Patriotic songs

The mood in Jewish Israel is pretty subdued these days. The war is not going the way that the Israeli government and military leadership thought it would. The war has been going on for 25 days which is a long time for the 1/3 of Israel's population which is directly affected.

Since 12th July Hezbollah has launched 3200 rockets against Israel - that is over 120 per day. The vast majority fall in the "front line" of Israel's towns, villages and kibbutzim within 20 km of the Lebanese border. Even though the majority of rockets fall in open spaces and do not hit people or buildings, some 50 Israeli civilians have been killed so far by Hezbollah rockets. This in spite of the Israeli Home Front Command's directives that all residents of the border areas should spend the whole time (day and night) in air raid shelters. Many of the residents of the north have fled to the centre or south of Israel for temporary refuge, most staying with friends and relatives. But the less privileged have stayed behind - they have nowhere to go to - and can you imagine how it must be to live for 25 days in underground shelters with no privacy? Many workplaces are closed, some factories have gone over to working nights because there are less rocket attacks at night than during the day.

At times like this, the local Israeli radio stations play more Israeli than foreign music. Patriotic songs, one might call them, but more melancholic and personal than rabble-rousing.

Two songs particularly run through my head - Ain Li Eretz Acheret (I have no other country) and Darkeinu (Our Path).
The first is an iconic classic in Israeli music , written by Ehud Manor during the first Lebanon war, explaining in 11 short lines that for 8 million Israelis there is no other home. (Also - David's comment- there is no other home for the 3.5 million Palestinians in this area)

The translated lyrics courtesy of http://www.hebrewsongs.com/song-einlieretzacheret.htm :

I have no other country even if my land is aflame
Just a word in Hebrew pierces my veins and my soul
- With a painful body, with a hungry heart,
Here is my home.

I will not stay silent because my country changed her face
I will not give up reminding her
And sing in her ears until she will open her eyes

The other song, which became associated with Israel's suffering during the Second Intifada and period of suicide bombings is Darkeinu (our Path)

An excerpt of the lyrics (see http://www.hebrewsongs.com/song-darkeinu.htm )
The road is still long
The journey is not yet over

It's not easy, our path is not easy
And your eyes sometimes are so sad

Indeed the eyes of all of us in this area are sad these days except for those few who find glory or destruction in fighting and desolation.