Hareut (''friendship'', ''fellowship'', ''comradeship'' in English, here esp. ''brotherhood in arms'') is a

Hebrew Hebrew (; ; ) is a Northwest Semitic language of the Afroasiatic language family. Historically, it is one of the spoken languages of the Israelites and their longest-surviving descendants, the Jews and Samaritans. It was largely preserved ...

poem written by

Haim Gouri Haim Gouri ( he, חיים גורי; Gurfinkel; 9 October 1923 – 31 January 2018) was an Israeli poet, novelist, journalist, and documentary filmmaker. Widely regarded as one of the country's greatest poets, he was awarded the Israel Prize ...

and set to music by

Sasha Argov Alexander "Sasha" Argov ( he, סשה ארגוב, born Alexander Abramovich; Moscow, 26 October 1914 – Tel Aviv, 27 September 1995) was a prominent Israeli composer. Life and career Argov was born Alexander Abramovich in Moscow, Russia in 1914 ...

. The song was written a year after the outbreak of the

1948 Arab–Israeli War The 1948 (or First) Arab–Israeli War was the second and final stage of the 1948 Palestine war. It formally began following the end of the British Mandate for Palestine at midnight on 14 May 1948; the Israeli Declaration of Independence had ...

and commemorates those who fell in the war. The song is often performed at memorial ceremonies. The song was originally performed by the

Chizbatron The Chizbatron ( he, צ'יזבטרון) was an Israeli musical ensemble under the auspices of the Israel Defense Force (IDF). It operated during the 1948 Arab-Israeli War, serving within the Palmach. History The Chizbatron troupe was founded in J ...

with

Gideon Singer Gideon Singer ( he, גדעון זינגר; June 29, 1926 – May 11, 2015) was an Israeli actor and singer. Biography Born in Brno, Singer emigrated with his family from Czechoslovakia to Israel in 1940 and he was a survivor of the Patria shipwr ...

as a soloist. Other well-known performances of the song have been by the NAHAL Entertainment Troupe, and popular singers

Shoshana Damari Shoshana Damari ( he, שושנה דמארי; March 31, 1923 – February 14, 2006) was a Yemeni-Israeli singer known as the "Queen of Hebrew Music." Biography Shoshana Damari was born in Dhamar, Yemen. Her family immigrated to Mandate Pales ...

and

Yehoram Gaon Yehoram Gaon ( he, יהורם גאון, born December 28, 1939) is an Israeli singer, actor, director, comedian, producer, TV and radio host, and public figure. He has also written and edited books on Israeli culture. The son of Sephardic Jewish ...

. Prior to Israel's 60th Independence Day, the song was elected by

IDF IDF or idf may refer to: Defence forces * Irish Defence Forces * Israel Defense Forces *Iceland Defense Force, of the US Armed Forces, 1951-2006 * Indian Defence Force, a part-time force, 1917 Organizations * Israeli Diving Federation * Interac ...

soldiers on the

Army Radio Army Radio ( he, גלי צה"ל lit. IDF waves) or Galei Tzahal, known in Israel by its acronym Galatz ( he, גל"צ), is a nationwide Israeli radio network operated by the Israel Defense Forces. The station broadcasts news, music, traffic reports ...

, as their favourite Hebrew song, ranking ahead of the popular Jerusalem of Gold. The song was highly ranked in other competitions. The song represents the social ideals of the period of the

1947–1949 Palestine war The 1948 Palestine war was fought in the territory of what had been, at the start of the war, British-ruled Mandatory Palestine. It is known in Israel as the War of Independence ( he, מלחמת העצמאות, ''Milkhemet Ha'Atzma'ut'') and ...

including one's sacrifice for the homeland, the individual's concern for all, and the sanctity of the memory of the fallen. In the 1990s the song also became identified with the

assassination of Yitzhak Rabin The assassination of Yitzhak Rabin, the fifth prime minister of Israel, took place on 4 November 1995 (12 Marcheshvan 5756 on the Hebrew calendar) at 21:30, at the end of a rally in support of the Oslo Accords at the Kings of Israel Square in ...

Yitzhak Rabin Yitzhak Rabin (; he, יִצְחָק רַבִּין, ; 1 March 1922 – 4 November 1995) was an Israeli politician, statesman and general. He was the fifth Prime Minister of Israel, serving two terms in office, 1974–77, and from 1992 until h ...

admitted that this was one of his favourite songs, and it was performed by Shoshana Damari at the Peace Rally at which he was later assassinated. It is regularly performed at ceremonies commemorating the memory of Yitzhak Rabin.

Lyrics

{, ,

Original

::הרעות :על הנגב יורד ליל הסתיו :ומצית כוכבים חרש חרש :עת הרוח עובר על הסף :עננים מהלכים על הדרך. :כבר שנה לא הרגשנו כמעט :איך עברו הזמנים בשדותינו :כבר שנה ונותרנו מעט :מה רבים שאינם כבר בינינו. :אך נזכור את כולם :את יפי הבלורית והתואר :כי רעות שכזאת לעולם :לא תיתן את ליבנו לשכוח :אהבה מקודשת בדם :את תשובי בינינו לפרוח. :הרעות נשאנוך בלי מילים :אפורה עקשנית ושותקת :מלילות האימה הגדולים :את נותרת בהירה ודולקת. :הרעות כנערייך כולם :שוב בשמך נחייך ונלכה :כי רעים שנפלו על חרבם :את חייך הותירו לזכר. :ונזכור את כולם... ,

English translation

::The friendship :An autumn night descends on the

Negev The Negev or Negeb (; he, הַנֶּגֶב, hanNegév; ar, ٱلنَّقَب, an-Naqab) is a desert and semidesert region of southern Israel. The region's largest city and administrative capital is Beersheba (pop. ), in the north. At its southe ...

:And gently, gently lights up the stars :While the wind blows on the threshold :Clouds go on their way. :Already a year, and we almost didn’t notice :How the time has passed in our fields :Already a year, and few of us remain :So many are no longer among us. :But we'll remember them all :The elegant, the handsome :Because friendship like this will never :Permit our hearts to forget :Love sanctified with blood :will once more bloom among us :Friendship, we bear you with no words :Gray, stubborn and silent :Of the nights of great terror :You remained bright and lit :Friendship, as did all your youths :Again in your name we will smile and go foreword :Because friends that have fallen on their swords :Left your life as a monument :And we'll remember them all… ,

External links

Hareut
performed by

Israeli songs Songs of the 1948 Arab–Israeli War 1949 songs