As we enter into a new academic year, Jewish students are feeling apprehensive. Last year was undeniably difficult, as college campuses world-wide were flooded with antisemitism. However, these challenging times also taught us that we are not alone. Since the atrocities of October 7th, the “rise of antisemitism and anti-Zionist rhetoric is inspiring Jewish pride and solidarity with Israel,” states Dr. Mijal Bitton, who is directing the first national study of Sephardic Jews at NYU. Dr. Bitton wrote that Jewish students are, ”rediscovering that they belong to a rich history of Jews who experienced othering and expulsions but whose greatest strength was in each other.” For example, Hillel Ontario, the largest Hillel in the world, saw a 40% increase in student engagement last year, highlighting, “the critical need for Jewish connection, safe Jewish spaces and a strong response to anti-Jewish hate and intolerance.”
However, since Jewish students cannot be at Hillel or surrounded by friends every moment, they should have something similar on hand – a collection of songs filled with reminders of the strength of the Jewish people and community.
- The Maccabeats: We’re Still Here (Am Yisrael Chai)
A Jewish a cappella group originally from Yeshiva University, The Maccabeats have become a phenomenon with over 20 million views on YouTube, four albums, TV appearances, and even a performance for President Obama at the White House. Their original song, “We’re Still Here” begins with the lines, “empires have risen, empires they fall, they wield their might against us but we move on through it all,” reminding us of all the Jewish people have survived. The song then turns to the future, proudly stating, “In this fight we have us and we have hope” and “We’ll preserve, we’ll carry on, Am Yisrael Adayin Kan [The people of Israel are still here].”
- Liel Kolet: Jerusalem of Gold
Written by Naomi Shemer, “Jerusalem of Gold” is so beloved that it was considered for the national anthem of Israel. Originally released while Jews were banned from the Old City of Jerusalem during Jordanian Occupation, “Jerusalem of Gold” was a song of yearning for the city; an opening stanza states, “How the cisterns have dried/The market-place is empty/And no one frequents the Temple Mount/In the Old City.” However, when Jerusalem was reunified in the Six-Day War only three weeks later, Shemer added a new ending: “We have returned to the cisterns/To the market and to the market-place/A ram’s horn calls out on the Temple Mount/In the Old City.” In the slightly different version chosen for this article, Israeli peace advocate Liel Kolet sings her own ode to Jerusalem, bringing forth a strong vision of the beloved city.
- Omer Adam: Tel Aviv (תל אביב)
Another celebration of an Israeli city, “Tel Aviv” by Omer Adam tells in Hebrew about night life and love in Tel Aviv. It was the official song of Tel Aviv pride week in 2013, and Adam performed it during the city’s 16th annual pride parade. Fun and upbeat, “Tel Aviv” speaks to Israel being the most supportive country in the Middle East for LGBT+ rights. In Iran, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Yemen, same-sex sexual behavior is punishable by the death penalty. However, in Israel, civil partnerships are legal for homosexual couples, and there are, as stated by the House of Commons, “constitutional, employment, [and] other protections for LGBT+ people.” For all who have visited Tel Aviv, Adam’s song brings us right back to the beachy city where everyone is accepted and welcomed, no matter their ethnic, sexual, religious or other background.
- Matisyahu: One Day
“One Day” by reggae singer Matisyahu, who visited Cornell last December, is a song of hope. Matisyahu sings, “All my life, I’ve been waitin’ for/ I’ve been prayin’ for, for the people to say/That we don’t wanna fight no more/There’ll be no more wars, and our children will play.” This beautiful message is taken straight from the lips of Israelis, who have been attacked endlessly (Arab-Israeli War in 1948, War of Attrition, Yom Kippur War, Second Intifada, present Israel-Hamas War, and more), and are tired of fighting for the right to exist. However, Israel and the Jewish people have always preserved. Matisyahu stated, “The Jewish people don’t give up… they’re fighters… a vision of peace, and a vision of hope, and of empathy. I really, truly believe that that is at the core of who we are. And that is what we are actually fighting for.”
- Eden Golan: Hurricane
“Hurricane” by Eden Golan, was Israel’s contribution to the 2024 Eurovision Song Competition. The song won fifth place, showing that even in divided times, the world can be brought together through music. The original song was entitled “October Rain,” an ode to the tragedy of Oct 7th. However, the song was changed due to the Eurovision rules which prohibit any political content. Despite frustration over an ode to October 7th being seen as “political,” and despite the tragic events “Hurricane” pays homage to, the song remains filled with hope: hope of reunification with those still captured, and hope that we will keep “dancing in the storm.”
- Andrew Lloyd Webber: Close Every Door
Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat is an unofficial musical of the Jewish people, and its most important song is “Close Every Door”; Beautiful, melancholy, and haunting, the melody is reminiscent of many Hebrew prayers, and the lyrics themselves sing a similar message: children of Israel are never alone. “Just give me a number, instead of my name,” Joseph sings. “Destroy me completely, then throw me away.” Presumably a metaphor for the Holocaust, these lyrics remind us of the importance of the recreation of Israel after the tragedy of the Shoah. Though written in 1968, the lyrics speak to our present times as well, with the lines, “Close every door to me, keep those I love from me,” reminding Jews of our hostages. Most importantly, the song reminds every Jew, every child of Israel (whether you look at “Israel” as another name for Jacob, who all Jews descend from, or as a metaphor for the country), that we are never alone and that, long ago, we were, “promised a land of our own.”
- Shimon Smith: Avinu Shebashamayim
“Avinu Shebashamayim,” also called “Prayer for the State of Israel,” has been turned into a fun and campy tune by Shimon Smith, a cantorial soloist. The song includes bits of Hebrew from the prayer, which in its full form asks God to “bless the State of Israel… shield it with your loving kindness, envelop it in your peace, and bestow your light and truth upon its leaders…and grant its inhabitants eternal happiness.” Smith also adds English lines, “Wherever I go, wherever I roam/I always know, I have a home/In Israel,” reminding of the importance of a Jewish nation.
- The Maccabeats: Hatikvah
To finish, we return to the Maccabeats for their rendition of the Israeli national anthem: Hatikvah. I wrote about Hatikvah in another article, but in summary, Hatikvah means “the hope” and has been sung by Jews for centuries during difficult times: by early Zionists when they returned to the Holy Land after exile, as a form of resistance against Nazi and Stalinist terror in the 1940s and by survivors in Bergen Belsen after the camp’s liberation. Recently, Hatikvah was sung by Omer Adam and the families of hostages as well as by hundreds of Israelis after Oct. 7th. We should all carry with us the words of Hatikvah, especially the ending: “Our hope is not yet lost/The hope of two millennia/To be a free people in our land/The land of Zion and Jerusalem.”
Jenna Ledley is a sophomore in the College of Arts and Sciences. She can be reached at [email protected].
‘Solar Flare’ is a weekly playlist column where Sun contributors spotlight a slice of musical taste with the campus community. It runs every Monday.