HATIKVAH

Hatikvah, as Israel's national anthem, was involved in a certain controversies lately that reflect the continuance of political right-wing radicalization the country is going through. Knesset member Avigdor Lieberman formulated a series of laws that should define the loyalty of the citizens to the country, targeting mainly the Arab minority. Lieberman's most ambitious "solution" is a procedure of a transfer of that minority to neighboring countries.

One particular law suggests that all citizens must know the words of Hatikvah and are obeyed to sing it on national holydays. The only issue with that relates to the opening lines of the anthem: "As long as in the heart, within, A Jewish soul still yearns.". The meaning of it is an important message of the Zionist movement, though making it a general civil duty to attach to it made me create this series of acts.

This work uses a recorded material of Lieberman singing Hativah, found on Youtube. Lieberman's singing abilities were used as a base of Hatikvah's adaptation to the way it reflects through his own acts, and the political direction the country is heading to. One video documents the tedious task of adapting the lyrics the challenged singing abilities, while the other is a recorded performance of the revised anthem in a local community center.