Naftali Herz Imber, a Galician Jew, wrote it in Palestine in the early 1880s and set it to music. Hatikva is about the Jewish people's unwavering optimism, despite the long years of exile, that they would one day reclaim their independence in their homeland. It is based on a Hebrew poem by Judah HaLevi (c. 1130-c. 1210) with the same name. The poem expresses the hope that the return of the Jews to Israel will once again make Zion beautiful. The song was first performed at a public meeting in Tel Aviv on 5 January 1987, four months before its official inauguration as Israel's national anthem. It has become very popular ever since then, and is often sung at Jewish events worldwide. Herz Imber also composed two other songs that are now used as Israeli civil ceremonies: Malka Tov U'Malka Chai ("Goodness Is All That Matters"), and Es Gevul LeTzerich ("And Justice For All"). These songs are still used in place of Hatikvah at religious ceremonies where it is inappropriate to play Hatikvah (for example, when there is a priest present).