Page 12 - TORCH #1 - Autumn 2015

Judy Garland as ‘Dorothy’ in The Wizard of Oz (1939)
THE POWERFUL MESSAGE TBEHIND ‘OVER THE RAINBOW’
he song “Over the Rainbow” is one Hochberg, and he grew up in a Yiddish- of the most well known songs in speaking, Orthodox Jewish home in New the world. York. The music was written by Harold
Whether you know it from watching Judy Garland as Dorothy in the Wizard of
Oz, or the soothing ukulele of Israel “IZ” Kamakawiwo’ole, you no doubt know the song.
The lyrics of the song were written by Yip Harbug, the son of Russian-Jewish immigrants. His real name was Isidore
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Arlen, a Jew whose family immigrated from Lithuania.
Together they put together a song that has won awards and garnered global fame. Among other things they won an Oscar in 1940 for “Best Music, Original Song” for “The Wizard of Oz” and the song was voted the number one song of the 20th century by the Recording Industry Association of
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