The
Forward is starting a great conversation about the lyrics of the Israeli nation anthem "
HaTikvah". Can "HaTikvah" ever really be an anthem for all Israelis when it speaks of the hope of the Jewish soul?
Philologos, the Forward's language columnist proposes changing the lyrics slightly so as to not exclude Israeli Palestinian citizens. The changes he proposes actually get us closer to the original words of the poem that "HaTikvah" is based upon by
Naftali Herz Imber. Philologos, who is Israeli writer
Hillel Halkin, is no dove, and is usually seen as right-of-center in Israel. Follow the link below for the editorial from the Forward and watch the
Neshama Carlebach singing the anthem. What do you think?
An Anthem for All? – Forward.com
While we are at it, here is my favorite recording of "
HaTikvah" done in a Sephardic style by
Itzhak Algazi with Imber's original words. Algazi's version can start a whole other version. The "HaTikvah" that we sing today is very Ashkenazi in its stress of the the Hebrew syllables, and very European in its melody (just listen to Smetana's "
Moldau"). This is a discussion I tried to start in my
first post on this blog.
Yom Ha'atzma'ut Same'ach!
Posts
I totally agree that the national anthem should be appropriate for all its citizens. Only when the Declaration of Independence is fully implemented can the peace that is hoped for be possible.
ReplyDeleteI guess it is really hard to get the discussion going.....
ReplyDeleteI do not fully agree with ewhin. Changing the words of HaTikvah will not be the answer to the root cause of the issue, and it is highly unlikely it will create an increased sense of national identity in a segment of the population that might not identify with the vision which the State of Israel stands for. The solution to this issue can only come when all parties come together in an honest effort to bring about a resolution. The question regarding the updates to the anthem should be whether or not it is the right thing for us to do from the perspective of Jewish values. Would this be representative of the ideal spelled out in Devarim/Deuteronomy 10:19 regarding the treatment with love of the aliens, strangers or foreigner among us?
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