The official national anthem of the State of Israel.
In Hebrew, the word means: The Hope.
In spoken Hebrew, the pronunciation of the word "Hatikvah" differs from the regular pronunciation of "tikvah" (hope) – the word is pronounced with a semi-penultimate stress. Ha-TIK-vah. With a pause between "Ha-tik" and "vah," and emphasis on the syllable: TIK, as is customary in ancient traditional Hebrew. Similarly, some other words in the song are pronounced with a penultimate stress, which is not common in regular speech.
The exceptions are those who still meticulously adhere to standard Hebrew pronunciation, such as: ceremony masters or veteran radio broadcasters. They are accustomed to speaking Hebrew according to the rules of the Academy of the Hebrew Language, and they pronounce the word according to the official rules: Hatik-Va in a long flow with emphasis on the VA.
As long as in the heart, within,
The Jewish soul yearns,
And towards the ends of the east,
[The Jewish] eye gazes toward Zion,
Our hope is not yet lost,
The hope of two thousand years,
To be a free nation in our own land,
The land of Zion and Jerusalem.
There are a few problems with this anthem of the State of Israel:
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The words and the melody don't quite align – there's more than one note for different syllables.
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The melody isn't original and uses a tune played by other nations, which are neither Jewish nor Hebrew.
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For decades now, the lyrics haven't truly been current. We are long since a free people in our land, our eye no longer gazes toward Zion, and certainly not toward the ends of the East. If anything, we cast our eyes westward.
Yet,
Despite all the problems, this is how we received HaTIK-VAH from the founding fathers of the Zionist movement, at the beginning of the twentieth century, and we carry it on our lips and sing it like a sacred prayer. Generation after generation, for over 100 years.
Those who don't connect to the Zionist idea also don't connect to the anthem. And there are many, many such people – about a third of Israel's citizens:
The Arab minority – about 20 percent of the Israeli population are Muslims of the Islamic faith or Christians. What do "a Jewish soul yearns" or other words in the anthem, like "an eye gazing toward Zion" – which express meanings and symbols of the Jewish people – have to do with them?
Among the second largest minority in the country, the Haredi (ultra-Orthodox) Jewish sector, they have never connected to the idea of the Zionist movement, which is secular in its essence. Their great rabbis, the spiritual guides, disconnect themselves from the Zionist HaTIK-VAH, and if one gets into the small details, they also have difficulty with the phrase "to be a free people," because for them, freedom represents the values of secular culture. Generally, the ultra-Orthodox don't need an anthem or a flag to feel pride and reverent awe from their connection to Zion. And if anything, in the ultra-Orthodox ceremonial repertoire, one can find the more accepted song "Ani Ma'amin" (I Believe), which is also a chapter from prayer and their closest equivalent to an anthem.
Even among the remaining 70 percent of all Jewish citizens of Israel, HaTIK-VAH doesn't go down smoothly. From time to time, voices are heard among them calling to replace the anthem, which they find archaic and problematic, and they propose, each in turn, a different song that would suit the 2000s and be more widely accepted with broader consensus.
Meanwhile, only HaTIK-VAH plays on their lips. And it is sung by all Israelis in an unconventional way known as: Melisma. This is a singing of several notes on a single syllable. This is how they sing it:
The Original lyrics: Kol od balevav penima
The Sung lyrics: Ko_hol od balevav pe_he_ni_i_ma
Original lyrics: Nefesh Yehudi homiyah
Sung lyrics: Nefesh Yehudi ho_ho_mi_i_yah
etc. etc.
HaTIK-VAH - The words and the melody
HaTIK-VAH stands out among national anthems worldwide.
Unlike other anthems written in a patriotic march tempo and festive style – in the Israeli anthem, a subtle sadness is intertwined with the hope.
And perhaps, this is precisely what makes it stable against all its opponents and competitors, and it does not move from national ceremonies.
For such is our history: sadness and hope are intertwined within it and connected by an unbreakable bond, and both compel us to live in this land.
Like the flag waving proudly, and occasionally lowered to half-half mast, for a short time, and then rises again and flies in blue and white.
Ultimately, after seventy-five years of independence, and with all its problems, the HaTIK-VAH anthem is perhaps the last glue that connects Israelis, and also most of the Jewish people around the world. It is sung at state, official, and unofficial ceremonies.
The ceremonial etiquette is fixed and uniform, as if it were a religious ceremony:
The master of ceremonies solemnly and passionately announces: "And now... ladies and gentlemen... for the singing of Hatikvah, the audience is requested to stand."
And the entire audience, without exception, stands at attention, erect, hands clasped straight at their sides or clasped in front, heads raised, and without moving – sing the canonical text.
They sing with a serious expression. They sing to a melody that does not match the words. They sing because this is the only hope that unites most of this nation as the state marks 75 years.
And only those who live in Israel and/or speak Hebrew understand every word, in the Melisma:
Ko_hol od balevav pe_he_ni_i_ma
Nefesh Yehudi ho_ho_mi_i_yah
Ulefa_ate_hei _mizrah ka_ha_di_i_mah
Ayin letzion tzo_ho_fi_i_yah
Od lo avda tikvate_hey_nu
Hatikva bat shnot alpa_a_yim
Lihyot am hofshi Be_he_a_ar_tze_enu
Eretz Tzion virushala_a_yim...
...And once again, the last two lines, with emphasis on each word – for an ending full of pride and optimism:
Lihyot am hofshi Be_he_a_ar_tze_enu
Eretz Tzion virushala_a_yim
Ceremony concluded.
You may disperse.
"for the singing of Hatikvah, the audience is requested to stand."
(link in youtube)
This is part of "The Israeli Story 1948-2025" project
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