The Liberation of the Temple
Mount and Western Wall
(June 7, 1967)
This is Mordechai
Twersky reporting from
Jerusalem
:
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
.
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.]
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.]
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.]
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.]
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: Comb
the area, discover the source of the
firing. Protect
every building,
in every way. Do not touch anything,
especially in the holy places.
[Lt.- Col.
Uzi Eilam blows
the Shofar. Soldiers are singing ‘
Jerusalem
of
Gold’.]
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 L-rd G-d 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’ 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]
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
G-d 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 G-d 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!]
Sources: Isracast |