The national anthem of Israel

Another characteristic hallmark of the State of Israel is the national anthem known as HaTikvah ("The Hope"). It was composed by the Hebrew poet and author, Naftali Herz Imber but the date of its composition is uncertain, either in 1878 or 1882. Imber's stirring poem expressed the hope and yearning of the Jew for the Return to Zion. It came to symbolise the Jewish national renaissance in Eretz-Israel achieving great popularity with the early Zionist pioneers.It was later adopted by the Zionist Organisation as its anthem and was sung at Zionist Congresses.

The tune or melody of HaTikvah has been identified with a Moldavian-Rumanian folk song or one used by the Czech composer Bedrich Smentha. During the period of the Mandate for Palestine, it was the unofficial anthem of the Jewish population. When the State of Israel was proclaimed on May 14, 1948, the assembled representatives sang HaTikvah at the opening of the ceremony and the Palestine Symphony Orchestra played it at the conclusion of that historic event.
 
Though HaTikvah has always been considered as the national anthem of Israel, it only received official recognition of that status by the Knesset in 2004.
 

Ha'Tikva

As long as in the heart, within,
A Jewish soul still yearns,
And onward, towards the ends of the east,
An eye still gazes toward Zion;
Our hope is not yet lost,
The hope of two thousand years,
To be a free people in our land,
The land of Zion and Jerusalem.

כֹּל עוֹד בַּלֵּבָב פְּנִימָה
נֶפֶשׁ יְהוּדִי הוֹמִיָּה,
וּלְפַאֲתֵי מִזְרָח, קָדִימָה,
עַיִן לְצִיּוֹן צוֹפִיָּה,

עוֹד לֹא אָבְדָה תִּקְוָתֵנוּ,
הַתִּקְוָה בַּת שְׁנוֹת אַלְפַּיִם,
לִהְיוֹת עַם חָפְשִׁי בְּאַרְצֵנוּ,
אֶרֶץ צִיּוֹן וִירוּשָׁלַיִם.
כֹּל עוֹד בַּלֵּבָב פְּנִימָה
נֶפֶשׁ יְהוּדִי הוֹמִיָּה,
וּלְפַאֲתֵי מִזְרָח, קָדִימָה,
עַיִן לְצִיּוֹן צוֹפִיָּה