| The best known Jewish song in the world, Havah Nagila ('Let's rejoice') was believed to have been composed by Latvian cantor Abraham Zevi Idelsohn. In 1915 while studying musical traditions in Jerusalem, he decided to put develop the melody of a Hassidic nigun (something like a chant, only wordless). A few years later after the end of World War One and the withdrawl of Ottoman Empire forces, the Jewish community in Jerusalem were in the mood of celebrating. Abraham dug out this song and his 12 year old son Moshe Nathanson gave it some lyrics, based on Psalms 118: 24, Zeh hayom asah Adonai; nagila v'nismekha vo "This day the Lord has made; let us be happy and rejoice in it.":
Hava nagila, hava nagila,
Hava, nagila venis mecha.
Hava nagila, hava nagila,
Hava nagila venis mecha.
Come let us be joyful, come let us be joyful
Come let us be joyful, and let our happiness overflow
Come let us be joyful, come let us be joyful
Come let us be joyful, and let our happiness overflow
Hava neranena, hava neranena,
Hava neranena, venis mecha.
Hava neranena, hava neranena,
Hava neranena, venis mecha.
Come let us sing, come let us sing
Come let us sing and let our happiness overflow
Uru, uru achim,
Uru achim belev sameach,
Uru achim belev sameach,
Uru achim belev sameach,
Uru achim
Uru achim belev sameach.
Rise, rise brothers,
Rise brothers with joyful hearts
Rise brothers with joyful hearts
Rise brothers with joyful hearts
Rise brothers
Rise brothers with joyful hearts
And since then the song has been sung at many a bar mitzvah, and has been covered by artists (in Hebrew) including Dick Dale, Harry Belafonte, Bob Dylan, Ben Folds Five, Niel Diamond, Connie Francis and a German techno group called Scooter. | 
