Almost half a year since Gilad Sha'ar (16), Naftali Frenkel (16) and Eyal Yifrah (19) hy''d were brutally abducted and murdered by Hamas terrorists, top Israeli musicians along with the families of the murdered have released a powerful new song dedicated to their memories.
Arutz Sheva was on hand to witness the moving scenes as famous singers recorded the song in the studio, and as it was played for the first time ever in the presence of family members of the terrorist victims who were visibly moved by the homage to their loved ones.
Internationally acclaimed David D'Or, whose celebrated voice covers a range of over four octaves, wrote the words of the song and composed it together with Ilan Keinan. Tomer Hadadi was responsible for the musical production and sound processing.
Other famous singers took part in recording the anthem to the victims aside from D'Or, including Kobi Aflalo, David Broza, Yishai Rivo, Yonatan Razel, Avraham Fried.
The three teens were abducted by two terrorists last June 12 at a hitchhiking station near Gush Etzion Junction, and the entire country held its breath as the IDF searched throughout Judea and Samaria, only to find their bodies 18 days later in Halhul, outside of Hevron where the terrorists hailed from. They were shot the same night they were abducted, and after a long pursuit the two terrorists were eliminated by the IDF.
At the time, the nation was unified in sorrow, and remained unified as Hamas launched a barrage of rockets initiating Operation Protective Edge.
Seeking a way to commemorate the three young victims, their friends turned to D'or who recruited the other singers to join in performing the song. In the recording studio, Frenkel's young sisters and Yifrah's father oversaw the entire process, listening to the song being captured on tape.
"Something amazing happened to me with this song," D'Or told Arutz Sheva. "In the last five months we have been working on this song, and through it we really got to know Eyal, Gilad and Naftali."
D'Or explained "we got to know them through their friends from the yeshiva, and through their wonderful families. During the work on the song we felt that we were returning to the rare moments of unity that we experienced around the incidents of the summer."
"We again saw beyond all sectors and political opinions that there is one deep point of unity, that in the end we are all brothers," said the singer.
He added "the response of people, of the family members and the friends who hear the song, is something special. So many people enlisted to help us in the project, and prime among them the wonderful singers who are taking part in the song, so this is the time to say a big thank you to them."
A rough translation of the song's lyrics, which in the original Hebrew has several references to the names of the three victims tucked in, is as follows:
Open Your heart in mercy over your sons / Their voices for generations will be heard
In Heaven Your words stand firm / And on earth bring us consolation
How the three became one / and commanded us life
They rose innocently as a bound deer (Eyal) / on the altar of the sons
The Heavens cried above the monument (Gilad) / and the earth was in tumult
From the vicissitudes (a play on Naftali - ed.) of the heart that shook / the three smiled in the picture
Open Your heart...
Between the straits (bein hametzarim) close to me roared / and were revealed on the screen of the struggle
Lies hiding in tunnels / plots that were fired far off
The wind blew old and new / and brought close far-apart hearts
From the strength, the soul sought / not to fall even when we don't understand
Open Your heart...
And amid the madness between pursuit and pursued / a shout for the yearned for peace will arise
And the nation that is tired of free hatred / will unify in the embrace of brothers
Open Your heart...