Israel Shabbat: Celebrating Israel’s 75th Birthday
(Special services and a Shirah B’tzibbur Singalong were held on April 21-22)
We celebrated Israel’s 75th birthday with a special Israel Shabbat. On Friday night Rabbi Sacks and Student Rabbi Maayan Lev led us in a special liturgy conceived, compiled and edited by Rabbi Sacks. It had special readings, poetry, newspaper accounts, maps, songs, sacred texts, prayers, and personal accounts, with material from the Torah through modern day.
n Saturday, instead of services, we celebrated Israel’s birthday the way Israelis do: with a shirah b’tzibbur program. Shirah b’tzibbur is a public singalong. Lyrics were provided and Rabbi Sacks played keyboards as we all sang the following songs. Notes on many of the composers, lyricists, and poets were provided as well. The kiddush following this special Israel Shabbat program, had Israeli foods.
As you look through the list below, you might consider
- Seeing how many you know or have heard of
- Looking at the range of songs over time–from 1887 through 1995, over 100 years of songs celebrating our people’s return to Eretz Yisrael (the land of Israel)
- Especially for those mentioned multiple times, you might wish to use a search engine and look up some of the people here!
Yom huledet samei-ach! Happy birthday, Israel. Am Yisrael Chai–our people yet lives!
- HATIKVAH [1887] (M: Samuel Cohen; L: Naftali Herz Imber)
- SHEHECHEYANU (M: Tzvika Pik; L: Liturgy)
- SHIR HU LO RAK MILIM [1974] (M: Gilbert Becaud; L: Didi Menosi)
- YACHAD (KOL HA-DERECH) (M: Yochanan Zarai; L: Haim Hefer)
- OLE, OLE [1985] (M: Kobi Oshrat; L: Hamutal Ben-Ze’ev)
- YESH LI CHAG (M & L: Naomi Shemer)
- ARTZA ALINU [1928] (Shmuel Navon)
- B’EMEK YIZ’RE’EL (= ACH-SHAV) (Pre-State Folk song)
- ANI OLE LIRUSHALAYIM (M: Yosef Hadar; L: Ephraim Rachman)
- B’MACH-RASH-TI (M: Eliakum Zunser; L: Eliakum Zunser and Noah Shapira)
- KACHOL YAM HA-MAYIM (= Shir Ha-Avoda) (M: Nachum Nardi; L: Natan Alterman)
- EREV BA [1960] (M: Arie Levanon; L: Oded Avishar)
- CHAG YOVEIL (M: Shaike Paikov; L: Dudu Barak)
- ERETZ YISRAEL YAFA (M: Shaike Paikov; L: Dudu Barak)
- LIV-L’VU NEITZEI (Pre-State)
- MA AVARECH [1967] (M: Yair Rosenblum; L: Rachel Shapira)
- SHIR LA-SHALOM [1970] (M: Yair Rosenblum; L: Yaakov Rotblit)
- HA’AMINI YOM YAVO [1949] (M: Menashe Baharav; L: Rafael Klatchkin)
- HA-MILCHAMA HA-ACH-RONA [1973]
- NOLAD’TI LA-SHALOM (M & L: Uzi Hitman)
- SHALOM AL YISRAEL (M: Effi Netzer; L: Dudi Barak)
- SALAAM (OD YAVO SHALOM) [1995] (M & L: Mosh ben Ari; E: Ely Bonder)
- HAFINJAN [1947] (M: Moshe Wilensky; L: Haim Hefer; E: Julie Hirsh)
- SH’CHUNA K’TANA (M: Yosef Hadar; L: S. Livnat)
- HA-IR BE-AFOR [1966] (M & L: Naomi Shemer)
- USH’AV-TEM MAYIM [1937] (M: Emanuel Amiran; L: Isaiah 12:3)
- Y’VARECH’CHA (M: David Weinkranz; L: Psalms 128:5-6)
- DODI LI (M: Nira Chen; L: S of S 2:16, 3:6, 4:9, 5:16)
- SH’MA [1972] (M: Tzvika Pik; L: Liturgy)
- OSE SHALOM [1969] (M: Nurit Hirsh; L: Liturgy)
- ELI, ELI (Halicha L’Keisariya) [1945] (M: David Zahavi; L: Hannah Senesh)
- LU Y’HI [1973] (M & L: Naomi Shemer)
- AL KOL EILE [1980] (M & L: Naomi Shemer)
- SHUVA EILAI (M: Yosef Hadar; L: Amos Ettinger) (Pre-State)
- K’VAR ACHAREI CHATZOT [1968] (M: Nurit Hirsch; L: Amos Ettinger)
- HANA-AVA BA-BANOT [1955] (M & L: Amitai Neeman)
- OD LO AHAV-TI DAI (M & L: Naomi Shemer)
- ZEMER ATIK (Niggun Atik) (M: Amitai Neeman; L: Michael Kashtan)
- V’SHUV IT-CHEM (M: Nurit Hirsh; L: Dudu Barak)
- ANI V’ATA [1971] (M: Miki Gavrielov; L: Arik Einstein)
- BASHANA HA-BA’AH [1970] (M: Nurit Hirsch; L: Ehud Manor) 42. ERETZ, ERETZ [1974] (M & L: Shaike Paikov)
- V’AF AL PI CHEN (M: Y. Ezrahi; L: David Shimonowitz [Shimoni]) (Pre-State)
- TODA (M: Stavros Kviomandizis; T: Uzi Hitman)
- HALLELUYAH [1979] (M: Kobi Oshrat; L: Shimrit Or)