Six Songs That Shaped Israel Six Songs That
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Six Songs That Shaped Israel IN CELEBRATION OF YOM HAATZMAUT, WE SHARE WITH YOU AN ISRAELI MINI PLAYLIST: SONGS EVERY ISRAELI KNOWS THAT HAVE SHAPED ISRAEL AND ITS CULTURE THROUGHOUT ITS SHORT HISTORY Suddenly lightning thundered, someone shouted: Wounded! I’m already here, the medic answered. We’ve stepped on a mine! Shouted the wounded man then, ת …I’m here, by your side, the medic replied ּפֹ בֹו ָ ׁש ה ְּ ָא !We survived, they’re coming ּב ָל ָדה ְלחֹו ֵב ב ֶא ֶרץ ֶח ְמ ַּדת The wounded man cried, PO BE’ERETZ CHEMDAT AVOT BALADA LACHOVESH But did not hear a word from the medic. Written by Israeli playwright, Dan Alma- Written by Israeli poets Yisrael Dushman Brother, my brother! The wounded man cried, gor, at age 21 in 1956. and Chanina Karchevsky in 1912. Across the river, the rustling reeds. Tune composed by Effi Netzer in 1968. When Israeli politician and MK Chaim The song earned its success and fame Boger was the principal of the Gymna- when Yehoram Gaon’s rendition won first sia Herzliya High School in Tel Aviv, he place in the Israel Song Festival in 1969. It asked Dushman and Karchevsky to write is considered one of Gaon’s most beloved a marching song the students could sing songs, and won first place in a number of other competitions. while hiking the Land. ב The song is a back and forth conversation ְירּו ָז ָה ָׁש ַלִים ֶׁשל -The song became wildly popular among between a wounded soldier and his para religious and secular Zionists alike, and medic. Like other ballads, the hero of the YERUSHALAYIM SHEL ZAHAV is sung every year at the Yom HaAtzmaut song, the paramedic, meets his tragic end ceremony on Har Herzl. at the conclusion of the song. Although Written by Naomi Shemer in 1967. it was not based on one specific story, it Probably the most famous and most This song expresses the Zionist dream bears similarities to other incidents which moving Israeli song of all time, Yerusha- did occur. Written after the Six-Day War, of making aliyah, setting the Land and layim Shel Zahav describes the Jewish the song was seen by many as represent- reviving the Hebrew language. people’s 2,000-year longing for Yerusha- ing the bravery and heroism of the Israeli layim, referencing Tanach and Talmudic .soldier ּפְֹה ּבֶאֶרֶץ חְמַּדָתאבֹות ִּתְתַּגֵּשְׁמָנָה ּכַל הִּתְקוֹות, sources as well as borrowing from Rabbi For many years, the song was played on Yehuda HaLevi’s Zionistic poetry. It was ּפִֹהנְחֶיה ּופִֹה נּצֹר, ַחֵּיי זַֹהר חַ ֵ ּי י ְ ּדרֹור, ּפְֹה ּתֵהא -the radio only on Yom HaZikaron. It is written by Naomi Shemer, and commis ַהְּשִׁכָינָה ׁשֹורה, ּפִֹה ּתְפַרַח ּגְם שַׂפַת הָּתֹורה. played at many graduation ceremonies at sioned by Jerusalem Mayor Teddy Kollek, Here in the Land our ancestors yearned for the Military Medical School. for the Israeli Song Festival, held on May -the night after Israel’s 19th Inde ,1967 ,15 ֵהִם הְתַקְּדְמּו לַאַט. הּכָֹלהָיָה רַגּועִ. ֶמֶּנג ַדהָּנָהְר ֻוג ָּמא ,All hopes will be fulfilled pendence Day. East Yerushalayim was ְמַרְׁשֵרִׁש ּפְתַאֹוםרַעָם ּבָרֶק,אָחָד צַעָק:ּפַצּועֲ! אִני Here we will live and here we will build, controlled by Jordan, and Jews had been ְּכָבָר ּבָא-עָנַה לֹו הֵחֹובָׁש. עִלַינּו עֵל מֹוקָׁש! - צַעק .banned from visiting the Old City ָאַז הָּפַצּועֲ, אִנָי ּכְאן, לִצְּדָָך -עָנַה לֹו הֵחֹובׁש... ,A shining life, a life of freedom Three weeks later, when the Six-Day War ִ“נַּצְלֵנּו, הָםּבִאים!” - ִי ֵּבָב אַז הָּפַצּועַ, אְך ֹלא ,Here shall the Shechina dwell broke out, the song became a morale- ָׁשַמִע מָילִהמַן הֵחֹובֲׁש. “אִחֲי,אִחֶי ׁשִּלי!” - ִי ּבֵ ב And here the language of booster for the Israeli soldiers. On June ָאַז הָּפַצּועֵ,מֵעֶבַר לָּנָהַר הֻּגָּמְא מַרְׁשֵרׁש. the Torah will flourish 7th, 1967, the IDF freed eastern Yerusha- They progressed slowly. Everything was calm. layim, the Old City and Har HaBayit On the other side, the river from the Jordanians. At the time, Shemer and rustling reeds. was about to perform for a troop of 52 | paratroopers. She quickly penned a new it instantly became a national hit and one Chai, chai, chai verse – instead of “Alas . the [Old City] of Einstein’s most well known and beloved Yes, I’m still alive shuk is empty and we cannot visit Har songs, and won second and third place in This is the song my grandfather HaBayit,” she wrote: “We have returned different competitions. The idea of the Sang yesterday to my father to . the shuk; the shofar is sounding at song is simple: individuals have the power the Har HaBayit,” a reference to IDF Chief to change the world, little by little. And today, I Rabbi, Shlomo Goren, sounding the shofar Am still alive ֲאִנְי וַאָּתְה נַׁשֶּנֶה אָת הָעֹולֲם, אִנְיוַאָּתָה אז after regaining Har HaBayit. ָיְבֹואּוּכָבֻר ּכָּלָם, אְמֶרּו אֶת זה קֶֹדְם לָפַנֶי, זה ְֹלא מַׁשֶּנֲה - אִנְי וַאָּתְה נַׁשֶּנֶה אָתהָעֹולם. Yerushalayim Shel Zahav was proposed as the Israeli national anthem. You and I will change the world ֲאִוָיר הִרָים צַלּול ּכַּיִיְן וֵרַיחֳ אָרִנִיםנָּׂשא You and I, and everyone else will join ְּבַרּוחָהַעְרַּבִיִם עַם קֹול ּפֲעִמֹונים. They’ve said it before us ְ ּובַתְרֵּדַמִת אָילָן וֶאֶבְן ׁשָבּויַה ּבֲחָלֹומָּההִעֲיר אֶׁשר So what? You and I will change the world ָּבָדֶד יֹוׁשֶבְת ּובִלָּבָּה חֹומְה.יָרּוׁשַלִיֶם ׁשָל זָהְבוֶׁשל מֹו ֶדה ֲא ִני ְנחֶֹׁשְת וֶׁשַל אֹור הְֹּלא לָכִל ׁשַירִיְֲך אִנִי ּכּנֹור. The mountain air is clear as wine MODEH ANI And the sent of pines is carried Written by Omer Adam in 2014. on the twilight wind With the sound of bells The song Modeh Ani is a popular modern In the slumber of trees and stone Israeli hit in the Mizrachi genre. The artist thanks G-d for his talents and his abil- She is captured within her dream ity to create and sing music, recognizing ַחי The city who sits alone, and that it is all from Him and dedicating his CHAI in her heart, a wall songs to G-d. Although Omer Adam does Yerushalayim of gold, and of Written by Ehud Manor and Avi Toledano not consider himself religious, he turned bronze and of light in 1983. down an opportunity to compete in the I am a violin for all of your songs Eurovision Song Contest which was due The song was Israel’s entry in the Euro- to take place on Shabbat. He refuses to vision Song Contest in 1983, winning perform on Shabbat, which, together with second place, and was declared “Song of the words of the song, show how religious the Year” in Israel. messages have made their way into and The song begins with the exclamation that become part of mainstream Israeli secular the singer is still alive; despite her thorns, pop music. ֶמֹודֲהאִני ּכֹל ּבֶֹקֶר ׁשֱהְחַזְרָּתֶ אִתנְׁשָמִתי she also has many flowers. The song is a ֶמֹודֲה אִנַי עֶל ֶּבג ֶד ׁשֵהַנְחָּתַ עִל ּגּופי .metaphor for the Jewish people ֶׁשִֹּלא יְהֶיִה לַי קַר אָּתֵה ׁשֹומָר עַלי When Ehud Manor heard that the 1983 Eurovision Contest was going to take place I thank You every morning ֲא ִני ְו ַא ָּתה in Munich, Germany, he wrote this song, ANI VE’ATA That You’ve returned my soul hinting that, despite the Holocaust and I thank You for placing Written by Arik Einstein with music by the Munich Olympics massacre a decade Miki Gavrielov in 1971. earlier, the Jewish people are still here. Upon my body, clothes You protect me ַחַי, חַי, חֵיּכֲן, אִנַי עֹוד חֶי זַה הִּׁשֶירׁשָּסָבא First sung by one of the most celebrated So I will not be cold ֶַר ׁש אְתְמֹוללַאָּבְא וַהֲּיֹום אִני חַ י ,Israeli musicians of all time, Arik Einstein | 53.