History of HaTikvah, Israel's National Anthem

Originally a nine-stanza poem, HaTikvah’s melody may have been lifted from an earlier Italian or Czech song. Today, HaTikvah both inspires and irritates. It is an aspirational anthem, which connects Jews around the world, and it also alienates others who do not connect to the themes. This episode begs the important question: What’s more important in a national anthem- that it includes all of its citizens or that it embodies the spirit upon which the country was founded and that it strives to maintain?