A JEWISH CELEBRATION CD

Celebrate Hanukkah and other festive holidays with this medley of klezmer, reggae, ska and more from the Jewish diaspora. Le chaim! Includes a matzoh ball recipe.

The collection takes on a delightfully global perspective on Jewish musical celebrations: the Abayudaya people of Uganda sing about brotherly love (“Hinei Ma Tov” combines Hebrew and the local language of Luanda) with harmonies and phrasing that are distinctly East African. A rising star on the Yiddish scene, Moldovan singer Vira Lozinsky highlights this small nation’s Jewish roots (“An Alte Mil”). A tango by German Yiddish singer Karsten Troyke and ska by King Django (“Heveinu Shalom Aleichem”), are examples of the unexpected, uplifting songs on A Jewish Celebration.

The mix of ancient roots and contemporary influences shines a light on the world of Jewish celebration.