נס ציונה | nes tsiyona (mi-me var kokhva) | Flag of Zion (from the times of Bar-Kokhva) (1912)
Artist: Abraham Zvi Idelsohn (1882-1938)
Lyrics: Shaul Tchernihovsky (1875-1943)
Tune: Ben-Yehuda
Shaul Tchernihovsky (1875-1943) wrote this poem in Odessa in 1897. It was published in Ha-Eshkol [The Cluster], a literary magazine edited by Y.S. Fux and A Gintsig (vol. 3, Cracow, 1898) and was already known by the early Zionists.
The song calls for the struggle of the Jewish people to return to their homeland. In the text, fighters are urged to persevere until they conquer the land of Zion and walk firmly with its flag. The text echoes the struggle of Simon Bar-Kokhva, who led the revolt against the Roman Empire in 132 CE that is commemorated in the Jewish holiday of Chanukah.
“Nes tsiyona (mi-me var kokhva)” was sung to a number of other melodies. Idelsohn (Ben-Yehuda) composed a melody for a choir, in a harmonic minor key, in a waltz rhythm with an augmented second that echoes East European Ashkenazic music.
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