Hatikvah

“To Be a Free People in Our Land”

Goal: Participants will develop a stronger connection to Hatikvah and the ideas it embodies.

Pedagogies:

• Music (learning a song)
• Text study

All these activities are tied to the phrase in Hatikvah, to be a free people in our land.  Parents and children can bond by learning the song together.  A great resources for learning the song is found here on the Babaganewz website.

Children might enjoy learning the song using the rock version by Sam Glaser .

After learning the song and using the Babaganewz study sheet, parents and kids can discuss the reasons why a whole people, a nation, needs an anthem or a song?  What’s an anthem?  What is the US anthem and when is it sung?   Can we like more than one anthem?  Ideas to explore with kids: different teams have their own songs, people who were born in different countries may still like the national song of their old country even when they have adopted the American anthem.   Jews can be proud Americans and also have a strong connection to another country like Israel.

[For parents: you might like to take a look at the Hatikvah program created for adults, here. You’ll find it stimulating, and might give you conversation topics to talk through with your kids.]