The Hora as a ritual in lyrics: interpretations of ritualistic texts

The early Zionist pioneers adopted the Hora dance as an expression of their special experience, and saw it as a (quasi-)religious expression of themselves. This article studies the way Hora was conceived as a symbol and a ritual mainly in the lyrics of dance songs. Hora dancing is seen through the lens of lyrics as a rite of passage in the liminal situation characteristic of both the young immigrants and the historical moment as they saw it. The Hassidic background of the dance is highlighted through the charismatic leadership of A.D. Gordon’s dancing and Y.H. Brenner’s Hassidic-like sermons. The attitude expressed in lyrics is not Hassidic and surprisingly nor is it optimistic Zionist idealism. An interpretation of the main motives in lyrics infers a rather existentialist attitude adopted in order to face a difficult day-to-day working life. Being an expression of a past liminal experience, Hora appears in some lyrics as an object of a nostalgic expectation, as a part of an attempt to institutionalise it as a symbol of national identity.