone know the origin of Hava Nagila?
>>Can anyone point me to a historical source?
>>
>>Dear Mr. Kaplan,
>>
>>Your message was forwarded to me by my sister, Joyce Levine, who is 
>>a librarian in Long Island, NY.  A brief history of Hava Nagila is as 
>>follows:  
>>
>>Sometime in the 1920's, a young boy named Moshe Nathanson was a 
>>student in a yeshiva in Jerusalem.  His teacher sang a Hassidic nigun to 
>>the class, challenging the children to compose real words to the melody.  
>>Moshe won the contest with the poem "Hava nagila" etc., whose words 
>>and melody are now so famous that even non-Jewish singers perform it.
>>
>>Nathanson later emigrated to the United States.  He became a hazzan, 
>>serving for over 45 years at the Society for the Advancement of Judaism 
>>in New York--the Reconstructionist synagogue of Rabbi Mordecai M. 
>>Kaplan. (Are you related?)  He retired from the S.A.J. in 1968, and I 
>>succeeded him in his position a year later.  I believe that he died 
>>sometime in the 1980's.  Moshe Nathanson is also famous for composing 
>>the melody which nearly everyone sings for the first paragraph of Birkat 
>>HaMazon.
>>
>>Sheldon Feinberg is a disciple of Hazzan Moshe Nathanson.  Some years 
>>ago he published Nathanson's biography, entitled "Song Without Words."  
>>The book contains much valuable information on the Hava Nagila story, 
>>as well as other aspects of Nathanson's life and work.
>>
>>If you need further information, perhaps I can direct you.
>>
>>Shalom,
>>
>>Cantor Daniel Green
>>Congregation B'nai Israel
>>Toms River, New Jersey
>>
>>
>>
>>
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>