Ruach - New Jewish Tunes by Transcontinental Music Publications

Words by N. H. Imber/Music based on a Czech folk song
Licensed by courtesy of Anana Ltd.

Israel’s national anthem in new musical clothes by a band known for being witty and biting, this song is a delightful fusion of Israeli Mizrachi pop, Eastern and Western rock and hip-hop, and traditional influences from all over. The band’s name, which they transliterate in their tongue-in-cheek style into the English "Tea packs,” is actually the name for correction fluid in Hebrew. That is a reference to the band members’ origins in a poor town, known in Israel as a development town, where they felt, growing up, “whited out” or invisible. Now a much-loved band with many hit records, recording the national anthem is an unexpected choice for a band whose lyrics normally take an ironic view of the trials and tribulations of daily life. That they did so perhaps indicates the deep connection many Israelis have with their country not only as the place where they live, but also as the homeland of their own, deep Jewish identification, a place where historic longing, the aspiration of national independence, and the Jewish spirit come together as one in the name of the One.

- Yonatan Glaser
ARZA/URJ Shaliach