Famed Israeli Choreographer Rivka Sturman (see Israel & Early Israeli dance) created this spirited dance in 1945 to an Israeli pop tune by Elkoni (or Abraham) Mindlin. (see lyrics below). The idea was to “dance” the lyrics – the feeling of community as well as the manipulations of an accordion (harmonika is the word for accordion in Bosnian, Croatian, Danish, Finnish, Hungarian, & Serbian).
Harmonika – the Song
Lyrics as reported in ©1989 Folk Dance Problem Solver
1. Hei harmonika nagni li sheh yir'ad kol tzlil.
Hey accordion play for me that thy voice ring out
2. et hahora sheh rakadnu yachad baGalil. the hora that we danced together in Galilee.
3. Od nizkora, od nizkora et hahora Yet we'll remember, still we'll remember the hora
4. hora sheh rakadnu yachad baGalil the hora that we danced together in Galilee
(older words)
5. Hei harmonika nagni li sheh yir'ad kol tzlil.
Hey accordion play for me that thy voice ring out.
6. Od nizkora, et hahora, hora baGalil. Yet we'll remember the hora, the hora in Galilee.
7. Hora sheh rakadnu pa'am, hora haGlilit Hora that we danced once, Galiliean hora.
8. hora od nirkod hapa'am, hora hanitzit hora yet remembered again, eternal hora.
9. Od nizkora, od nizkora et hahora Yet we'll remember, still we'll remember the hora
10. hora sheh rakadnu pa'am baGlalil the hora that we danced once in Galilee.
Lyrics as reported in ©May 1995 Let's Dance magazine.
11. Hey Harmonika nagni li Hey accordion play for me
She yirad kol tzlil until every note will shiver;
12. Od nizkora et hahora Remember the hora danced that
Hora bagalil night in the Galilee
13. Hora Sherakadnu pa'am We shall remember the hora
Hora Haglilit we danced in the Galilee
14. Hora od Nirkod hapa'am
Hora Hanitzchit
15. Od Nizkora od nizkhor et hahora
Sherakadnu pa'am bagalil
Folkdance Footnotes 