"Yerushalayim Shel Zahav" - The Song That Became Israel’s Second Anthem

From May 14, 1948 to the reunified Jerusalem of Gold

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May 13, 2026 1:13pm EDT

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"Yerushalayim Shel Zahav" – The Song That Became Israel’s Second Anthem

"Yerushalayim Shel Zahav" (Jerusalem of Gold) was written by Israeli songwriter Naomi Shemer. Commissioned by Jerusalem mayor Teddy Kollek for the 1967 Israeli Song Festival, it debuted on May 15, 1967, just weeks before the Six-Day War. Shuli Natan, then an unknown soldier-teacher, was chosen by Shemer to sing it at the festival.

A Jewish Quarter without Jews

Following the declaration of independence on May 14, 1948, the Jewish Quarter of Jerusalem came under siege and constant shelling by the Arab Legion. After two weeks of fighting, community leader Mordechai Weingarten received approval from the IDF to discuss surrender terms with Abdullah el Tall, the Arab Legion commander. Around 350 residents and defenders were taken into captivity in Jordan, including many wounded. They were released only nine months later. The remaining Jewish population was expelled through Zion Gate.

Little did she know

For the first time in centuries, the Old City of Jerusalem was left without a Jewish presence. In "Yerushalayim Shel Zahav," Naomi Shemer gave voice to that absence:

How have the cisterns dried out, the market squares are empty
And no one goes up to the Temple Mount in the Old City

How could she have guessed that just weeks later, reality would change completely?

The Sound of the Shofar

On June 7, 1967, Colonel Motta Gur famously announced over the radio: "Har HaBayit Beyadeinu" – "The Temple Mount is in our hands." IDF Chief Rabbi Shlomo Goren sounded the shofar at the Western Wall. Nineteen years of a divided Jerusalem had come to an end. Jews could once again return to the Old City and pray at the Western Wall.