I7: Jerusalem

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The Six Day War (5-10/6/67)

It was only in 1967, when provoked into war, that the people of the young State of Israel realised that the whole of Jerusalem could be theirs again.

The armies of Egypt, Syria and Jordan were intent on destroying Israel once and for all. But in an unbelievable six days, Israel, through pre-emptive strikes and strategical manoeuvres, managed to not only defend herself, but reclaim Jewish territory in three directions. The Sinai desert, the Golan Heights and all the land, including Jerusalem, up to the Jordan river. When the dust of war settled, the Jews rejoiced, Jerusalem was united once more.

This Is It!

In 1992, General Uri Narkiss, who led the battle for Jerusalem in the Six day War, came to Britain to talk to young Jews about his experiences. He mentioned that on the way to the city, the Israeli army were facing superior enemy tanks. They could not be stopped and urgent air support was called for. But the soldiers of the Israeli airforce were still recovering from their successful attack against Egypt and stated that air power was unavailable. General Narkiss grabbed the phone transmitter and screamed into it: Don't you realise? This is for Jerusalem! The planes arrived and the rest is history.

Song of the Golden City

Ask people what colour they associate with Jerusalem and they will most likely answer "gold". There have been associations of gold with Jerusalem for many generations. The Hebrew phrase Yerushalayim shel zahav (Jerusalem of gold) is used in the ancient Talmud. In Jerusalem today there is a law that forbids the use of concrete or indeed any material except for Jerusalem stone for the outside covering of buildings. As the sun rises and sets, the rays fall on the stone and the city shines like gold. But perhaps the most famous connection is all because of a song...

Shortly before the Six Day War, Naomi Shemer, Israel's premier songwriter of her generation, unveiled her newest song about Jerusalem: Yerushalayim shel zahav. The verses reflected the sadness of the divided city and captured the hearts of the nation:

Mountain air as clear as wine and the scent of pine,
are borne on the evening wind with the sound of bells. And in the slumber of trees and stone,
imprisoned in her dream is the city which dwells alone,
a wall within her heart.

Chorus: Jerusalem of gold, copper and of light,
Behold, I am a harp for all your songs.

The wells are so dry, the market square is empty,
and none go up to the Temple Mount in the Old City...

When Jerusalem was reunited during the war, the soldiers sang Naomi Shemer's song as they danced at the Western Wall. Moved by the golden city, the joyful people and the poignancy of the moment, she added a final verse:

We have returned to the wells,
to the market and the square,
The shofar calls on the Temple Mount in the Old City.
And from the caves in the rocks a thousand suns glow again...

Jerusalem of gold, copper and of light,
Behold, I am a harp for all your songs.

The verse described the new reality that had not even been dreamed of when she wrote the song originally. It became the unofficial anthem to the city and is still sung often by Jews all over the world.

Yet again the visionary words of a poet and the reality of the material world are somehow joined in the city of Jerusalem. Jerusalem cannot be fully comprehended for it is beyond definition. The beauty and wonder of Jerusalem is not only to be seen with the naked eye, it is to be felt in the heart too.

Effects of the War

The Six Day War had a profound effect on Jews outside of Israel. When the conflict began, realising the mortal danger Israel was now facing, Diaspora Jews volunteered en masse to fight. They organised demonstrations in aid of Israel and gave vast funds to support her defence. All over the world, there was a resurgence of interest in Judaism. Thousands of Jewish tourists, students and volunteers made their way to the Promised Land. It was as if Jerusalem herself was calling her children home.

Secular Israelis who had fought in the Six Day War were also profoundly affected. In the words of Colonel Motta Gur, a self professed "non-religious" Jew: 'It's strange. Though begun as a strictly military operation, the conquest of Jerusalem changed character. Suddenly, the way we fought was different: we were different. Overwhelmed by a feeling at once new and ancient, we understood that our true objective was no longer the taking of this strategic position or that important network, it was the liberation of history itself. We were on our way to keep an appointment, and we were running, breathless, our hearts pounding...'

In 1948 the State of Israel had been established, but in the first 19 years of her existence, no one was sure if it would last. Surrounded by hostile neighbours, the future of Israel was always in question. But after the Six Day War, especially because of the recapture of Jerusalem, the watching world was more convinced that Israel was here to stay. Before 1967, the surrounding Arab countries talked of "destroying the Zionist state and driving the Jews into the sea." Since 1967, conflicts have been about territories, not about the very existence of Israel. Jerusalem testifies to the staying power of the Jewish people.

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