Recently, my Jewish Philosophy class discussed the Middle East conflict and spent time playing the game Peacemaker, trying to create a peace treaty between the Israelis and Palestinians. Last class, we watched a video where Neshama Carlebach (at the request of the newspaper The Jewish Daily Forward) came up with a new version of Hatikvah, one that is a little more universal and that both Jews and Arabs living in Israel could relate to. In class, we debated our thoughts about this new version of Hatikvah. Is it important that Hatikvah be an anthem that all citizens of Israel feel comfortable singing? Or, is it ok for Hatikvah to be a uniquely Jewish anthem? Should it make a difference that many Jews feel very connected to the emotional words of Hatikvah and the fact that it mentions the connection Jews feel towards Israel and Jerusalem or is this exclusionary to a large amount of Israel's population who also feels connected to the land? Either way, it's an interesting discussion to be had - especially the week before Yom Yerushalayim! You can read more about it here.
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