Nefesh Yehudi Homiyah Trivia Quiz

Answer: The Hope

The literal translation of the Hebrew word "Hatikvah" is "the hope". The title can be interpreted as a reference to the many times in history when the Jewish people have maintained hope, despite facing frequent discrimination, persecution, and exile. The anthem embodies the struggle that the Jewish people had to face as well as the hope to return to their homeland and live there freely.

Answer: Naftali Herz Imber

Naftali Herz Imber (1856-1909) was a Galician Jew born in Zolochiv (then part of the Austrian empire, now Ukraine). He was raised in an Orthodox family and wrote poems from a very young age. He visited several different countries in Europe before emigrating to Ottoman Palestine in 1882.

There, Imber wrote many different songs and poems, one of which would be used in the future as the base for the "Hatikvah". Imber died in the U.S. after suffering from ailments like alcoholism. After Israel was born as a nation, Imber's body was buried in the Givat Shaul Cemetery.

Answer: Heart

A short version of the anthem starts immediately with this line, while the longer version has an instrumental melody before the lyrics begin. Since translations from Hebrew may not be 100% accurate, there are several different versions of the "Hatikvah" lyrics in English. However, the translations typically keep the same basic meaning. That is the case with "Kol 'od balevav penimah", which can be translated as "In the Jewish heart", "As long as in the heart within", or "As long as within our hearts".

The heart is the organ in the body that controls the circulatory system and pumps blood to every other part of the body that needs it. It is also commonly associated with strong emotions like love.

Answer: The Jewish soul yearns

"Yehudi" means Jew in Hebrew, and it or variations like Yehuda are commonly used as first names (for example, violinist Yehudi Menuhin). Some acceptable translations of "Nefesh Yehudi homiyah" include "A Jewish spirit still sings", "The Jewish soul yearns", "The soul of a Jew still yearns", and "The Jewish soul sings".

In any case, the line references the soul/spirit of the Jewish people and its connection to the heart (from the previous line).

Answer: Zion

The word "Zion" can mean a few different things: it is used in the Torah as a synonym for Jerusalem or the Land of Israel, it can symbolize heaven, or even be used to refer to the Jewish people as a whole. In fact, the movement to establish the Jewish people back in their homeland of Jerusalem (led by Theodor Herzl and Chaim Weizmann) is known as Zionism. Mount Zion is a famous mountain in Jerusalem, but mountains in Colorado, Indiana, New York, Washington, and several other U.S. states also share that name.

Some acceptable translations of "Ulfa'ate mizrach kadimah, Ayin leTziyon tzofiyah" include: "And the eyes look east toward Zion", "And toward the eastern edges, onward, an eye gazes toward Zion", and "As long as forward to the East, to Zion, looks the eye". This line also concludes the first stanza of the song.

Answer: Tikvatenu

Naftali Herz Imber's nine-stanza poem was called "Tikvatenu" (which means "Our Hope"). The Israeli national anthem only borrowed part of Imber's poem. The translation of "Od lo avdah tikvatenu" is typically more consistent compared to other lyrics in the anthem: "Our hope is not yet lost".

This powerful line again references the struggles of Jews throughout history and the resilience they have shown. Words in Hebrew are hard to translate because they depend on context, but "lo" is normally the word used for "no" or "not".

Answer: 2,000

"Hatikvah bat shnot 'alpayim" can translate to "Our hope of two thousand years" or "The hope that is two-thousand years old", among other similar interpretations. When read with the preceding line, the lyrics say that the Jewish people have hoped for the same thing for 2,000 years and have not given up.

Y2K was a common abbreviation used for the year 2000 (it means Year, Kilo, Thousand) at the turn of the millennium. The abbreviation became popular in several different contexts such as music and film. Professional wrestler Chris Jericho dubbed himself "Y2J" as a parody of Y2K.

Answer: It is repeated twice

The powerful ending of "Hatikvah" is repeated twice at the end of the song, emphasizing the importance of "the hope" to live as a free nation in the Jewish homeland of Israel. Rather than being sung more quietly, it is normally sung at a higher volume than most of the other lyrics. The "Hatikvah"'s melody was created by Samuel Cohen, who himself adapted the song from a Romanian folk melody. While the modern Zionist movement began in the late 19th century, "Hatikvah" was not adopted as its official anthem until 1933.

There have been a number of beautiful live renditions of the "Hatikvah" throughout the years. One such example was Barbra Streisand's performance in 1978, which featured a live call with Israel's former Prime Minister, Golda Meir.

Answer: Bergen-Belsen

In April 1945, British troops liberated the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp and the thousands of prisoners who were still there. Tragically, the soldiers also found thousands of more people who had died of starvation or had been otherwise killed by the Nazis. Sisters Anne and Margot Frank are believed to have passed away in that camp weeks before the British liberated it. Today, there is a memorial for the two sisters where the camp used to be.

A unique and moving recording dated April 20, 1945 from the BBC, recorded by reporter Patrick Gordon Walker, shows survivors of the Bergen-Belsen camp singing the lyrics of "Hatikvah" after being liberated. Survivors of other camps, such as Auschwitz, have told similar stories of how Jewish people imprisoned in those camps would sing "Hatikvah" to keep hope alive or as a final method of protest before being killed.

This history behind the "Hatikvah" only makes the anthem and its meaning more profound and emotional.

Answer: Knesset

The Knesset is the name of Israel's Parliament, which, unlike several other legislative bodies in the world, is a unicameral body. This means that the 120-member group of legislators has exclusive control of the law-making powers in the country (subject to other branches like Israel's Magistrate, District, and Supreme Courts). The Knesset was created almost immediately after the birth of Israel as a sovereign nation. The body is in charge of electing the country's Prime Minister and President and has many other broad powers over Israel's government structure.

In 1949, the "Hatikvah" was played in the Knesset's opening ceremony, which was attended by Prime Minister David Ben-Gurion.