Am Yisrael Chai

Am Yisrael Chai (Hebrew: עַם יִשְׂרָאֵל חַי; lit. 'The people of Israel live') is Jewish solidarity anthem and a widely used expression of Jewish peoplehood and an affirmation of the continuity of the Jewish people.[1]

Composition

The song's lyrics are derived from Genesis 45:3: "Joseph said to his brothers, 'I am Joseph. Is my father still alive?'" Carlebach added the words "Am Yisrael Chai" (the nation of Israel lives on) and, for the song's refrain, changed the words "is my father still alive" to "our father still lives" (HEB. "Od Avinu Chai")[2] in a possible reference to the Jewish tradition that "Jacob/Israel did not die." According musicologist Tina Frühauf, Carlebach changed the reference from Joseph's father to God, "as the father of the children of Israel."[3]

The lyrics evoke a sense of the Jewish nation, Jewish survival, and an affirmation of Jewish identity.[3]

History

The phrase gained popular use with the eponymous 1965 song composed and sung by Jewish songwriter Shlomo Carlebach, which became the solidarity anthem of Soviet Jewry. At the request of Solomon Birnbaum, Carlebach created and performed the song for the first time at the 1965 rally in New York in support of the Student Struggle for Soviet Jewry.[4]

The song was sung on the second day of the Six Day War and at the end of the Yom Kippur War. It is the final song of Soul Doctor, a Broadway musical about Carlebach's life.[3] It is often used by the Jewish diaspora to express support and solidarity with Israel, such as during the 2023 Israel–Hamas war.[5]

In 2019, Judaic scholar Arnold Eisen called "Am Yisrael Chai" the "civil religion" of American Jewry.[6]

In 2023, Ben-Gurion Airport in Tel Aviv, Israel, debuted a 50-meter-long mural titled Am Yisrael Chai that covers 4,000 years of Jewish history.[7]

The phrase has been used widely as a defiant expression of Jewish continuity. For example, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu scribed the words "Am Yisrael Chai" in the guestbook of the Wannsee Villa in Berlin.[8] US Ambassador to the UN Linda Thomas-Greenfield uttered the phrase at an Israel solidarity rally during the 2023 Israel–Hamas war.[9]

References
  1. "Am Yisrael Chai". Jewish English Lexicon. Retrieved 18 October 2023.
  2. "The revolution is not over, says Neshama Carlebach". Jewish Telegraphic Agency. Times of Israel. 2013-10-23. Retrieved 9 October 2023.
  3. Frühauf, Tina (12 June 2018). Experiencing Jewish Music in America: A Listener's Companion. Rowman & Littlefield. p. 90. ISBN 978-1442258396. Retrieved 9 October 2023.
  4. Bensoussan, Barbara (2011-12-28). "Rallying Cry". Mishpacha. Retrieved 9 October 2023.
  5. "Jewish Diaspora expresses solidarity with Israel amidst attacks". Jerusalem Post. 2023-10-07. Retrieved 9 October 2023.
  6. Eisen, Arnold (June 2019). "Boomers, Millennials and the Shape of American Judaism". Contemporary Jewry. 39 (2): 345. Retrieved 18 October 2023.
  7. "Mural titled 'Am Yisrael Chai' unveiled at Ben-Gurion Airport". Jerusalem Post. 2023-06-20. Retrieved 9 October 2023.
  8. Brackman, Levi (2009-01-09). "Meaning of Am Yisrael Chai". Ynet News. Retrieved 18 October 2023.
  9. Magid, Jacob (2023-10-12). "Biden's UN envoy at Israel solidarity rally: 'Never again' is now. Am Yisrael Chai'". Times of Israel. Retrieved 18 October 2023.
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