Am Yisrael Chai

Meanings

interjection

A slogan used to express confidence in the continuity of the Jewish people.
We danced round and round in circles as if the world had done no wrong from evening until morning, filling up the shul with song. Though we had no Sifrei Torah to clutch and hold up high in their place we held those children, Am Yisrael Chai.
2003, Abie Rotenberg, “The Man from Vilna”, in Journeys, Volume IV
A slogan used in support for Israel and Zionism.
When Mr. Netanyahu took the podium, he was greeted with boos, and many of the diplomats in the hall walked out, as they did last year. Supporters of the Israeli leader, meanwhile, began chanting, “Am Yisrael Chai,” a popular refrain meaning “the people of Israel live.”
2026 September 24, Isabel Kershner, Farnaz Fassihi, Max Bearak, Michael Levenson, “Netanyahu, Addressing U.N., Denounces Israel’s Critics as ‘Moral Cowards’”, in The New York Times, →ISSN
1 more example
Fast-forward to today, we know that Am Yisrael Chai isn’t merely a slogan. Rather, it is a way of life — a life with purpose projected forward from generations before our time to future generations yet to be born, driving our active participation in reclaiming, retelling and realizing our story.
2025 January 2, “‘Am Yisrael Chai’ Is a Way of Life”, in Washington Jewish Week, archived from the original on 06 Jul 2025

Borrowed from Hebrew עם ישראל חי (am yisra'él kháy, literally “the people of Israel live”).

More words from Hebrew

Chinese Mandarin 以色列民長存 /以色列民长存

Hebrew עם ישראל חי

Russian Ам Исра́эль хай, Народ Израиля жив

Cite this entry

APA

Am Yisrael Chai. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Am%20Yisrael%20Chai

MLA

“Am Yisrael Chai.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Am%20Yisrael%20Chai. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “Am Yisrael Chai,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Am%20Yisrael%20Chai.