A Sephardic song of the Zionist movement, which refers to the eternal longing of the Jewish people to return to their ancestral land, Palestine. The melody of the song is based on Israel's national anthem, Hatikva, but also strongly resembles the melody of the children's song “There Was a Donkey with Big Ears,” classifying it as a contrafactum song.

It is unclear whether the song was sung only by children or also by adults. According to the oral testimony of Holocaust survivor Daniel (Lakis) Saltiel, the song was taught to him by his mother, Claire, who sang it to him when he was a child (see Source 1).

Zionism is a political movement officially established in 1897 under the leadership of Theodor Herzl (1860-1904). The movement emerged as a response to the rise of antisemitic phenomena in Central Europe, with its central goal being the repatriation of Jews worldwide to their ancestral land and the creation of an autonomous state of Israel.

The song was professionally recorded by the Pellegrinaggio al Levante Ensemble based on Daniel Soussi’s version and is part of the album Unknown Musical Treasures of the Greek Jews, published by the Jewish Community of Thessaloniki (see audio archives).

Sources: Source 1: Mariangela Hatzistamatiou Archive Performed by Daniel Soussi.

According to this testimony, the song was sung by Soussi’s mother, Claire Nadjari-Soussi, who originated from Magnesia in Asia Minor. She was the sister of Emilia Nadjari-Saltiel, the mother of David Saltiel, the president of the Jewish Community of Thessaloniki. The family of Claire and Emilia Nadjari came to Greece in 1922 due to the destruction of Smyrna and the persecution of Greeks in Asia Minor.

Source 2: Flora Molho Archive Performed by her father, Isaac Molho.

Source 3: Maale Adumim Institute Database, Catalogue No. 1883 http://folkmasa.org/avshir/shirp.php?mishtane=1883 Performed by Nisim Benezra.

Source 4: Maale Adumim Institute Database, Catalogue No. 25 http://folkmasa.org/avshir/shirp.php?mishtane=25 Performed by Rivka Behar.

Music Guide Note: In the music guide, the lyrics of Daniel Soussi’s version were syllabified. However, all other versions can be sung in their entirety or combined.