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Last update - 10:36 01/02/2008
'Hatikva' in Arabic?
By Gadi BenMark
Tags: national anthem, Israel 

"Hatikva," Israel's national anthem, is about to have a bumper year with the country's upcoming 60th anniversary celebrations - and if Israel is lucky, with the 2008 Summer Olympics as well. For Jews anywhere, singing "Hatikva" fills our hearts with pride and emotion. However, the 100-year-old "Hatikva" is no longer just the spiritual anthem of the Jews. It is the national anthem of Israel - and Israel today includes over one million Arab citizens.

"Hatikva," as is, has been a problem for Israel's Arab citizens. When the Israeli national soccer team competes overseas and "Hatikva" is played, Arab Israeli players who are representing Israel stand silent. Israeli television cameras zoom in on those silent lips, highlighting a problem that resurfaces daily with school choirs, ribbon-cutting ceremonies, sporting events and official visits. Can we possibly imagine an Arab citizen, however loyal and dedicated to Israel, singing with pride and joy the words "as long as deep in the heart a Jewish soul beats" and "our 2,000-year-old hope of being a free nation in our land?"

Israel should not change "Hatikva." The words carry deep meaning, boast a rich history and stir emotion. What we can do is learn from the experience of Canada. Like Israel, Canada is also home to at least two significant groups, the English and the French, with two official languages and lots of historical baggage.
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"O Canada," the Canadian national anthem, was originally written in French in the nineteenth century, as a French-Canadian song. The French lyrics start with "O Canada, land of our forefathers" and continue with "your hand that knows how to carry the sword, can also carry the cross." The cross here is evoked as a Catholic symbol of peace for French Canadians, whose forefathers settled New France in the seventeenth century.

When "O Canada" became a popular anthem across Canada, the original text did not suit English-speaking Canadians. Not only were the lyrics in French, but these English-speaking Canadians were descendants of recent immigrants, many of whom were not Catholic or even Christian. So, how did Canada handle this challenge?

First, there was a simple translation of the French lyrics into English, but that did not get very far, for obvious reasons. New anthems in English were written over the years. Finally, in 1980, 100 years after the anthem was first written in French, an English version gained popularity and was legislated as the official version in the National Anthem Act. Today's "O Canada" in English is not a translation of the French. It is an "all Canadian" song that any Canadian, regardless of ethnic origin or religious conviction, can proudly sing. It talks about "true patriot love in all thy sons command." There are no "forefathers" and no "cross" to be found.

It seems to be working quite well. When Canadian hockey teams play in the United States, games always begin with "O Canada." The English-speaking Canadians sing in English, the French-speaking Canadians sing in French. Anybody can sing either of the two official versions or even mix them. Many Canadians today are not aware of the history of their national anthem, nor do they feel a need to look up the lyrics in the "other language." Twenty-eight years later, it has become a non-issue.

By comparison, our "Hatikva" is currently written in only one of Israel's two official languages and features lyrics that suits only one part of Israel's citizenry, the Jews. As in Canada, it would be unrealistic to expect a single text in a single language to express the hopes of all citizens in an ethnically and religiously diverse country. Moreover, many would argue that the division between English and French speakers in Canada does not run quite as deep as the division between Jews and Arabs in Israel. "Hatikva" is ingrained and entrenched and it makes no sense to translate those words into Arabic. But just as all Canadians share the music of "O Canada," all Israelis can share the music of "Hatikva." The music is the bridge that unites.

The original version, with Hebrew lyrics, remains unaltered.

For the Arabic lyrics, Israel can commission a contest among Arabic speakers and poets. The mission would be to put together text to which any Israeli citizen who speaks Arabic can relate. This is a tall order. On one hand, "Hatikva's" music, in a minor key, lends itself to lyrics in Arabic, and these lyrics can express hope. It can be called "Al Amal," the hope, thus carrying the same meaning as "Hatikva," yet this hope needs to be "universal Israeli." If "Al Amal" is to throw all the Jews into the sea, it is unlikely to resonate well with Arabic-speaking Jews. It needs to be an anthem of hope, an anthem that any Israeli citizen can sing in Arabic, whether they are Jewish, Christian or Muslim, for as long as they can sing - and best of all if they just received an Olympic gold medal.

The writer is a Canadian-Israeli lawyer who works in high-tech
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  1.   If Arabs don`t won`t to sing Hatikva, they don`t have to,they 11:46  |  IL Supporter 01/02/08
  2.   Gadi, what about replace Memorah by suicide belts for e emblem? 11:53  |  mary for jews 01/02/08
  3.   Hatikva is by the Jews for the Jews in the Jewish State 12:17  |  Joseph . E 01/02/08
  4.   Hatikva 12:18  |  Sliman 01/02/08
  5.   No Canadian compromise - for a 60th birthday gift to ourselves 12:25  |  sh 01/02/08
  6.   hatikva 12:30  |  daniel yefet 01/02/08
  7.   The anthem sung by Arab MKs praising Hizbollah and Hamas 12:33  |  Shalom Freedman 01/02/08
  8.   Not Only the want to Divide Jewish State , But Also Change Anthem 12:33  |  Joseph . E 01/02/08
  9.   Their song should be "Hit the road, Jack" 12:43  |  JD 01/02/08
  10.   OK to Arabic words, as long as they are the SAME AS THE HEBREW!! 12:58  |  Steven 01/02/08
  11.   Words in Arabic must be the same as in Hebrew 13:08  |  Steven 01/02/08
  12.   The King of Morocco always said in Morocco 13:19  |  Jews and Arabs are = 01/02/08
  13.   And will doing this make Tibi & Bashara like us? 13:35  |  Feiglin Supporter 01/02/08
  14.   Zionist Who Actually Agrees With Author (sorta) 13:36  |  dyinglikeflies 01/02/08
  15.   Amazed 13:49  |  A mother 01/02/08
  16.   Hatikvah 14:35  |  Hilda 01/02/08
  17.   Hatikva must be abolshied 14:39  |  Philip 01/02/08
  18.   Mary from Singapore 14:42  |  Philip 01/02/08
  19.   Gadi is talking about Arabs who Cheered Hezbollah War Crimes 15:05  |  Joseph . E 01/02/08
  20.   I suspect that Israel`s Arab citizens 15:05  |  Mark Lincoln 01/02/08
  21.   Not so difficult to translate 15:33  |  Maryam 01/02/08
  22.   La Marseillese in Arabic first!! 15:47  |  Alain 01/02/08
  23.   Hatikva in Swahili would sound great 15:51  |  Yossi Saar 01/02/08
  24.   Has Haaretz Have Some Sort of Magnet That Attracts All these Nutt 15:56  |  Yossi Saar 01/02/08
  25.   They can sing the Jordanian national anthem 16:13  |  Herbert Kaine 01/02/08
  26.   Sliman`s poem 16:14  |  nina 01/02/08
  27.   In your dreams,it ain`t going to happen 16:18  |  Amused and Disgusted 01/02/08
  28.   Hatikvah 16:22  |  MazalUK 01/02/08
  29.   hatikva loyalty 16:26  |  mark 01/02/08
  30.   Our Hero Yosef 16:37  |  sd fort 01/02/08
  31.   Mary for Jews #2 I love your post 16:37  |  Kampong Boy 01/02/08
  32.   i don`t sing hatikvah either way 16:48  |  joey 01/02/08
  33.   Yes it is possible to integrate. 16:51  |  Yaakov Sullivan 01/02/08
  34.   Arab Hatikva 16:54  |  Pedro Guevara-Mann 01/02/08
  35.   right on 17:10  |  DK 01/02/08
  36.   What about Allaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah UUUUUUUUUUUUU Akbar! in Hebrew 17:27  |  Genuine Tosefta 01/02/08
  37.   A Serious Issue That Seems Beyond The Reach Of Most Israelis and 17:37  |  B`Galil 01/02/08
  38.   Philip be happy...Israel never will behead you 18:01  |  The stupid ant 01/02/08
  39.   At last some common sense 18:15  |  Danite 01/02/08
  40.   To all of you who object an Arabic version of Israel`s National A 18:16  |  Yigal 01/02/08
  41.   Steven 18:17  |  Danite 01/02/08
  42.   Leave Hatikvah Alone! 18:37  |  Norman F Birnberg 01/02/08
  43.   i dont see england having an arab version or US with mexican one? 18:41  |  SHIMON 01/02/08
  44.   Israel Is A Jewish State! 18:45  |  Norman F Birnberg 01/02/08
  45.   Arabs Have To Respect Israel As Jewish State Or Get Out 18:49  |  Norman F Birnberg 01/02/08
  46.   Delusion 18:50  |  US Observer 01/02/08
  47.   Israel As A Jewish Homeland 18:55  |  Norman F Birnberg 01/02/08
  48.   Palestinian Kingdom`s anthem will do! Flows the Jordan 19:13  |  yev 01/02/08
  49.   What the Shet`l did to our minds 19:49  |  Scharker Yid 01/02/08
  50.   Used to be you couldn`t go to a Jewish function here... 19:50  |  Chanalau, Tova 01/02/08
  51.   Haaretz, stop fooling yourselves into thinking... 19:59  |  Ussishkin 01/02/08
  52.   as a canadian you are wrong even in canada it is not as sweet as 20:39  |  ralph 01/02/08
  53.   as a canadian you are wrong even in canada it is not as sweet as 20:39  |  ralph 01/02/08
  54.   Stupid proposal 20:59  |  Linichka 01/02/08
  55.   HAARETZ 21:57  |  JOJO (USA) 01/02/08
  56.   American Jews 23:08  |  Joel 01/02/08
  57.   Joel in Portland: Stop Talking Nonsense 23:35  |  CHGODMK 01/02/08
  58.   Nice idea, for an interim period 00:04  |  Tosefta 02/02/08
  59.   Norman Birnberg 00:16  |  Joel 02/02/08
  60.   Hamas " Bilady, Bilady" is recognized as a Palestinian anthem 00:30  |  Yaakov Sullivan 02/02/08
  61.   Anthem in Arabic 00:52  |  Wiktor 02/02/08
  62.   Biladi Biladi was the PLO anthem before it was the Hamas one 00:57  |  Mike 02/02/08
  63.   Gadi BenMark is incredibly naive 01:03  |  Jerusalem jew 02/02/08
  64.   Since California 01:10  |  Scharker Yid 02/02/08
  65.   Flying the Maple Leaf - Danite 01:11  |  Mark Lincoln 02/02/08
  66.   Is that Arabic for "Gimme, gimme"? 01:11  |  Curious 02/02/08
  67.   Anthems and such 01:16  |  Mark Lincoln 02/02/08
  68.   O.K., fine! so ... 01:17  |  steve dill 02/02/08
  69.   Joel 01:21  |  Norman F Birnberg 02/02/08
  70.   Why Osama had to import terrorists 01:24  |  Mark Lincoln 02/02/08
  71.   American Jews And Israel 01:27  |  Norman F Birnberg 02/02/08
  72.   Hatikvah In Arabic? 01:34  |  Norman F Birnberg 02/02/08
  73.   Of course not 01:36  |  Colin Wright 02/02/08
  74.   "If You Will It, It Is No Dream" 01:37  |  Norman F Birnberg 02/02/08
  75.   Of Scots and Arabs 01:41  |  Morris Valentine 02/02/08
  76.   Saudi anthem has beautiful melody too 01:53  |  Yaakov Sullivan 02/02/08
  77.   Of Scots And Arabs 02:00  |  Norman F Birnberg 02/02/08
  78.   If Israel was called Zion, probably IL wouldn`t have problems.. 02:23  |  IL Supporter 02/02/08
  79.   To NF Birnberg (#72) 02:26  |  Morris Valentine 02/02/08
  80.   What Anti-Semites Mean By "Zionists" 02:31  |  Norman F Birnberg 02/02/08
  81.   Hatikvah 02:33  |  Shmuelshachor 02/02/08
  82.   If they speak Infidel Languages their Tongues Will Burn With Fire 03:39  |  Efox 02/02/08
  83.   Response to Norman 04:55  |  Joel 02/02/08
  84.   #76 Saudi anthem has pleasant solid sound 05:19  |  Genteel Jihad 02/02/08
  85.   Only problem is Norman Bimbo 05:20  |  kiwi girl 02/02/08
  86.   Better Idea 07:11  |  Choni Davidowitz 02/02/08
  87.   Mark Lincoln 07:28  |  Danite 02/02/08
  88.   Hatikvah 08:08  |  Hilda 02/02/08
  89.   To nina #26 10:17  |  Sliman 02/02/08
  90.   Compare the Dutch national anthem 10:22  |  Mary 02/02/08
  91.   Tosefta #58 One Can`t Please Everyone All The Time 10:31  |  Tim R 02/02/08
  92.   Hatikvah vs. Hanakbah 10:37  |  Yaakov Sullivan 02/02/08
  93.   #85 kiwi girl 10:45  |  Zelkhka 02/02/08
  94.   # 66 No its Hebrew for Gimme,Gimme or I`ll take it! 11:15  |  Kris 02/02/08
  95.   It`s nice that israeli finally make an inventory of 11:25  |  Kris 02/02/08
  96.   So much hate, how sad... 11:41  |  Mark Knopf 02/02/08
  97.   Discard the excellent, replace it with the anodyne 12:03  |  Iz Ray Leigh 02/02/08
  98.   Hatikva in arabic. 12:13  |  David Nigel Braham 02/02/08
  99.   HATIKVA--FOREVER! 13:28  |  Teacher/Instruct 02/02/08
  100.   What about "Palestine über alles?" 13:53  |  Scientist 02/02/08
  101.   Second class status (Mark Lincoln #67) 14:56  |  Tosefta 02/02/08
  102.   So Tim R agrees, even if it is hard to admit (#91) 15:12  |  Tosefta 02/02/08
  103.   Hatikva in Arabic 15:33  |  Sarah 02/02/08
  104.   Only Problem.... 15:38  |  Norman F Birnberg 02/02/08
  105.   We queer Jews need our own anthem! 15:51  |  Danite 02/02/08
  106.   The Worst Possible Idea - Hatikiva in Aabic 15:57  |  Dagma 02/02/08
  107.   About That "Independent" Palestinian Nation 16:06  |  Norman F Birnberg 02/02/08
  108.   Hatikvah Won`t Be Replaced 16:12  |  Norman F Birnberg 02/02/08
  109.   Sounds good but what are Arab hopes? 16:17  |  Frank 02/02/08
  110.   # 92 Yaakov Sullivan - "Saudi anthem is about 15 minutes, but it 16:30  |  17 02/02/08
  111.   #110 Philarmonic of Jeddah is world famous. 17:09  |  Yaakov Sullivan 02/02/08
  112.   How many Moslem countries have a hebrw version of anything for th 17:56  |  Massoud Levy 02/02/08
  113.   Hatikva 18:51  |  Rachel Simson 02/02/08
  114.   17 Saudi opera 18:57  |  Iz Ray Leigh 02/02/08
  115.   # 111 Yaakov Sullivan - Do you have a link to Jeddah Filharmonic 19:18  |  17 02/02/08
  116.   Joey sings about walzing rabbis 19:49  |  Iz Ray Leigh 02/02/08
  117.   Yaakov Sullivan - Saudi culture 20:01  |  17 02/02/08
  118.   "La Marseillaise" in Arabic 20:31  |  Altalena 02/02/08
  119.   `Hatikva` in Arabic? 21:12  |  Ralph 02/02/08
  120.   La Marseillaise In Arabic 22:29  |  Norman F Birnberg 02/02/08
  121.   ISRAEL HAS BECOME OBESESED WITH POLITICAL CORRECTNESS 22:49  |  zionist forever 02/02/08
  122.   #117 22:51  |  Yaakov Sullivan 02/02/08
  123.   Tosefta #102 Tossies Leap of Faith.. 22:57  |  Tim R 02/02/08
  124.   After Moshiach,Gadi 23:07  |  A. Dupe 02/02/08
  125.   every minority group could have their own song 23:12  |  zionist forever 02/02/08
  126.   False danite post#105 23:27  |  Danite 02/02/08
  127.   norman birnberg 120 23:50  |  realism 02/02/08
  128.   Democracy Has Limits 00:57  |  Norman F Birnberg 03/02/08
  129.   # 120 Norman F Birnberg - 01:05  |  17 03/02/08
  130.   Easy: What about Allah Akbar! 01:37  |  Shimon 03/02/08
  131.   I hope... 02:22  |  Edith 03/02/08
  132.   Tosefta re : # 95 re: Tim R the Bravist of the Zionist 03:13  |  American in NY 03/02/08
  133.   Tosefta # 102 & re: Tim R in due course. 03:28  |  American in NY 03/02/08
  134.   To # 111 Yaacov Sullivan - Saudi Culture.... if any....? 03:42  |  Dagma 03/02/08
  135.   The Philarmonic Orchestra of Jeddah? 04:34  |  Onlooker 03/02/08
  136.   sing Allah Hu Arabic Hatikva after they blow up your grandmother 04:41  |  A Dupe 03/02/08
  137.   American in NY #131 The Bravest of The Apologists 04:42  |  Tim R 03/02/08
  138.   gre2375 04:47  |  Grigoriy Mendelson 03/02/08
  139.   American in NY #132 Undemocratic Processes 04:51  |  Tim R 03/02/08
  140.   Hatikva should go...... 05:45  |  Deborah 03/02/08
  141.   Israel Has The Right To Be Jewish 06:36  |  Norman F Birnberg 03/02/08
  142.   Hatikvah In Arabic? 06:41  |  Norman F Birnberg 03/02/08
  143.   the song is not the issue--stupid! 06:51  |  bob 03/02/08
  144.   You see, I was always right. 07:19  |  Rav Meir Kahne 03/02/08
  145.   #106 Dagma 07:53  |  Franco 03/02/08
  146.   ANY 08:31  |  Cipora Julianna Kohn 03/02/08
  147.   Multiculturalism is dangerous 09:28  |  rsk 03/02/08
  148.   I was right. But couldn`t spell my own name 09:32  |  Rav Meir Kahne 03/02/08
  149.   Excuse me... 09:51  |  Connie 03/02/08
  150.   Michelle, ma belle..... 10:24  |  Moshe 03/02/08
  151.   "Our Jewish Homeland" 10:35  |  S. Abramovitz 03/02/08
  152.   Cipora # 146 21:17  |  American in NY 03/02/08
  153.   What really annoys me about "American in NY" (#152) 21:54  |  Morris Valentine 03/02/08
  154.   American in NY #152 04:15  |  Tim R 04/02/08
  155.   Tim R # 154 That was a challange? 23:12  |  American in NY 04/02/08
  156.   Morris Valentine # 153 I hope I don`t annoy too much. 23:47  |  American in NY 04/02/08
  157.   HATIKVA 02:16  |  Ariel 08/02/08
  158.   Hatikva 21:48  |  Abitbol 03/04/08
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