Jerushalayim Shel Zahav (Jerusalem of Gold)
Naomi Shemer wrote "Jerusalem the Golden," or "Jerusalem of Gold," shortly after the 1967 Six-Day War. Hugely popular among Israeli Jews and their supporters. But it portrays Jerusalem as an empty city until the Jews conquered it. The tune was adapted from a Basque folk tune. I wrote new words. Feel free to sing them.
At the gate of the old city
A troop of soldiers stands,
To stop the people who are trying
To go on living on their lands.
This city, home to many peoples,
Now is held in thrall.
Friends and kinfolk are divided
By the apartheid wall.
Chorus:
Jerushalayim shel zahav,
A place of pilgrimage,
They're not allowed to go there
Though it's their heritage.
Jerushalayim shel zahav,
Built of golden stone,
They cannot walk its streets
But it is still their own.
In their dreams they see the city,
The place they once called home,
But Jewish settlers dispossessed them
And sent them forth to roam.
Their great-grandfathers built these houses,
The houses where they were born.
The Jewish families who live there
Would only treat them with scorn. (Chorus)
From distant lands, Jewish settlers
Occupied the town.
The olive trees that stood in silence
Poisoned or cut down.
Being emptied now of all but Jews
By settlers and police,
This city, holy to three faiths,
Whose very name means peace. (Chorus)
"The olive trees that stood in silence" comes from the original song. And I have seen poisoned olive trees.