Naomi Shemer (1930- 2004)

 

Composer and Song Writer; Author of "Jerusalem of Gold"

Known as the "First Lady of Israeli Song," Naomi Shemer is a prolific song writer and composer. She has written numerous songs, many of which have become popular hits, she has composed many well-known children's songs, and she has also set poems to music, including works by Rahel and Natan Alterman.

Shemer was born on Kvuzat Kinneret and grew up overlooking the shores of the Jordan. Many of her songs recreate the landscape that was such a part of her youth and reflect her love of the topography and scenery of Eretz Yisrael. She took piano lessons at an early age and continued her music studies in Jerusalem. She began composing songs in the 1950's and wrote for a range of singing groups, from army troupes to popular singers. Shemer's first record with eight of her songs appeared in 1959, and her music appealed to children, youth, and adult audiences.

In 1967, Shemer was asked to compose a song for the Israel Song Festival. Though not itself part of the competition, the three stanzas of "Yerushalayim shel Zahav" ("Jerusalem of Gold") became instantly popular. Particularly because the Festival occurred just before the Six Day War and the reunification of Jerusalem, the song acquired a national significance that spoke to the country's longing for Jerusalem and its surrounding areas. Broadcast frequently on the radio and sung by many, it functioned as a second national anthem. Following the war, Shemer composed a fourth stanza to the song, celebrating the liberation of the Old City of Jerusalem and the road to Jericho. "Yerushalayim shel Zahav" was translated into many languages and became an international statement on the reunification of Jerusalem.

Of the songs Shemer wrote about the Yom Kippur War, the most popular became "Lu Yehi" ("Let it Be") which began as a translation of the Beatles' song by that name and evolved into an independent hit. This and other songs, many of which have been published in books of her music, have made Shemer's songs arguably the most-sung in the 1960's to the 1980's. For her immense contribution to Israeli music, Shemer was awarded the Israel prize in 1983.

Photo: ©Haaretz Archives

Shalem Center

Naomi Shemer, 1930-2004, by Yishai Haetzni.
Appreciative and contextual appraisal of Naomi Shemer's work, ideals, sources, style, and importance, with examples in translation.

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