Hamas War

Tuesday, May 10, 2011

Celebrating Israeli Independence Day, 5771, aka 2011


I'm not very good at joining things, but I'll make an exception for the campaign to turn this video of Hatikvah, Israel's National Anthem, viral on youtube:



The State of Israel is 63 years old.  I think that we should stop stressing that low number and start playing up the fact that the People of Israel, the Jewish Nation is thousands of years old. We're not some modern phenomena dreamt up by a bunch of European journalists and diplomats. Our history outruns most others, especially when you look at the whole picture. We are the only country, people, religion still connected to the same Land, location, sites, history we were all those thousands of years ago.

That is what and why we should be celebrating today and always!

We, the Jewish People never died and we never totally left our Land. There have always been Jews living in the Land of Israel, even at its darkest moments.

חג עצמאות שמח
Chag Atzma'ut Same'ach
Celebrate Independence Joyfully

13 comments:

Asher said...

That's a terrific rendition of Hatikvah. I just added the video to my blog as well. Thanks for sharing it :)

Anonymous said...

It should say "Celebrating Israeli Independence Day, 5771", no?

Anonymous said...

To correct the text for the YouTube video, those are not the original words from Naftali Hertz Imber. These are:

כָּל עוֹד בַּלֵּבָב פְּנִימָה
נֶפֶש יְהוּדִי הוֹמִיָּה,
וּלְפַאֲתֵי מִזְרָח קָדִימָה
עֵינוֹ לְצִיּוֹן צוֹפִיָּה.

עוֹד לֹא אָבְדָה תִּקְוָתֵנוּ,
הַתִּקְוָה הַנּוֹשָׁנָה:
לָשׁוּב לְאֶרֶץ אֲבוֹתֵינוּ,
לָעִיר בָּהּ דָּוִד חָנָה.

Notice the difference(s)? Ask yourselves why it was changed. I have not and will not sing the anthem until the original words are restored.

Leah, Maaleh Adumim said...

Batya, that's beautiful.

Shy Guy, I can understand your feelings, but I would favor a combination of the words. Imber's original words, while recognizing that Eretz Yisrael is the land of our fathers, accept the idea that we could return to it and live under foreign rule. do you see anything there contradicting that? also I think "the 2000-year hope" is better than "the old hope" (which could be just for a century or two and still be "נושנה").

so I would recommend a combination such as: the modern words, but the 3rd line of the 2nd verse should be
להיות עם חופשי בארץ אבותינו
instead of just "בארצנו".

Batya said...

Asher, glad you like it.
Shy, I'll have to start adding it. I've had no problem getting used to Hebrew months, but the years are "Greek" to me.
Leah, Shy, there are pros and cons to both versions. A simple "artzeinu" includes "avoteinu." And by singing "artzeinu" it implies that the Land had been deserted by Jews, which wasn't the case.

Hadassa said...

Shalom!
Rav Kook wrote "The Faith" http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/144053
in answer to "The Hope".

Anonymous said...

one of the best things about yom haatzmaut is that we can put aside all of our differences [and they are important!] and take stock of ourselves, what we have done and accomplished, and be damn proud.
well done, batya!

Batya said...

Hadassa, it's one of those things that's not going to change and not worth fighting about.

a, amen, thanks

Anonymous said...

Leah, my gripe has alway been with the claim "Lihiyot Am Chofshi", not with the word "Artzeinu".

My goal not to be here for the sake of independence but for to use independence as a means to a much greater goal, alluded to in Imber's reference to King David's Jerusalem.

There was a strong intent when the words were changed in the 1930s. The people who made those changes and what they represented do not represent me.

Anonymous, the reality is that Yom Ha'atzmaut is one of the most divisive days of the year among religiously observant Jews.

Anonymous said...

Hadassa, thanks for that INN link. Here's another:

Rav Kook's Response to Hatikvah

Make sure to follow the links at the bottom of the article, especially the one of Al Jolson singing Hatikvah with Imber's original words and in Mivtah Ashkenaziss to top! :)

Batya said...

Shy, so it should be something like "lihiyot Yehudim b'artzeinu?"

Anonymous said...

I have no problem with Imber's original words, even if not 100% perfect. Even Rav Kook weaved those words into his rendition.

Batya said...

fine with me