ELIZABETH APPLEBAUM
AppleTree Editor

II

t is the worst o
also is the best otz;t
As'i:
these tryin
Even amid outs,%0
weeks and months ''''%‘. member that
a miracle:
in this lifetime we have wi
the creation of the State :,.
we celebrate that mira '
17, Yom HaAtzmaut
\- A
Day).
If you're looking to make your
for this great day, give these ideas

"'

1) It's About Time
cc
of y thernans t, y, N,v h o sing
Ifrr
n yeouusreaoany elln''
eyav" then mumble a lot until you get to
i
ts
th s i the time for you to
s*riatio
ds to4,
learn the words

song called Cart and Oxen. The original song had
quite a different ending, noting, instead, our
desire to "return to the land of our fathers, to the
re David dwelt."
ionist Congress spent a great deal of time
Ing for a national anthem, and Hatikvah
of even become a top choice until all those
sent sang it together at the Seventh Zionist
gress in Basle in 1905.
asn't until 1933, however, at the 18th
t Congress in Prague, that Zionists official-
ted the song. It was sung at the opening
7 of the Declaration of the State of Israel
on May 14, 1948.

2) Who Knows The News?
Our views, our opinions are consistently shaped
by the media. Choose one week to focus on the
news about Israel. Ask each family member to
select newspapers, magazines, radio and television
..follow the news about Israel. (Both Barnes &
•

A

Hatikvah (The Hope). Here they are:

Celebrating Israel's

birthday, even in the

darkest of times.

Kol od balevav, przimah
Nefesh Yehudi homiyah
Ulfaate mizrach kadimah
Ayin l'Tzion tzofiyah
Od lo avdah tikvatenu
Hatikvah bat shnot alpayim
Liyot am chofihi b'artzenu
Eretz Tziyon virushalayim,
Liyot am chofihi b'artzenu
Eretz Tziyon virushalayim.

"As long as in our hearts
The soul of a Jew yearns,
And toward the east
Our eyes turn — to Zion.
Our hope is not lost.
The hope of 2,000 years,
To be a free people in our own land,
In the land of Zion and Jerusalem."

Now if you already know all this, you might be
interested to learn the history of the song.
The words were written by Naphtali Herz
Imber around 1878; the melody was written by
Samuel Cohen and based on a Romanian folk

Noble and Borders carry an excellent selection of
national newspapers. For newspapers from Israel,
try Jewish bookstores.)
Then one evening, ask each person to present a
summation of what he or she learned. How fair
was the reporting? How was Israel's side present-
ed? Some questions to consider:
• Is the word "Israel" replaced more often than
not by "Holy Land and "Middle East"? Why do
you think this is the case?
• Are terrorists referred to as "militants"?
• What makes a balanced story?
• Do you find that some reporters and colum-
nists are more fair than others?
• How often do you see the conflict between
Palestinians and Israel referred to as "ancient" or
"centuries old"? (Remember, the State of Israel
was established only decades ago.)
• If you were disturbed by something you read,
what did you do about it?

3) Stupendous Style
You won't feel blue on this holiday if you've deco-
rated your home in blue and white, the colors of
the flag of Israel.
There are a million possibilities. Here are a few:

4/12
2002

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