Naomi Shemer
Naomi Shemer was a leading Israeli musician and songwriter, hailed as the "first lady of Israeli song and poetry." Her song "Yerushalayim Shel Zahav" written in 1967, became an unofficial second anthem after Israel won the Six-Day War that year and reunited Jerusalem.
Early life
Naomi Sapir was born to Rivka and Meir Sapir in Kvutzat Kinneret, an Israeli kibbutz her parents had helped found, on the shores of the Sea of Galilee. In the 1950s she served in the Israeli Defense Force's Nahal entertainment troupe, and studied music at the Rubin Academy in Jerusalem, and in Tel Aviv with Paul Ben-Haim, Abel Ehrlich, Ilona Vincze-Kraus and Josef Tal.Songwriting career
Shemer did her own songwriting and composing, set famous poems to music, such as those of the Israeli poet, Rachel, and the American Walt Whitman. She also translated and adapted popular songs into Hebrew, such as the Beatles song "Let It Be" in 1973.In 1963, she composed "Hurshat Ha'Eucalyptus", a song that evokes Kvutzat Kinneret where she was born. It was covered in a recent version by Ishtar. In 1967, she wrote the patriotic song, "Yerushalayim Shel Zahav", which was sung by Shuli Natan and became famous. She wrote it for the Israeli Music Festival. After Israel's victory in the Six-Day War that year, she added another verse celebrating the reunification of Jerusalem. The song "gained the status of an informal second national anthem."
Personal life
She first married actor Gideon Shemer and had a daughter, Lali. They were later divorced. She later married an attorney, Mordechai Horowitz. The two had a son Ariel Horowitz, who also became a musician.. Visitors leave stones in keeping with an ancient Jewish custom.
Shemer continued to write her own songs. She died in 2004 of cancer, aged 73. Shortly before her death, she wrote to a friend, saying she had used a Basque folk melody as the basis for her 1967 "anthem," "Jerusalem of Gold". She had always denied it before. The friend and her family decided to publish the account. In 1962, singer Paco Ibáñez performed the Basque melody "Pello Joxepe", in Israel, when Shemer might have heard it.
Shemer was buried in the cemetery at Kvutzat Kinneret, her place of birth. Alongside her are buried many of the socialist ideologues and pioneers of the second and third waves of immigration. Shemer was buried near the famous Israeli poet Rachel, according to Shemer's wish.
Awards
In 1983, Shemer received the Israel Prize for Hebrew song.Works
- All My Songs , 1967, published by Yedioth Ahronoth
| "Tomorrow" | "On The Jordan" | "The White Town" |
| "A Chariot of Fire" | "Lights Out" | "Black Coffee" |
| "My Soldier is Back" | "Fields at Sunset" | "Green Meadows" |
| "Four Brothers" | "Soldiers En Route" | "A Song For Gideon" |
| "The Long Hike" | "The Builders' Love" | "Yesternight" |
| "Look For Me" | "Men At Work!" | "The Two of Us" |
| "We Are Starving!" | "In Such a Night" | "A Lament" |
| "An Umbrella For Two" | "The Clown" | "Just For You" |
| "My Dream House" | "Ophelia" | "Night on the Shore" |
| "Anniversary Song" | "The Spy-Girl" | "Answers" |
| "My Flute" | "A Serenade" | "A City in Grey" |
| "Twelve Months" | "Flowers, Herbs, Etc." | "Jerusalem of Gold" |
| "A Short Walk" | "The Market Song" | "On Silver Wings" |
| "My Fathers Song" | "Night on the Park" | "Lullaby for Colors" |
- The Second Book, copyright 1975, published by Lulav
| Land of Lahadam | Funny Faces | For Children |
| "Land of Lahadam" | "Beautiful People" | "Rosh-Hashana" |
| "Nachal in Sinai" | "Sixteen" | "Shlomit" |
| "Maoz Tsur" | "Mr. Narcissus" | "Aleph-Beit" |
| "The Sacrifice of Isaac" | "The Witches" | "When Adar Comes" |
| "Giora" | "A Special Lullaby" | "Let's Say" |
| "All We Pray For" | "Shem, Cham, & Yefet" | "I Have a Friend" |
| "A Song is Born" | "The Shark" | "On the Move" |
| "Things we Have" | "Paranoid" | "Summer Holiday" |
| "Bethlehem" | "Two Street-Photographers" | "Tall Stories" |
| "Why Did Michal Laugh" | "How to Break a Chamsin" | |
| "Ruchama" | - | - |
| "Yesh Li Chag" | - | - |
| "It's Late" | - | - |
| "Shalom Kitah Aleph" | - | - |
| "To Sing Like a Jordan" | - | - |
- Number Three , copyright 1982, published by Lulav
| Songs | Poems | Imported Wine | Children Everywhere | Columns from Davar |
| "Al Kol Eleh" | "Omrim Yeshna Eretz" | "Oifen Veg Stait a Bhoim" | "Children Everywhere" | "Shalom, Ida Nudel" |
| "Good People" | "Hoi Artzi Moladti" | "Si Tous les Oiseaux" | "Grapefruit" | "Pardes-Hanna" |
| "Shirat Ha'Asavim" | "Come & Sing" | "Le Testament" | "Autumn" | "It's Raining" |
| "Cheveley Mashiach" | "Kinneret" | "La Non-Demande en Mariage" | "Our Benjamin" | "Yehuda" |
| "Tapuach Bi'Dvash" | "Begani" | "Il n'y a pas d'Amour Heureux" | "The Piano" | "Vintage Days" |
| "New Babylon" | "Zemer" | "Un Amour de Vingt Ans" | - | - |
| "Yif'at" | "Metai" | "Les Souliers" | - | - |
| "Tammuz" | "Rachel" | "O Imitoos" | - | - |
| "Spring Parade" | "Ki Sa'art Alai" | "Sur le Chemin du Retour" | - | - |
| "The Eighth Day" | "The Third Mother" | "Barbara" | - | - |
| "Summer" | "Your Lily-White Feet" | "Dedication" | - | - |
| "Noa" | "A Lament" | - | - | - |
| "Zamar Noded" | "My Sudden Death" | - | - | - |
| "Landmarks" | "Let's go to the Field" | - | - | - |
| "My Town in the Snow" | - | - | - | - |
| "Lots of Love" - Ain Mashehu cmo zeh | - | - | - | - |
| "The Party is Over" | - | - | - | - |
| "Ein Davar" | - | - | - | - |
| "El Borot Ha'Mayim" | - | - | - | - |
- Book Four , copyright 1995, published by Shva Publishers
| Uncategorized | 6 Songs for Yehoram Gaon | 11 Personal Belongings for Moshe Beker | 5 Songs for Rivka Michaeli | Hebrew Versions | 6 Children Songs | Lyrics for Mattai Caspi's Music |
| "Light" | "Kemo Katsav" | "Personal Belongings" | "Street Musicians" | "Musica" | "Chanuka" | "Shulamit" |
| "The Guest" | "You Can't Beat Me" | "Swan Girl" | "Global Patrol" | "Willow Songs" | "Tu Bishvat" | "Simchati" |
| "We Aren't There Yet" | "You're the Best" | "Old Flame" | "Not Bialik" | "Ne Me Quitte Pas" | "Pesach" | "Farewll" |
| "Ir Va'Em" | "Good Morning" | "Flower" | "Never a Dull Moment" | "One Little Kid" | - | |
| "My Mother's Portrait" | "Libavtini" | "Prelude" | "Upside Down" | - | - | - |
| "Noga" | "Black Princess" | "Sister" | - | - | - | - |
| "The Bread of Love" | "Roof" | - | - | - | - | |
| "After the Harvest" | "Gai" | - | - | - | - | |
| "Summer White" | "Strawberry" | - | - | - | - | |
| "The Flour Jar" | "Time" | - | - | - | - | |
| "Pardes-Chana II" | "September First" | - | - | - | - | |
| "I'm a Guitar" | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| "To Light a Candle" | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| "Your Sons From Afar" | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| "Hal'ah" | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| "Safed" | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| "On the Boardwalk" | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| "Shana Tova" | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| "It's All Open" | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| "Cafe Tiferet" | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| "My Young Disaster" | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| "Dancing" | - | - | - | - | - | - |