Small Whale · Reading worksheet

Hatikvah

High school (ages 12+)
History & Culture

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/hatikvah

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Hatikvah. Small Whale. https://smallwhale.org/articles/hatikvah. Accessed 2026-09-23. Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. Who wrote Hatikvah?Naftali Herz Imber
2. What is Hatikvah?Hatikvah is Israel's national anthem. It is a song that tells the story of the Jewish people's hope to return to the Land of Israel and live as a free nation.
3. When did Hatikvah become Israel's official national anthem?Hatikvah was chosen as Israel's national anthem in 1948, the year the State of Israel was established.
4. Why is Hatikvah important to Jewish people?It reminds Jewish people of their long history and their dream to return to their homeland. The song also shows their hope for a free, sovereign nation.
5. From the article, write the year of poem's first version:1877
6. From the article, write the location of poem's composition:Iași

Diaspora: The dispersion of any people from their original homeland.
Nationalism: Identification with one's own nation and support for its interests, often to the exclusion or detriment of the interests of other nations.
Sovereignty: The supreme authority within a territory; the ability of a state to govern itself or control its own affairs.
Zionism: A political movement that supported the establishment and development of a Jewish state in the territory defined as the historic Land of Israel.