Jerusalem of Gold

Jewish and Israeli music
Religious
Contemporary Piyyut Zemirot Nigun Pizmonim Baqashot
Secular
Israeli Klezmer Sephardic Mizrahi Secular music Mainstream and jazz Classical Jewish art music
Dance
Israeli folk dancing Ballet Horah Hava Nagila Yemenite dancing
Israel
Hatikvah Jerusalem of Gold
Piyyutim
Adon Olam Geshem Lekhah Dodi Ma'oz Tzur Yedid Nefesh Yigdal
Music for Holidays
Shabbat Hanukkah Blessings Oh Chanukah Dreidel song Al Hanisim Mi Y'malel Ner Li Passover (Haggadah) Ma Nishtana Dayenu Adir Hu Chad Gadya Echad Mi Yodea

"Jerusalem of Gold" (Hebrew: ירושלים של זהב‎, Yerushalayim Shel Zahav) is a popular Israeli song written by Naomi Shemer in 1967. The original song described the Jewish people's 2000-year longing to return to Jerusalem; Shemer added a final verse after the Six-Day War to celebrate Jerusalem's re-unification, after 19 years of Jordanian occupation.

History

Naomi Shemer wrote the original song for the Israeli Music Festival, held on 15 May 1967, the night after Israel's nineteenth Independence Day. She chose the then-unknown Shuli Nathan to sing the song.

Some of the song's melody is based on a Basque lullaby, Pello Joxepe (Foolish Joseph), composed by Juan Francisco Petriarena 'Xenpelar' (1835-1869), which Shemer had heard in a performance by singer/songwriter Paco Ibañez, who visited Israel in 1962 and sang this song to a group that included Naomi Shemer and Nehama Hendel. Shemer acknowledged hearing Hendel perform Pello Joxepe in the mid-1960s. Shemer said she had unconsciously based some of her melody on the lullaby, and had felt very bad when she found realised she had. Ibañez was asked how he felt when he heard Shemer had based some of the melody on Pello Joxepe. He replied by saying that he was "glad it helped in some way" and that he was not angry and did not perceive it as plagiarism.

At that time, the Old City was still occupied by Jordan and under Jordanian rule; Jews had been exiled from the Old City and all of Jerusalem east of the Old City, losing their homes and possessions, and becoming refugees. All Jews were barred from either returning or entering the areas under Jordanian occupation, and many holy sites were desecrated and damaged during the 19-year occupation by Jordan. Only three weeks after the song was published, the Six-Day War broke out. The song was the battle cry and morale booster of the Israeli troops. Shemer even sang it for them before the war and festival, making them among the first in the world to hear it. On 7 June, the Israel Defense Forces liberated the eastern part of Jerusalem and the Old City from the Jordanians. When Shemer heard the paratroopers singing "Jerusalem of Gold" at the Western Wall, she wrote the final verse, reversing the phrases of lamentation found in the second verse. The line about shofars sounding from the Temple Mount is a reference to an event that actually took place on 7 June.

Themes

Many of the lyrics refer to traditional Jewish poetry and themes. "Jerusalem of Gold" is a reference to a special piece of jewelry mentioned in a famous Talmudic legend about Rabbi Akiva; "To all your songs, I am a lyre" is a quote from a poem by Rabbi Yehuda Halevi. "The city that sits alone" is a reference to the first verse of the biblical Book of Lamentations. "If I forget thee Jerusalem" is a quote from Psalm 137, verse 5.

Other versions

Many artists recorded their own versions for the song.

• Klaus Meine, vocalist of the popular rock band Scorpions, recorded a cover of the song together with Israeli Liel Kolet.
• The Greek singer Demis Roussos recorded a version of the song as well.
• The late Israeli singer Ofra Haza sang a poignant version of the song at Pa'amonei HaYovel (Bells of the Jubilee), Israel's 50th Anniversary celebration in 1998.
• The jam band Phish also performs the song on tour and recorded a rendition of the song on the 1994 album "Hoist".
• Eric Dinowitz arranged an a cappella version.
• Brazilian singer-songwriter Roberto Carlos covered the Portuguese version of the song in 2011.

The song also features prominently at the end of the film Schindler's List (with the exception of the Israeli release), when the remaining Jews leave the camp and walk over the hill in the direction of a nearby town. Initial Israeli audiences were amused by the use of this song, due to it being written over 22 years after the Holocaust and being totally unrelated to the subject of the film. Following this, it was replaced with Hannah Szenes's song Eli, Eli for Israeli showings.

The song has been translated loosely into many languages. It was also chosen as the "Song of the Year" in Israel in 1967.

The song is the corps song of the Blue Stars Drum and Bugle Corps. The corps sings it before every competition.^{[citation needed]}

External links

• Jerusalem of Gold
• English lyrics International Wall of Prayer