Yehoram Gaon and the IDF Choirs Sing "Lo Tenatzchu Oti" - You Won't Defeat Me

Yehoram Gaon has been an Israeli musical legend for more than half a century. In 1984 Naomi Shemer wrote a song, Lo Tenatzchu Oti, for a new album that he released that year. It has become very popular in Israel.

Now Yehoram Gaon has produced a new video of this song, joining with the choirs of the Israel Defense Forces to make a forceful statement that Israel will not be defeated.

As Phil Schneider wrote Tuesday in Israel Unwired,

One of the enjoyable aspects of this song is that the attitude is not one of arrogance, but one of unity. If there is one secret aspect to Israel’s success thus far in the War in Gaza, it is the unity that is so pervasive at this moment in history. Because of the enormity of the horrible tragedy of the massacre on October 7th, Israelis instinctively banded together to fight back.

The song is in Hebrew with English subtitles. The English words appear below the video.

Am Yisrael Chai!

A SPECIAL NOTE FOR NEW EMAIL SUBSCRIBERS:  THE VIDEO MAY NOT BE VIEWABLE DIRECTLY FROM THE EMAIL THAT YOU GET EACH DAY ON SOME COMPUTERS AND TABLETS.  YOU MUST CLICK ON THE TITLE AT THE TOP OF THE EMAIL TO REACH THE JEWISH HUMOR CENTRAL WEBSITE, FROM WHICH YOU CLICK ON THE PLAY BUTTON IN THE VIDEO IMAGE TO START THE VIDEO.

    

You won't defeat me.

 From my window I can see a street like an over flowing river and people on their way to work.

And young children going to school with their satchels on their backs.

And in their hands they hold some blossoming myrtle branches. 

Suddenly it becomes clear, And I say to myself: No, No, No, You won't beat me. 

I will not be defeated so fast. No, No, No, You won't beat me. I will not be defeated so fast. 

From my window I can see A plane taking off, a plane flying, Hiding in the distant clouds. 

I hear a machine in the right tune that rolls around outside and in the markets.

 Suddenly it becomes clear, And I say to myself: No, No, No, You won't beat me. 

I will not be defeated so fast. No, No, No, You won't beat me. I will not be defeated so fast. 

In my window are spring and autumn. A rainy day and a scorching day. 

Light and darkness, soloist and choir. It’s all mixed up and confused. 

Songs of Lamentations, Songs of Hallel. And sometimes it’s one giant mess. 

Suddenly it becomes clear, And I say to myself: No, No, No, You won't beat me. 

I will not be defeated so fast. No, No, No, You won't beat me. I will not be defeated so fast.

A Prayer for the Brave Soldiers of the Israel Defense Forces

This isn't the first time that we've posted a prayer for the brave soldiers of the Israel Defense Forces, but new versions keep appearing on the internet, and this one was posted just two days ago.

It features Shai Abramson, Chief Cantor of the IDF, singing the prayer originally written by IDF Chief Rabbi Shlomo Goren to the tune of Eretz Tzvi, a song  recorded by famous Israeli singer Yehoram Gaon for the movie Mivtsa Yonatan. The 1977 film was based on Operation Entebbe, in which Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu’s brother, Yoni, was killed.

The lyrics, in Hebrew and English, appear below the video.

May the brave soldiers of the IDF be successful in their mission and return home safely.

A SPECIAL NOTE FOR NEW EMAIL SUBSCRIBERS:  THE VIDEO MAY NOT BE VIEWABLE DIRECTLY FROM THE EMAIL THAT YOU GET EACH DAY ON SOME COMPUTERS AND TABLETS.  YOU MUST CLICK ON THE TITLE AT THE TOP OF THE EMAIL TO REACH THE JEWISH HUMOR CENTRAL WEBSITE, FROM WHICH YOU CLICK ON THE PLAY BUTTON IN THE VIDEO IMAGE TO START THE VIDEO.  

    

Prayer for IDF Soldiers in Hebrew

מִי שֶׁבֵּרַךְ אֲבוֹתֵינוּ אַבְרָהָם יִצְחָק וְיַעֲקֹב הוּא יְבָרֵךְ אֶת חַיָּלֵי צְבָא הֲגַנָּה לְיִשְׂרָאֵל, הָעוֹמְדִים עַל מִשְׁמַר אַרְצֵנוּ וְעָרֵי אֱלֹהֵינוּ מִגְּבוּל הַלְּבָנוֹן וְעַד מִדְבַּר מִצְרַיִם וּמִן הַיָּם הַגָּדוֹל עַד לְבוֹא הָעֲרָבָה בַּיַּבָּשָׁה בָּאֲוִיר וּבַיָּם. יִתֵּן ה’ אֶת אוֹיְבֵינוּ הַקָּמִים עָלֵינוּ נִגָּפִים לִפְנֵיהֶם. הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא יִשְׁמֹר וְיַצִּיל אֶת חַיָלֵינוּ מִכָּל צָרָה וְצוּקָה וּמִכָּל נֶגַע וּמַחֲלָה וְיִשְׁלַח בְּרָכָה וְהַצְלָחָה בְּכָל מַעֲשֵׂה יְדֵיהֶם. יַדְבֵּר שׂוֹנְאֵינוּ תַּחְתֵּיהֶם וִיעַטְרֵם בְּכֶתֶר יְשׁוּעָה וּבַעֲטֶרֶת נִצָּחון. וִיקֻיַּם בָּהֶם הַכָּתוּב: כִּי ה’ אֱלֹהֵיכֶם הַהֹלֵךְ עִמָּכֶם לְהִלָּחֵם לָכֶם עִם אֹיְבֵיכֶם לְהוֹשִׁיעַ אֶתְכֶם: וְנֹאמַר אָמֵן:

Prayer for IDF Soldiers in English

He Who blessed our forefathers Abraham, Isaac and Jacob — may He bless the fighters of the Israel Defense Forces, who stand guard over our land and the cities of our God, from the border of the Lebanon to the desert of Egypt, and from the Great Sea unto the approach of the Aravah, on the land, in the air, and on the sea.

May the Almighty cause the enemies who rise up against us to be struck down before them. May the Holy One, Blessed is He, preserve and rescue our fighters from every trouble and distress and from every plague and illness, and may He send blessing and success in their every endeavor.

May He lead our enemies under our soldiers’ sway and may He grant them salvation and crown them with victory. And may there be fulfilled for them the verse: For it is the Lord your God, Who goes with you to battle your enemies for you to save you.

From "City of New Orleans" to "Eretz Nehederet" - A Jewish Journey to Musical Fame

We've always enjoyed Arlo Guthrie's song City of New Orleans which brought attention to the rail lines that were vanishing across America.

The song was written by Chicago singer-songwriter Steve Goodman in 1970. Goodman started his singing career by leading the junior choir at Temple Beth Israel in Albany Park, a Chicago neighborhood.

Goodman wrote the lyrics on a sketch pad after his wife fell asleep on the Illinois Central train, where they were going to visit his wife's grandmother. Goodman wrote about what he saw looking out the windows of the train and playing cards in the club car. Everything in the song actually happened on the ride.

After he returned home, Goodman heard that the train was scheduled to be decommissioned due to lack of passengers. He was encouraged to use this song to save the train, so he retouched the lyrics and released it on his first album in 1971.

The jubilant chorus line, "Good morning America, how are ya?" became a cultural touchstone in the United States. When ABC launched a new morning show in 1975, they named it: Good Morning America. 

The song was also covered by Johnny Cash, Judy Collins, and Willie Nelson, whose recorded version earned Goodman a posthumous Grammy Award for Best Country Song in 1985.

French and Dutch versions were recorded in 1973 and became classics in France and Holland.

A Hebrew version of the song, Shalom Lach Eretz Nehederet, was sung by famous Israeli singer Yehoram Gaon in 1977 and became an immediate hit. The lyrics are a love song to the beauty of the land of Israel.

The latest cover of the song in Hebrew was posted just yesterday on YouTube by Israeli singers Shaul and Julia Ben-Har. You can see it below, followed by the Steve Goodman original.

Enjoy!

A SPECIAL NOTE FOR NEW EMAIL SUBSCRIBERS:  THE VIDEO MAY NOT BE VIEWABLE DIRECTLY FROM THE EMAIL THAT YOU GET EACH DAY ON SOME COMPUTERS AND TABLETS.  YOU MUST CLICK ON THE TITLE AT THE TOP OF THE EMAIL TO REACH THE JEWISH HUMOR CENTRAL WEBSITE, FROM WHICH YOU CLICK ON THE PLAY BUTTON IN THE VIDEO IMAGE TO START THE VIDEO.

Israel's President Rivlin Joins Singer Yehoram Gaon in Hebrew Version of Arlo Guthrie Classic

Earlier this month Israeli president Reuven Rivlin joined famed Israeli singer Yehoram Gaon in a rendition of Gaon's popular Hebrew version of Arlo Guthrie's song City of New Orleans. 

The original song was composed by Steve Goodman while traveling from Chicago to New Orleans on the Illinois Central Railroad’s City of New Orleans. Goodman recorded City of New Orleans in 1970 and released it the next year on his self-titled album. John Denver released a cover of City of New Orleans in 1971 but it was Arlo Guthrie’s version – released in 1972 on his album Hobo’s Lullaby – that made the song famous. 

The Hebrew version, Shalom Lach Eretz Nehederet, was a big hit in Israel, with the words rewritten to describe the beauty of the land of Israel from north to south and from east to west.

As we approach Yom Yerushalayim (Jerusalem Day) next Monday, we're posting the Rivlin-Gaon duet, followed by a solo performance by Yehoram Gaon, and the original song performed by Arlo Guthrie.

Enjoy!

(A SPECIAL NOTE FOR NEW EMAIL SUBSCRIBERS:  THE VIDEO MAY NOT BE VIEWABLE DIRECTLY FROM THE EMAIL THAT YOU GET EACH DAY ON SOME COMPUTERS AND TABLETS.  YOU MUST CLICK ON THE TITLE AT THE TOP OF THE EMAIL TO REACH THE JEWISH HUMOR CENTRAL WEBSITE, FROM WHICH YOU CLICK ON THE PLAY BUTTON IN THE VIDEO IMAGE TO START THE VIDEO.)   

President Reuven Rivlin and Yehoram Gaon singing Shalom Lach Eretz Nehederet


Yehoram Gaon singing Shalom Lach Eretz Nehederet


Arlo Guthrie singing City of New Orleans