Ha-Tikvah and Crypto Jews“Ha-Tikvah” is the national anthem of the State of Israel and is a powerful symbol of the Jewish people's yearning to return to their ancestral homeland, and establish a free and sovereign nation. Ha-Tikvah was written by Naftali Herz Imber (1877), and Samuel Cohen (1888) composed the melody. In Portugal, in the late 1920s, Ha-Tikvah was sung at the Rosh Pina Jewish school administered by Barros Basto. The Rosh Pina school was a hub for Crypto Jews and a Jewish educational institution. Oral history interviews (Jewish Museum of Porto) confirm that elders of the school recall singing Ha-Tikvah. Moreover, Barros Basto in his publication Ha-Lapid repeatedly refers to the Jewish return to Zion.For some Crypto Jews, Zionism brought a new collective identity that replaced years of fear, isolation and secrecy.In the picture: Early Zionist flag, Barros Basto and Ha-Tikvah.