Tonight, after sundown, we count the following day of the Omer:
Today is 49 days, which is 7 weeks of the Omer
How to: the blessings and procedure for counting the Omer.
From Our Community:
Contributed by: Sylvia Gordon. Hava Nageela by Harry Belafonte.
Harry Belafonte (1927–2023) was raised Catholic, best known for “Banana Boat Song”
(Day-O) and calypso. But from the 1950s onward he used Hava Nagila as his regular
closing number, including his landmark 1959 Carnegie Hall concert recording which became
a bestseller and introduced the song to millions of Americans who’d never heard it.
His connection to Judaism was deeper than the repertoire:
– His autobiography (2011) revealed his paternal grandfather was “a white Dutch Jew who
drifted over to the islands after chasing gold and diamonds, with no luck at all”
– He married his second wife Julie Robinson, who was Jewish
– He was a lifelong ally of Jewish causes and civil rights, and the Black-Jewish
solidarity of the era ran through his entire career
His famous quip, to the New York Times in 2017: *”Most Jews in America learned that song
from me”* — and he called himself “the most popular Jew in America.”
He died April 25, 2023 at age 96. Learn More.
