Abstract
Abstract The Palmach was the backbone of the pre-state Yishuv militias fighting for the independence of Israel. However, its impact went beyond the battlefield and still resonates in the cultural arena of modern day Israel. The exclusive elite group was a beacon of cultural as well as pedagogical values influencing the state, such as the Yediat ha-Aretz principle and the thereby interwoven Wanderlust. Therefore, I will try to show how Haim Hefer, the prominent Palmach poet and songwriter, prolonged this hiking tradition through the years of early statehood and implemented it in his famous song ha-Sela ha-Adom (“The Red Rock”) about the clandestine treks to the mythical Nabatean city of Petra in Jordan by Meir Har-Zion and many others. I will argue that the pop-cultural heritage of this particular song-although deeply rooted in the cultural matrix of the Yishuv-is a theme and topic of controversy to this day.
Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
