Israel should consider changing Hatikvah as its national anthem

In New Zealand, they have two national anthems, one of which is 'God Save the King' and the other being 'God Defend New Zealand,' which is in tribute to the indigenous Maori population. Prior to the end of apartheid, South Africa also had two national anthems, but in 1997, abandoned both, and adopted a new anthem. In Russia, for instance, the anthem has been changed at least three times. The present anthem is sung to the same tune as that of Soviet times, but the lyrics were changed in December 2000. For Jews, the world over, Israel's national anthem 'Hatikvah' – the Hope – which was originally a poem written in 1878 by Naftali Herz Imber, is the universal national anthem. The melody was adapted from a Moldavian folk song by Romanian immigrant Samuel Cohen. The lyrics speak of the Jewish people's longing to return to Zion. Most national anthems are in tribute to the country or the nation as a whole. But 'Hatikvah' is clearly the anthem of the Jewish people and does not take into account the minorities who are also part of the nation of Israel. A major step toward making Israel more acceptable to the Arab world would be to change the anthem to something in which the lyrics would be more neutral and could apply to any sector of the population. 'Jerusalem of Gold' comes close, but includes the Temple Mount in the text. Though unofficially Israel's second national anthem, it would have to be altered slightly so that another expression could be found for Temple Mount which has both political and religious connotations. Rabbi Abraham Isaac Kook, who was Ashkenazi chief rabbi under the British Mandate, wrote a possible alternative to 'Hatikvah' under the title of 'HaEmunah' ('The Faith'). This was fine for religious Jews, but not for the rest of the population. The debate on the anthem has been going on for more than a century, with agreement yet to be reached. Non-Jews respectfully stand to attention when 'Hatikvah' is played, but cannot bring themselves to sing about the Jewish soul and Zion. It's not quite the same, because hospital stays are relatively brief and seldom repeated. But many events attended by non-Jews begin or end with 'Hatikvah,' which was inspiring on the road to statehood, but is no longer suitable when we have a state