Hatikva (translated as “The Hope”), the national anthem of the State of Israel, was inherited by the state from the Zionist Movement. The first version of the poem – originally named “Tikvatenu” – was written by the poet Naftali Herz Imber circa 1878, and published in Jerusalem in 1886. The song was then composed by Samuel Cohen, who based the melody on a Romanian folk song.
The poet drew on imagery from the Book of Ezekiel, chapter 37, in particular the “valley of dry bones” to which the prophet was supposed to speak and command their re-vivification. The poet sensed in the nascent Zionist movement a kind of resurrection of the Jewish people. This seminar will look at the details of the poem and the Biblical chapter it alludes to. What can the story of its origins teach us about Jewish nationalism and the Jewish religious vision?
