A list of 20 Jewish songs everyone should know

Shabbat and table songs

• Shalom Aleichem — welcoming the Sabbath angels on Friday night
• Lecha Dodi — the mystical Safed poem greeting Shabbat as a bride
• Eshet Chayil — 'a woman of valour', sung to the woman of the house
• Yedid Nefesh — 'soul's beloved', a slow longing melody before or after Shabbat
• Hine Ma Tov — 'how good it is' — the simplest Hebrew round to learn first

Holiday songs

• Ma Nishtana — the four questions of the Passover seder
• Dayenu — the Passover song of gratitude, 'it would have been enough'
• Echad Mi Yodea — the counting song that closes the seder
• Maoz Tzur — the Hanukkah candle-lighting hymn
• Sevivon / Ner Li — the children's Hanukkah favourites
• Avinu Malkeinu — the High Holiday plea, unforgettable in Barbra Streisand's version

Celebration and dancing

• Hava Nagila — the wedding and bar mitzvah standard, 'let us rejoice'
• Siman Tov u'Mazal Tov — the song that starts every Jewish celebration circle
• David Melech Yisrael — the camp classic with hand motions
• Am Yisrael Chai — 'the people of Israel live', the diaspora rallying song

Israeli anthems and modern classics

• Hatikvah — Israel's national anthem, nine lines about hope
• Yerushalayim Shel Zahav — Naomi Shemer's Jerusalem of Gold, 1967
• Ein Li Eretz Acheret — 'I have no other country', the song of tough love for Israel
• Lu Yehi — Naomi Shemer's wartime prayer, 'let it be'
• Hareut — the song of fallen comrades, sung every Memorial Day

How to learn them in Hebrew, not just by melody

Most people can hum these songs and understand none of the words. On Shir-ly the ones we have synced run with karaoke-highlighted Hebrew, nikud, transliteration and a line-by-line translation, so the tune you already know becomes your first Hebrew reading practice. Start with Hatikvah or Am Yisrael Chai — both are short and repeat their key words.

Frequently asked questions