About The Artist:

Nurit Galron is one of Israel’s most beloved and successful female artists, with 14 albums to her credit. Her self-titled debut was released in 1978. Other albums include Sympathy (1982), Soul Bird (1988), Goodbye Honey (2000) and What the Heavens Give (2006).

Song: Im Eshkachech – Nurit Galron

Contribution to: Kaplan Medical Center Throat Cancer Fund

The poem, “Tziyon Tamati” was written by Menachem Mendel Dolitzky (1856-1931). Dolitzky was apparently born in Poland, but made his way to Moscow, where he became part of the Hibbat Tziyon (Love of Zion) movement that helped catalyze immigration to Palestine in the late 19th century. When Dolitzky was expelled from Moscow in 1892, though, he immigrated to the United States, where he reverted to writing in Yiddish (there was little audience there for Hebrew writers) and played an important role in the development of Jewish literature in the New World. Dolitzky’s poem draws its inspiration and several of its literary references, from the book of Psalms. “Tishkach yemini im eshkachech” (May my right hand forget its skill if I should forget you) comes from Psalm 137:5, while the next line, “Ad te’etar bor kivri alai piha” (Until the mouth of my grave closes over me) is reminiscent of the line from Psalm 69:15, “V’al te’etar alai bor piha” (And do not let the pit shut its mouth on me). The melody to which Dolitzky’s poem is sung is widely regarded as a folk song, but in their encyclopedic reference work on the songs of Israel, Sefer Shirim L’Talmidim, editors Gil Aldema and Dr. Nathan Shachar attribute the tune to an otherwise unidentified Heyman Cohen.

About Kaplan Medical Center Throat Cancer Fund

The Kaplan Medical Center is a hospital in Rehovot, Israel, located in the south of the city next to the Bilu Junction. In 2001, the hospital had 625 beds and in May 2007 was the tenth largest hospital in Israel. It serves the entire northern Shephelah region, between Rehovot and Ashdod (including Gedera and Yavne) and serves Ashdod along with Barzilai Hospital in Ashkelon. It was founded in 1953 and was named after Eliezer Kaplan, a well-known Zionist and the first Finance Minister of Israel. Kaplan is a teaching hospital, affiliated to the Hadassah and Hebrew University of Jerusalem Medical School. Kaplan Medical Center also has a small branch in Gedera called Herzfeld Medical Center, which mainly serves as a geriatric hospital and nursing home.