Naftali Herz Imber
נפתלי הרץ אימבר
Poet · 1856–1909
Biography
Naftali Herz Imber was born in Zolochiv, Galicia (today Ukraine), into a traditional Jewish family. A restless, bohemian poet, he wandered between Europe, Ottoman Palestine, London and finally New York.
In 1878 he wrote the poem 'Tikvatenu' ('Our Hope'), nine stanzas long, inspired by the founding of Petah Tikva — one of the first modern Jewish farming villages in the Land of Israel.
Farmers in Rishon LeZion set his words to a folk melody that circulated across Europe (a cousin of the tune Smetana used in 'The Moldau'). The song spread through Zionist congresses until it became the movement's unofficial anthem.
Imber died poor in New York in 1909 and never heard his poem sung as a state anthem. Israel officially adopted Hatikvah in 2004 by law, though it had functioned as the anthem since 1948.
Quick facts
- Born
- Zolochiv, Galicia, 1856
- Poem
- 'Tikvatenu', 1878
- Melody
- European folk tune, arranged in Rishon LeZion
- Anthem since
- 1948 (law: 2004)
Songs by Naftali Herz Imber with Hebrew lyrics
Culture quiz: Naftali Herz Imber & Israel
Test what you know about Naftali Herz Imber, the song's Hebrew words and Israeli culture.
Naftali Herz Imber wrote the poem that became...