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<Flag Wavers (from left to right): Ahavatya David, Tova Meira Oberman and Tzvia Yehoshua are proud students at Ulpanat Talya in Jerusalem.

For thousands of years we ran and we fled
Our enemies laughed as we lay and we bled
Hated for simply being born as a Jew
Expelled so often we didn’t know what to do
Slowly we realized our lives couldn’t be so
We needed a place where every Jew could go

We wanted Israel, the place of our past
Where the first Mikdash stood, and one day the last
The Zionists came, they were the first
They came forth together in a sudden burst
Slowly and surely for the next several years
More Jews arrived over land and at piers

The English were here, having been given command
They were sent to help the people govern their land
The two nations here were supposed to coexist
But while Jews wanted peace, the Arabs would resist
Summer break came and the soldiers went to England
The Arabs attacked while the defense was weakened

The Jews here realized that just land would not suffice
It was time to take control, no more being nice
They’d tried for peace, accepting the partition
Arabs had attacked, refusing the conditions
God was on our side, so we didn’t fail
Against the many enemies we prevailed

On the fifth of Iyar in nineteen forty-eight
We declared independence after some debate
Many have fallen and we remember them
Because thanks to them, we’re safe here again
A country, a home, where Jews can reside
Where we can live and be happy, Jewish with pride

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