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June 05, 2007
The Sounds of Liberation
This is incredible, and will bring tears to your eyes.
What you are now about to hear is perhaps one of the most riveting recordings in the modern-day history of Israel. I refer to the dramatic sounds of Israeli Defense Forces entering and liberating Jerusalem's Old City and the Western Wall on June 7th, 1967. You hear the sounds of gunfire. You hear the footsteps of Israeli soldiers, as they draw closer and closer and as General Uzi Narkiss instructs them and asks to be shown where the Western Wall stands. We hear a triumphant Brigadier General Shlomo Goren, later to become the Chief Rabbi of Israel, as he recites the memorial prayer and sound the shofar, as Israeli soldiers weep with sorrow over their comrades killed in combat.
Listen closely to this piece of history, which is housed in the archives of the Avi Yaffe Recording Studio in Jerusalem.
Here is the Translation:
Colonel Motta Gur [on loudspeaker]: All company commanders, we're sitting right now on the ridge and we're seeing the Old City. Shortly we're going to go in to the Old City of Jerusalem, that all generations have dreamed about. We will be the first to enter the Old City. Eitan's tanks will advance on the left and will enter the Lion's Gate. The final rendezvous will be on the open square above.
The open square of the Temple Mount.
Sound of applause by the soldiers.
IDF Radio Reporter Yossi Ronen: We are now walking on one of the main streets of Jerusalem towards the Old City. The head of the force is about to enter the Old City.
Gunfire.
Yossi Ronen: There is still shooting from all directions; we're advancing towards the entrance of the Old City.
Sound of gunfire and soldiers' footsteps.
Yelling of commands to soldiers.
More soldiers' footsteps.
Yossi Ronen:The soldiers are keeping a distance of approximately 5 meters between them. It's still dangerous to walk around here; there is still sniper shooting here and there.
Gunfire.
Yossi Ronen:We're all told to stop; we're advancing towards the mountainside; on our left is the Mount of Olives; we're now in the Old City opposite the Russian church. I'm right now lowering my head; we're running next to the mountainside. We can see the stone walls. They're still shooting at us. The Israeli tanks are at the entrance to the Old City, and ahead we go, through the Lion's Gate. I'm with the first unit to break through into the Old City. There is a Jordanian bus next to me, totally burnt; it is very hot here. We're about to enter the Old City itself. We're standing below the Lion's Gate, the Gate is about to come crashing down, probably because of the previous shelling. Soldiers are taking cover next to the palm trees; I'm also staying close to one of the trees. We're getting further and further into the City.
Gunfire.
Colonel Motta Gur announces on the army wireless: The Temple Mount is in our hands! I repeat, the Temple Mount is in our hands! All forces, stop firing! This is the David Operations Room. All forces, stop firing! I repeat, all forces, stop firing! Over.
Commander eight-nine here, is this Motta (Gur) talking? Over.
Inaudible response on the army wireless by Motta Gur.
General Uzi Narkiss: Motta, there isn't anybody like you. You're next to the Mosque of Omar.
Yossi Ronen: I'm driving fast through the Lion's Gate all the way inside the Old City.
Command on the army wireless: Search the area, make sure to enter every single house, but do not touch anything. Especially in holy places.
Lt.- Col. Uzi Eilam blows the Shofar. Soldiers are singing 'Jerusalem of Gold'.
General Uzi Narkiss: Tell me, where is the Western Wall? How do we get there?
Yossi Ronen: I'm walking right now down the steps towards the Western Wall. I'm not a religious man, I never have been, but this is the Western Wall and I'm touching the stones of the Western Wall.
Soldiers: [reciting the 'Shehechianu' blessing]: Baruch ata Hashem, elokeinu melech haolam, she-hechianu ve-kiemanu ve-hegianu la-zman ha-zeh. Translation: Blessed art Thou Lord God King of the Universe who has sustained us and kept us and has brought us to this day.
Rabbi Shlomo Goren: Baruch ata Hashem, menachem tsion u-voneh Yerushalayim. Translation: Blessed are thou, who comforts Zion and bulids Jerusalem
Soldiers: Amen!
Soldiers sing 'Hatikva' [The Israeli National Anthem] next to the Western Wall.
Rabbi Goren: We're now going to recite the prayer for the fallen soldiers of this war against all of the enemies of Israel:
Soldiers weeping.
Rabbi Goren sounds the shofar.
Rabbi Goren: El male rahamim, shohen ba-meromim. Hamtse menuha nahona al kanfei hashina, be-maalot kedoshim, giborim ve-tehorim, kezohar harakiya meirim u-mazhirim. Ve-nishmot halalei tsava hagana le-yisrael, she-naflu be-maaraha zot, neged oievei yisrael, ve-shnaflu al kedushat Hashem ha-am ve-ha'arets, ve-shichrur Beit Hamikdash, Har Habayit, Hakotel ha-ma'aravi veyerushalayim ir ha-elokim. Be-gan eden tehe menuhatam. Lahen ba'al ha-rahamim, yastirem beseter knafav le-olamim. Ve-yitsror be-tsror ha-hayim et nishmatam adoshem hu nahlatam, ve-yanuhu be-shalom al mishkavam [soldiers weeping loud]ve-ya'amdu le-goralam le-kets ha-yamim ve-nomar amen!
Translation: Merciful God in heaven, may the heroes and the pure, be under thy Divine wings, among the holy and the pure who shine bright as the sky, and the souls of soldiers of the Israeli army who fell in this war against the enemies of Israel, who fell for their loyalty to God and the land of Israel, who fell for the liberation of the Temple, the Temple Mount, the Western Wall and Jerusalem the city of the Lord. May their place of rest be in paradise. Merciful One, O keep their souls forever alive under Thy protective wings. The Lord being their heritage, may they rest in peace, for they shalt rest and stand up for their allotted portion at the end of the days, and let us say, Amen.
Soldiers are weeping. Rabbi Goren sounds the shofar. Sound of gunfire in the background.
Rabbi Goren: Le-shana HA-ZOT be-Yerushalayim ha-b'nuya, be-yerushalayim ha-atika!Translation: This year in a rebuilt Jerusalem! In the Jerusalem of old!
The historic radio broadcast of the liberation of the Temple Mount and the Western Wall was researched, transcribed and translated by Yitschak Horneman / Quality Translations, Jerusalem.
Television producer Yossi Ronen recalls broadcasting the liberation of the Temple Mount and Western Wall. The third of three eye witness accounts provided to 'Bamahane - IDF Magazine' by men who took part in the key moments of the Six Day War, which helped change the course of Jewish, Middle East and world history
Live from the Western Wall by Yossi Ronen
Posted by Robert J. Avrech at June 5, 2007 12:29 PM
Comments
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Dear Robert,
Crushingly magnificent! I'm trembling b'simcha!
Thank you!
Alan
Posted by: alan at June 5, 2007 03:44 PM
Robert,
Thank you for posting this! It gave me chills. I had a copy of that Life magazine special edition about the war; wish I still had it.
Thanks again,
DrCarol
Posted by: DrCarol at June 5, 2007 04:59 PM
Alan:
Thick tears run down my face no matter how many time I listen to this recording.
Posted by: Robert J. Avrech ![[TypeKey Profile Page]](http://www.seraphicpress.com/nav-commenters.gif)
at June 5, 2007 05:09 PM
Dr. Carol:
Oh, I remember that Life magazine. I must have looked at the pictures and read the copy a hundred times. The feeling was euphoric. I too wish we had saved it. Maybe that's why I now save everything.
Posted by: Robert J. Avrech at June 5, 2007 05:46 PM
I have always found that to be a very exciting and emotional recording.
Posted by: Jack at June 5, 2007 07:52 PM
Jack:
It's a classic, like Sgt. Pepper's. L'havdeel.
Posted by: Robert J. Avrech at June 5, 2007 07:58 PM
Monumental, momentous, and terribly moving. Thanks for that.
I get choked up in the same way when I go to a large Jewish community event that starts off with the singing of "HaTikvah" by all those gathered there. An assembly of voices that rises to the rafters...
Posted by: Pearl at June 6, 2007 05:23 AM
The recording moves me like no other. The hopes of 2,000 years realized.
Posted by: Shirah at June 6, 2007 05:41 AM
Pearl:
The rafters in this case, was heaven
Posted by: Robert J. Avrech at June 6, 2007 08:49 AM
Shirah:
Even Yossi Ronen, not observant, is moved beyond comprehension when he touches the wall.
Posted by: Robert J. Avrech at June 6, 2007 08:58 AM
Uri Kaufman wrote a good article about the 6 day war - on the front page of last week's jewish press.
Posted by: mata hari at June 6, 2007 09:19 AM
Mata Hari:
Yes, we read the article. Very fine. Thanks so much.
Posted by: Robert J. Avrech at June 6, 2007 11:06 AM