- published: 15 Feb 2013
- views: 36112
Nitzan (Hebrew: ניצן, lit. Flower bud) is a religiously observant communal settlement in southern Israel. Located among the Nitzanim sand dunes north of Ashkelon, it falls under the jurisdiction of Hof Ashkelon Regional Council. The town has a large concentration of Bnei Menashe (10–20% of the population) from the India/Myanmar border region of India.
The first settlement on Nitzan's current grounds was the kibbutz of Nitzanim in 1943. The kibbutz was established after the Jewish National Fund purchased a 400-acre (1.6 km2) plot of land and a large house known as the "mansion" in 1942. The first residents were immigrants, some of whom were Holocaust survivors. It later absorbed more immigrants from Poland and Romania. The kibbutz was conquered by Egypt during the 1948 Arab–Israeli War, but recaptured by Israel towards the end of the conflict. However, the kibbutz was re-established 3 kilometers (1.9 mi) to the south.
By 1995 Nitzan had a population of 105. It experienced rapid expansion in the mid-2000s after being selected to temporarily house a large group of families evacuated from Gush Katif as part of disengagement plan. 500 temporary caravillas were constructed on the eastern end of Nitzan (an area that became known as Nitzan Bet), and 250 more were ordered by the Israeli Government.
Edward Christopher "Ed" Sheeran (born 17 February 1991) is an English singer-songwriter and musician. He was born in Hebden Bridge, West Yorkshire and raised in Framlingham, Suffolk. After dropping out of school at 16, he moved to London the following year, in 2008, to pursue a career in music. In early 2011, Sheeran independently released the extended play, No. 5 Collaborations Project, which caught the attention of Elton John and Jamie Foxx. After signing with Asylum Records, his debut album, + (read as "plus"), was released on 9 September 2011 and has since been certified six-times platinum in the UK. The album contains the single "The A Team", which earned him the Ivor Novello Award for Best Song Musically and Lyrically. In 2012, Sheeran won the Brit Awards for Best British Male Solo Artist and British Breakthrough Act.
Sheeran's popularity abroad began in 2012. In the US, he made a guest appearance on Taylor Swift's fourth studio album, Red. "The A Team" was nominated for Song of the Year at the 2013 Grammy Awards, where he performed the song with Elton John. He spent much of 2013 opening for Swift's The Red Tour in North America dates. In late 2013, he performed three sold-out shows at New York's Madison Square Garden as a headline act. He was nominated for Best New Artist at the 2014 Grammy Awards.
Linger on, oh waning moon
This midnight hour has come much too soon
By the crystal lake we stand with our names in the sand
Believe me, my Love: I will wait for you
And I will return if you still want me, too
With the song of the nightswan
And I'll be in heaven!
The lark heralds the break of day
No longer by my side can you stay
In shrouded mists you disappear like a ghost bayadere
Where are you my Love? I'm calling your name
This spell can be broke: Love's ignited the flame
Like the song of the nightswan
And I'll be in heaven!
Oh, believe me, my Love, I will stand
laying siege to this fortress of time
With the glory of you in my heart
charge before the sun touches the rime
The Beltane fires upon the hill
Your hand in mine by the old water-mill
Fairles sing our wedding soung, now the moon lingers on
Stay with me, my Love, my Angel, my Life
We walked this dark maze so now we will fly
On the wings of the nightswan