This video present’s Israel’s entry in the 1982 Eurovision Song Contest in Harrogate, United Kingdom, “Hora” by Avi Toledano,which earned Israel second place in the international competition. In this up-beat, nostalgic song, Toledano, who immigrated to Israel from Morocco at the age of 16, sings about the beauty of the land of Israel and his love for dancing the Israeli folk dance of the hora. The lyrics of the chorus in Hebrew and the complete English lyrics are provided below. To see the complete Hebrew lyrics, click here.
קולה עוד עולה, קולה לא נדם
וגם ההורה, ההיא עם הה”א
שירה ממלא ליבי לעולם
Hora
The field we left behind then, still turns golden
The earth still bears its crop
And still beautiful are the nights in Canaan
Before the sun rises
The train still crosses the green orchard there
A stork still rests above
And the fog still floats in the valley
Between the sunrise and the dew
And also the hora, the one with the “Hey!”
Its voice still rises, its voice is not stilled
And this hora, the one with the “Hey!”
Its song fills my heart forever
Clouds still float over the city’s houses
And the sea caresses the shore
And it’s still heard, how within everyone’s heart
An old song and a dance are beating