Jerusalem of Gold

A presentation linking the well-known

Israeli song and the Six Day War.
By: Yuval Amichay

Question Circumstances

General Information
-

Written by Noami Shemer, well known

Israeli singer
Many different covers
One of the best is by Ofra Haza
(debatable)
Unofficial anthem of Israel, in opposition to
Hatikvah
Schindlers List

Meaning of the Title

- Rabbi Akiva
- Jewelry
- Rachel
- Center for the Jewish world and Jews as individuals

Six Day War

- Tension between Israel and Arab states (Egypt, Jordan, Iraq, Syria, Lebanon.)
- UN resolution 181, 1948 Arab-Israeli War, Suez Crisis
- Operation Focus
- 6 days of war
- Israel conquers Sinai Peninsula, Golan Heights, Gaza Strip, East Jerusalem
and the West Bank from Arab countries.
- 18,000+ Arab deaths, 900+ Israeli deaths
- Camp David Accords
- Ongoing tensions

Historical context in song

- Festival 3 weeks before the war.
- Added verse after the reconquering.
- Evidently shows the two different viewpoints.

Analysis - Verse 1
The mountain air is clear as wine
And the scent of pines
Is carried on the breeze of twilight
With the sound of bells.
And in the slumber of tree and stone
Captive in her dream
The city that sits solitary
And in its midst is a wall.

Analysis - Chorus

Jerusalem of gold
And of bronze, and of light
Behold I am a violin for all your songs.

Analysis - Verse 2
How the cisterns have dried
The market-place is empty
And no one frequents the Temple Mount
In the Old City.
And in the caves in the mountain
Winds are howling
And no one descends to the Dead Sea
By way of Jericho.
Chorus

Analysis - Verse 3
But as I come to sing to you today,
And to adorn crowns to you,
I am the smallest of the youngest of your children
And of the last poet.
For your name scorches the lips
Like the kiss of a seraph
If I forget thee, Jerusalem,
Which is all gold
Chorus

Analysis - Verse 4
We have returned to the cisterns
To the market and to the market-place
A ram's horn calls out on the Temple Mount
In the Old City.
And in the caves in the mountain
Thousands of suns shine We will once again descend to the Dead Sea
By way of Jericho!
Chorus

Text Structure
- 3/4 Time Signature
- Consists of 4 different verses and the chorus four times.
- Every second line is shorter than the first:




-Rhyming structure, contributes to structure

Message of the song

Depends how one sees it, the meaning could be:
1. A song of hope and longing of the Jewish people for Jerusalem after it was
take away from them and the victory of Israel in the Six Day War.
2. The lack of recognition the Israelis have for the Arabs in Jerusalem and their
strive to have Jerusalem back to its rightful owners.
(debatable)

Israeli perspective
-Doesntmention Arabs in Jerusalem.
Quote:
How the cisterns have dried
The market-place is empty
And no one frequents the Temple Mount
In the Old City.

And in the caves in the mountain

Winds are howling
And no one descends to the Dead Sea
By way of Jericho.

- Israelis had no access to religious places

Why I chose this text

- Already knew the song and knew its popularity.
- Very significant historical context in the writing.
- Israeli bias

Bibliography
"2017 ." . He.Wikipedia.Org. https://he.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D7%99%D7%A8%D7%95%D7%A9%D7%9C
%D7%99%D7%9D_%D7%A9%D7%9C_%D7%96%D7%94%D7%91.
"June 8: The Big Lie". 1993. Chabad.Org. http://www.chabad.org/multimedia/timeline_cdo/aid/525332/jewish/The-Big-Lie.htm.
"Six Day War - 6 Day War - Definition, History". 2016. Zionism-Israel.Com. Accessed December 14.
http://www.zionism-israel.com/dic/6daywar.htm.
"Military Casualties In Arab-Israeli Wars | Jewish Virtual Library". 2017. Jewishvirtuallibrary.Org. Accessed January 8.
http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/History/casualties.html.
Peretz, David. 2017. """" . Tarbut.Cet.Ac.Il.
http://tarbut.cet.ac.il/ShowItem.aspx?ItemID=3fce919c-145d-4514-8460-5eeced8884df&lang=HEB.

Bibliography Images
Jerusalem Of Gold CD. 2017. Image. Accessed January 10.
http://www.israel-catalog.com/music-cds/folk-songs/jerusalem-gold-cd-naomi-shemer.
Noami Shemer Original Last Verse. 2017. Image. Accessed January 10.
http://tarbut.cet.ac.il/ShowItem.aspx?ItemID=3fce919c-145d-4514-8460-5eeced8884df&lang=HEB.

Thank you for listening