Natan Alterman's agricultural contributions

Published: July 16, 2014, 11:17 a.m.

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Some know Natan Alterman as an Israeli poet, playwright, journalist and translator who deeply influenced socialist zionist politics.

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Others might know that his song "Kalaniot" served as a code to warn against British forces during the Mandate Period.

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But few know he brought the seeds of the marmande tomato to Israel, where it was the main species cultivated in the country until the 1960s.

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Host Marcela Sulak reads his poem, The Silver Platter, inspired by Chaim Weizmann\'s 1947 claim: "A state is not handed to a people on a silver platter."

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Text:

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The Modern Hebrew Poem Itself, Ed. Burnshaw, Carmi, etc. al.

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Music:

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Kalanyot \\u2013 sung by Shoshana Damari, composed by Moshe Valensky

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The Never-ending Rendezvous \\u2013 sung by Arik Einstein, composed by Neomi Shemer

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