The Jerusalem municipality has decided to honor the late, beloved and proactive Zionist singer and composer Naomi Shemer by naming the Mt. Scopus tunnel for her. Mayor Nir Barkat and Shemer’s daughter will perform the unveiling.
The Jerusalem municipality announced that it "salutes the Israeli national songwriter and composer, winner of the Israel Prize for Hebrew Song, the late Naomi Shemer. The eastern access tunnel leading from Jericho and Ma’aleh Adumim built on Mount Scopus will be named for her next week."
The municipality points out that it regards the dedication immortalizing the national songwriter in the capital of Israel with the utmost importance. The City Name Committee approved the dedication a few months ago.
The committee deliberated whether to dedicate the Mahane Yehuda street market or the Jerusalem Forest or the Mount Scopus tunnel to Shemer, each a worthy choice for its national significance.
Upon approval of Shemer’s children, Haleli Shemer and Ariel Horowitz, it was decided unanimously to name the Mount Scopus tunnel for the songwriter, in harmony with the content of her world-famous song “Jerusalem of Gold”, commissioned by the late Mayor of Jerusalem, Teddy Kollek. The song became Israel’s unofficial second national anthem after the Six Day War.
The view from Mount Scopus encompasses the majestic vistas of Jerusalem described in the song, as well as the Judean desert and the Dead Sea which feature in it.
Among many famous Naomi Shemer compositions are also “Od Lo Ahavti Dai” (I Haven’t Loved Enough), “Sheleg Al Iri” (Snow on My City) and “Anashim Tovim” (Good People). She is especially renowned for “Al Hadvash Ve’al Haoketz” (For the Honey and the Sting) about holding on to the land of Israel. Her songs are a source of inspiration and national unity. They are the subject of many sing-along shows and are taught in schools and youth groups.