JEWISH
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Russian Songbook · Sung by Elechka

Атиква

Hatikvah (The Hope)

An anthem of hope, sung softly in Russian, voice and guitar.

"Hatikvah" means "The Hope." It is more than a national anthem; it is a whole people's prayer of return, the longing to come home to Zion, to Jerusalem. The words sing of a hope that, even after twenty centuries, still lives in the heart. The poem was written in 1878 by Naftali Herz Imber. Its melody, drawn from an old European tune, was set to the verses in 1888 and became a symbol of return to the historic homeland. In 1948, Hatikvah was proclaimed the national anthem of the State of Israel.

What you hear in this recording is a Russian poetic adaptation of that ancient hope, carried over from the Hebrew. In this version the eternal dream is carried into Russian plainly, without grandeur, but with great inner strength. Sung this way, the anthem becomes a quiet, personal conversation with history and with oneself.

Here Elechka sings it in Russian, with her own voice and guitar. The performance is gentle and unforced, more like a song shared in a small room than a hymn announced from a stage. Listeners often describe a tune that is tender and never warlike, a melody that calms and stays with you.

This recording is part of a project that carried these Jewish songs into Russian for the RIGLI channel, so that they could be heard and understood by hundreds of thousands of Russian speakers. Many who found the song wrote that they had never heard Hatikvah in Russian before, and that the words and the voice moved them deeply.

These Russian originals are also where the larger story begins. The English-language musical film JEWISH grew out of these very recordings, taking the same songs and the same spirit of hope into a new language and a new form.

Lyrics, line by line

The full Russian text of the recording, with a plain English translation under each line.

Ярко сияет в небе звезда

Brightly shines a star in the sky

Сердце хранит свой древний закон

The heart keeps its ancient law

Вечно душа моя рвётся сюда

Eternally my soul strains toward here

Где на востоке стоит Сион

Where in the east stands Zion

Эта надежда в сердце живёт

This hope lives in the heart

Двадцать веков её мы храним

For twenty centuries we have kept it

Будет свободным мой народ

My people will be free

Там где Сион Иерусалим

There where Zion is, Jerusalem

Будет свободным мой народ

My people will be free

Там где Сион Иерусалим

There where Zion is, Jerusalem

Что же ты бьёшься рвёшься куда

Why then do you pound, where do you strain

О душа крылатая моя

O my winged soul

Взглядом надежды смотрю я вдаль

With a gaze of hope I look into the distance

Аин ле Цион цофия

An eye looks toward Zion (Hebrew, transliterated)

Наша надежда в сердце живёт

Our hope lives in the heart

Двадцать веков её мы храним

For twenty centuries we have kept it

Будет свободным мой народ

My people will be free

Эрец Цион Ерушалаим

The land of Zion, Jerusalem (Hebrew, transliterated)

Будет свободным мой народ

My people will be free

Эрец Цион Ерушалаим

The land of Zion, Jerusalem (Hebrew, transliterated)

Listen on YouTube Back to Songs

What listeners say

Real comments left under the recording on YouTube, translated into English, with the original Russian beneath each one.

  • My goodness, this is the most beautiful anthem I have ever heard.

    Боже, это самый красивый гимн, который я слышала.

    @belphorak9777

  • You have a wonderful voice. Jewish songs turn the whole soul over; I sing and I cry. Something in the blood responds...

    У вас изумительный голос. Песни еврейские всю душу переворачивают, пою и плачу. Гены отзываются...

    @НатальяЖигангирова

  • I am Azerbaijani, and I deeply love and respect the people of Israel. Greetings from Baku.

    Я азербайджанка очень люблю и уважаю Израильский народ Привет из Баку

    @mehparememmedova4934

  • What an anthem! My heart aches. Good luck to you and may you prosper. Greetings from Bashkortostan, I am Bashkir.

    Вот это гимн!!!! Сердце щемит, удачи Вам и процветания 🙏 привет из Башкортостана, я башкирка😊

    @ЗуляБулавкова

  • I was there once. And I left my heart there. Every inch of the city is sacred history for us.

    Была там один раз. И оставила там свое сердце. Каждый сантиметр города Священная для нас история.

    @millenium6024

  • I love Jewish songs so much. They are touching and melodic.

    Очень люблю еврейские песни Трогательные мелодичные

    @blachablacha2012

  • I am a Latvian from Riga, but I truly love Israel, its free and gifted people.

    Я латыш из Риги,но очень люблю Израиль,его свободный и талантливый народ.🇱🇻🤝❤🇮🇱

    @alexbranct9462

  • When I was about twelve I sang this for an exam; the piece was called "Israeli Melody." I didn't even know it was the anthem of Israel, I just loved it so much. The melody is simply gorgeous, I often hum it, and even though seven years have passed I still haven't forgotten it. And now I have come across it on YouTube.

    Я лет так в 12 задавала экзамен пр этой песни, название было у произведения: Израильская мелодия". Я и не знала что это гимн Израиля, мне она так нравилась, этот гимн, мелидия просто шикарны, часто её напеваю, хоты прошло уже 7 лет, до сих пор не забыла, а теперь встретила её в ютубе. 😅

    @Dzessik

  • Thank you for the translation and the performance! I'm not Jewish, and I have no Jewish relatives, yet a lump rises in my throat and it touches the soul. It's hard even to call it just a song. You can hear in it the history, the longing, and the hopes of an ancient people. A powerful song. I can't get enough of it.

    Спасибо за перевод и исполнение!❤Я вот вроде не еврейка,и родственников евреев нет..а ком к горлу подступает..и за душу берёт.. Даже песней её сложно назвать..В ней слышится история,тоска и чаяния древнего народа... Мощная песня..Не могу наслушаться..😅

    @Aleksandra..

  • Thank you so much! It is the first time I have heard the anthem of Israel in Russian. I liked it very much. A voice of amazing purity. It calms the soul. I subscribed to your channel. Now I will listen more often. Wishing you health and creative success.

    Большое спасибо ! Впервые услышал Гимн Израиля на русском . Очень понравилось. Голос изумительной чистоты. Он успокаивает душу. Подписался на Ваш канал. Теперь буду слушать чаще. Здоровья Вам и творческих успехов.

    @ВячеславСапрыкин-л9ф

  • It feels as if the anthem first had Russian words and was only later translated into Hebrew. I have listened to both versions, and even without words the melody is very beautiful, like a lullaby...

    Такое впечатление, что гимн сначала имел русские слова, а потом уже переведен на иврит. Слушала оба варианта, и без слов - очень красивая мелодия, напоминает колыбельную...

    @надя-К-б4щ

  • A beautiful anthem, very heartfelt and kind. I had never heard it before. The singer has a velvet voice. I listened to it in different performances. You can tell there is something to long for...

    Красивый гимн, очень проникновенный и добрый. Раньше не слышала. У исполнительницы бархатный голос. Послушала в разных исполнениях. Видно есть о чем тосковать…

    @amlac9242