Kalaniyot

This article is about the song. For the national flower of Israel, see Anemone coronaria. For the division with that nickname, see 6th Airborne Division in Palestine.

Kalaniyot (English: "anemones") is an Israeli song that became popular in the days leading up to the establishment of the State of Israel and has remained an Israeli classic.

The lyrics, by Nathan Alterman, paint the Anemones as a beauty that remains constant through a woman's life as she moves from girlhood, to maturity, to nostalgic old age.[1] The music, by Israeli composer Moshe Vilensky, became one of his most famous melodies.

Although written as an ode to beauty, the song collided with the politics of Palestine under the British Mandate when the British 6th Airborne Division arrived to serve in an internal security role. The division wore red berets, which led them to acquire the nickname of "Anenomes" among the Jewish population who resented them. According to the account of a soldier who served there, the children would taunt members of the division by singing the chorus of the song at them.[2]

The song was sung by Shoshana Damari. It was sung to her by family and friends when she was on her death bed.[3][4]

  1. ^ Jakubovits, George. "KALANIOT: Hebrew Songs". HebrewSongs.com. Retrieved 13 September 2024.
  2. ^ Segev, Tom (2000). One Palestine, Complete: Jews and Arabs under the British Mandate. 115 West 18th St., New York, NY 10011: Metropolitan Books, Henry Holt and Company LLC. p. 481. ISBN 0-8050-4848-0.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location (link)
  3. ^ Assaf Carmel (14 February 2006). "Shoshana Damari, 'Queen of Israeli song,' dies at 83". Haaretz. Retrieved 12 January 2014.
  4. ^ Naomi Grossman (14 February 2006). "Singer Shoshana Damari Passes Away". Arutz Sheva. Retrieved 12 January 2014.