Hatīkvāh"The Hope" Poem lyrics below an Israeli flag
Lyrics Naftali Herz Imber, 1877 Music Shmuel Cohen, 1887–1888 Adopted 1948[a] Duration: 1 minute and 15 seconds. 1:15
Instrumental rendition by theUnited States Navy Band
Hatikvah (Hebrew:הַתִּקְוָה ,romanized: haTīqvā [hatikˈva] ;lit. The Hope) is the national anthem of theState of Israel. Part of 19th-centuryJewish poetry, the theme of theRomantic compositionreflects the 2,000-year-old desire of theJewish peopleto return to theLand of Israelin order toreclaim it as a free and sovereign nation-state. The pieces lyrics are adapted from a work byNaftali Herz Imber, a Jewish poet fromZłoczów, Austrian Galicia.[1]Imber wrote the first version of the poem in 1877, when he was hosted by a Jewish scholar inIași, Romania.
History Text and melody Duration: 2 minutes and 49 seconds. 2:49
The first recording of "Hatikvah" (Hebrew:«הַתִּקְוָה» ), performed byHulda Lashanska
Problems playing this file? Seemedia help. The text of Hatikvah was written in 1878 byNaftali Herz Imber, a Jewish poet fromZolochiv(Polish:Złoczów ), a city nicknamed "The City of Poets",[2]then inAustrian Poland, today in Ukraine. His words "Lashuv leeretz avotenu" (to return to the land of our forefathers) expressed its aspiration.[1]
In 1882, ImberemigratedtoOttoman-ruledPalestineand read his poem to the pioneers of the early Jewish villages—Rishon LeZion,Rehovot,Gedera, andYesud Hamaala.[3]In 1887,Shmuel Cohen, a very young (17 or 18 years old) resident of Rishon LeZion with a musical background, sang the poem by using a melody he knew from Romania and making it into a song, after witnessing the emotional responses of the Jewish farmers who had heard the poem.[4]Cohens musical adaptation served as a catalyst and facilitated the poems rapid spread throughout the Zionist communities of Palestine.
Imbers nine-stanzapoem, "Tikvatenu" ("Our Hope"), put into words his thoughts and feelings following the establishment ofPetah Tikva(literally "Opening of Hope"). Published in Imbers first bookBarkai [The Shining Morning Star ], Jerusalem, 1886[5]was subsequently adopted as an anthem by theHovevei Zionand later by theZionist Movement.
Before the founding of Israel The Zionist Organization conducted two competitions for an anthem, the first in 1898 and the second, at the Fourth Zionist Congress, in 1900. The quality of the entries were all judged unsatisfactory and none was selected. Imbers "Tikvatenu", however, was popular, and a sessions at the Fifth Zionist Congress in Basel in 1901 concluded with the singing of the poem. During theSixth Zionist Congressat Basel in 1903, the poem was sung by those opposed to accepting the proposal for aJewish state in Uganda, their position in favor of the Jewish homeland in Palestine expressed in the line "An eye still gazes toward Zion".[6]
Although the poem was sung at subsequent congresses, it was only at the Eighteenth Zionist Congress inPraguein 1933 that a motion passed formally adopting "Hatikvah" as the anthem of the Zionist movement.[6]
TheBritish Mandategovernment briefly banned its public performance and broadcast from 1919, in response to an increase in Arab anti-Zionist political activity.[7][pageneeded
A former member of theSonderkommando reported that the song was spontaneously sung by Czech Jews at the entrance to theAuschwitz-Birkenaugas chamber in 1944. While singing they were beaten byWaffen-SSguards.[8]
Adoption as the Israeli national anthem When theState of Israelwas established in 1948, "Hatikvah" was unofficially proclaimed the national anthem. It did not officially become the national anthem until November 2004, when an abbreviated and edited version was sanctioned by theKnessetin an amendment to the Flag and Coat-of-Arms Law (now renamed the Flag, Coat-of-Arms, and National Anthem Law).[9]
In its modern rendering, the official text of the anthem incorporates only the first stanza and refrain of the original poem. The predominant theme in the remaining stanzas is the establishment of asovereignand free nation in the Land of Israel, a hope largely seen as fulfilled with the founding of the State of Israel.
Musical composition Origin of the melody The melody for "Hatikvah" is based from "La Mantovana", a 16th-century Italian song, composed by Giuseppe Cenci (Giuseppino del Biado) ca. 1600 with the text "Fuggi, fuggi, fuggi da questo cielo". Its earliest known appearance in print was in the del Biados collection ofmadrigals. It was later known in early 17th-century Italy asBallo di Mantova Pod Krakowem (in Polish)Cucuruz cu frunza-n sus [Maizewith up-standing leaves ] (in Romanian)[10]and theKateryna Kucheryava (in Ukrainian)[11]It also served as a basis for a number of folk songs throughout Central Europe, for example the popularSlovenianchildren songČuk se je oženil [Thelittle owlgot married ] (in Slovenian)[12]The best-known use of the melody prior to it becoming the Zionist anthem was by Czech composerBedřich Smetanain his set of six symphonic poems celebratingBohemia,Má vlast (My Homeland ), namely in the second poem named after the river which flows through Prague,Vltava(also known as "The Moldau"). The melody was also used by the French composerCamille Saint-SaënsinRhapsodie bretonne .[13]
Zionist adaptation The adaptation of the music for "Hatikvah" was set bySamuel Cohenin 1888. Cohen himself recalled many years later that he had hummed "Hatikvah" based on the melody from the song he had heard in Romania, "Carul cu boi" (the ox-driven cart).[14]
The harmony of "Hatikvah" follows aminor scale, which is often perceived as mournful in tone and is uncommon in national anthems. As the title "The Hope" and the words suggest, the import of the song is optimistic and the overall spirit uplifting.
2017 boycott in UAE In October 2017, after judokaTal Flickerwon gold in the 2017 Abu Dhabi Grand Slam in theUnited Arab Emirates, officials played theInternational Judo Federation(IJF) anthem, instead of "Hatikvah", which Flicker sang privately.[15][16]
Usage in film American composerJohn Williamsadapted "Hatikvah" in the 2005historical dramafilmMunich .[17]
"Hatikvah" is also used both in the adaptation ofLeon Uriss novel,Exodus , and in the 1993 filmSchindlers List .[citation needed
In 2022Roman Shumunovfilmed a TV series titledAs Long as in the Heart[he] about the Israeli youth encounter withThe Holocaust.
Renditions, interpretations, and usage in popular music Barbra Streisandperformed "Hatikvah" in 1978 at a televised music special calledThe Stars Salute Israel at 30 , a performance which included a conversation by telephone and video link with former Prime MinisterGolda Meir.[18]
American musicianAnderson .Paaks 2016 release "Come Down" contains asampleof "Hatikvah" in English translation, attributed to producerHi-Tek.[19]
A 2018 rendition of the anthem by Israeli Jewish singer Daniel Saadon that took inspiration from theLevantinemusic and dance styledabkecaused controversy and accusations ofappropriationof Palestinian culture, as well as consternation from some Israelis due to the tunes popularity withHamas.[20]Saadon, however, said that his desire was to "show that the unity of cultures is possible through music",[21]and that he has a longtime appreciation for Southwest Asian and North African musical styles, having grown up with Tunisian music in the home.[22]Saadon said that despite receiving "abusive comments" from both the right and the left of the political spectrum, he also received praise from friends and colleagues in the music world, includingArab citizens of Israel.[23]
Text Imbers handwritten text of the poem The official text of the Israeli national anthem corresponds to the first stanza and amended refrain of the original nine-stanza poem byNaftali Herz Imber. Along with the originalHebrew, the corresponding transliteration[b]andEnglishtranslation are listed below.
Official Hebrew lyrics Modern Hebreworiginal Transliteration IPAphonemic transcription[c] כֹּל עוֹד בַּלֵּבָב פְּנִימָה
Kol ‘od balevav penimah
/kol od ba.le.vav pe.ni.ma/
English translation Literal Poetic[24] As long as in the heart, within,
O while within a Jewish breast,
Original lyrics Modern Hebrew original[25] English translation עוֹד לֹא אָבְדָה תִּקְוָתֵנוּ
Our hope is not yet lost,
Interpretation Duration: 1 minute and 28 seconds. 1:28
BBCrecording from 20 April 1945 of Jewish survivors of theBergen-Belsen concentration campsinging "Hatikvah", only five days after their liberation by Allied forces. The words sung are from the original poem by Imber.
Problems playing this file? Seemedia help. Some people compare the first line of the refrain, "Our hope is not yet lost" ("עוד לא אבדה תקותנו "), to the opening of thePolish national anthem, "Poland Is Not Yet Lost" ("Jeszcze Polska nie zginęła Ще не вмерла Україна; Šče ne vmerla Ukrajina
The official text of "Hatikvah" is relatively short; indeed it is a singlecomplex sentence, consisting of two clauses: thesubordinate clauseposits the condition ("As long as… A soul still yearns… And… An eye still watches…"), while theindependent clausespecifies the outcome ("Our hope is not yet lost… To be a free nation in our land").
Objections and alternate proposals By religious Jews Somereligious Jewshave criticised "Hatikvah" for its lack of religious emphasis: There is no mention of God or the Torah.[26][bettersourceneeded
RabbiAbraham Isaac Kookwrote an alternative anthem titled "HaEmunah" ("The Faith") which he proposed as a replacement for "Hatikvah". But he did not object to the singing of "Hatikvah", and in fact endorsed it.[27]
J. Simcha Cohenwrote[1]thatDovid Lifshitzused "Lihyot amdati ": "to be areligious nation [in our land]."
By non-Jewish Israelis Liberalism and the Right to Culture , written byAvishai MargalitandMoshe Halbertal, provides a social scientific perspective on the cultural dynamics in Israel, a country that is a vital home to many diverse religious groups. More specifically, Margalit and Halbertal cover the various responses towards "Hatikvah", which they establish as the original anthem of a Zionist movement, one that holds a 2,000-year-long hope of returning to the homeland ("Zion and Jerusalem") after a long period of exile.
To introduce the controversy of Israels national anthem, the authors provide two instances where "Hatikvah" is rejected for the estrangement that it creates between the minority cultural groups of Israel and its national Jewish politics. Those that object find trouble in the mere fact that the national anthem is exclusively Jewish while a significant proportion of the states citizenry is not Jewish and lacks any connection to the anthems content and implications, despite the fact that many other religious countries also have anthems emphasising their religion.
As Margalit and Halbertal continue to discuss, "Hatikvah" symbolises for many Arab-Israelis the struggle of loyalty that comes with having to dedicate oneself to either their historical or religious identity.[28]
Specifically, Israeli-Arabs object to "Hatikvah" due to its explicit allusions to Jewishness. In particular, the texts reference to the yearnings of "a Jewish soul" is often cited as preventing non-Jews from personally identifying with the anthem. Notable persons whose refusal to sing Hatikvah was brought to public attention includeDruzepoliticianSaleh Tarif, the first non-Jew appointed to theIsraeli cabinetbetween 2001 and 2022,[29]Raleb Majadale, the first Muslim to be appointed as a minister in theIsraeli cabinetbetween 2007 and 2009,[30]andSalim Joubran, an Israeli Arab who served as a Supreme Court justice between 2003 and 2017.[31]For this reason from time to time proposals have been made to change the national anthem or to modify the text to make it inclusive of non-Jewish Israelis.[32]
![elative d {key d minor autoBeamOff d8[ e] f g a4 a | bes8[ a] bes[ d] a2 | g4 g8 g f4 f | e8[ d] e[ f] d4. a8 | d8 e f[ g] a4 a | bes8[ a] bes[ d] a2 | g4 g8 g f4 f | e8[ d] e[ f] d2 | d4 d d d | c8 d c[ bes] a2 | d,4 d d d | c8 d c[ bes] a2 | c4 c8 c f,4 f | g8[ a] bes[ c] a4( g8) f | g4 g f f8 f | e d e[ f] d2 | g4 g8 g f4 f | g8[ a] bes[ c] a4( g8) f | g4 g f f8 f | e d e[ f] d2 ar "|."}addlyrics {Kol od ba -- le -- vav pe -- ni -- mahNe -- fesh Ye -- hu -- di ho -- mi -- yah,U -- lfa -- a -- te miz -- rach ka -- di -- mah,A -- yin le -- Tzi -- yon tzo -- fi -- yah;Od lo av -- dah ti -- kva -- te -- nu,Ha -- tik -- vah bat shnot al -- pa -- yim,Lih -- yot am chof -- shi be -- ar -- tze -- nu,E -- retz -- Tzi -- yon vi -- ru -- sha -- la -- yim.Lih -- yot am chof -- shi be -- ar -- tze -- nu,E -- retz -- Tzi -- yon vi -- ru -- sha -- la -- yim.}](https://upload.wikimedia.org/score/5/1/513xl3fhuw2xqo7c87mogartyjaxwbj/513xl3fh.png)
