Re: Yerushalayim shel zahav

[Ryna Kedar - Mekatleget for music lib. <ryna_k...>]

On Mon, 23 Sep 2002, Ari Davidow wrote:

" Rather, I have been told that when Shemer describes the markets in the
Old City as "empty" there is a problem. The markets were empty of Jews
(gee, wonder how that happened), but certainly in no other sense "empty".
In that sense, the poem is seen by some as dehumanizing those who were
teeming  in the markets--the Arabs--but who weren't Jewish. >

I believe there is another explanation. The verse with the "empty market
place" was written before the 6 Day war. After the war and our "return" to
the market place, she wrote a verse to replace the original one and this
is the verse that is sung today.
Chazarnu el borot hamayim, lashuk velakikar...
(We have returned to the water cisterns, to the marketplace and the
square...)

Hope this clears matters up somewhat.

Ryna Kedar
Head, Acquisitions & Cataloging Division
The Felicja Blumental Music Center & Library
Tel-Aviv, Israel

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