For the memory of lieutenant-colonel
Yoni Netanyahu
The hero of Entebbe's Operation
A friend, a soldier, a commander
Words: Herzl Golan, 1985
A friend from the Unit.
Performance: Arik Lavi
Melody: Igal Hared
Amongst the mountains and between the seas
The airplanes passed towards an unknown destination
The command to land was given
The command to move was given
Yoni whispered: follow me, follow me wherever I turn,
Only a light of the fireflies escorted them forwards
And marked to them dark long paths.
He marched erect,
And so did his soldiers too,
He marched with his weapons cocked
And so did his soldiers;
He read the starts' map,
And so did his soldiers.
The team he led
Towards beyond the mountains
Towards the unknown.
The team he led
To the great battle for the freedom of Israel
Nobody heard, nobody knew.
When the sounds pf the cannons and the firing fell silent
And from far away the voices of those who return
Home, to motherland, were heard,
A good looking girl has moved the curtain
And has looked up at the sky.
One star that has extinguished in the sky
Is a sign for her -
Yoni will not be back to her
And the echo of his voice will not be heard amongst his soldiers,
Only the light of the fireflies has lit her
The paths of yesterday in the clover fields
And the blossoming of spring.
The team he led
Towards beyond the mountains
Towards the unknown.
The team he led
To the great battle for the freedom of Israel
Nobody heard, nobody knew.
Yoni Netanyahu
The hero of Entebbe's Operation
A friend, a soldier, a commander
Words: Herzl Golan, 1985
A friend from the Unit.
Performance: Arik Lavi
Melody: Igal Hared
Amongst the mountains and between the seas
The airplanes passed towards an unknown destination
The command to land was given
The command to move was given
Yoni whispered: follow me, follow me wherever I turn,
Only a light of the fireflies escorted them forwards
And marked to them dark long paths.
He marched erect,
And so did his soldiers too,
He marched with his weapons cocked
And so did his soldiers;
He read the starts' map,
And so did his soldiers.
The team he led
Towards beyond the mountains
Towards the unknown.
The team he led
To the great battle for the freedom of Israel
Nobody heard, nobody knew.
When the sounds pf the cannons and the firing fell silent
And from far away the voices of those who return
Home, to motherland, were heard,
A good looking girl has moved the curtain
And has looked up at the sky.
One star that has extinguished in the sky
Is a sign for her -
Yoni will not be back to her
And the echo of his voice will not be heard amongst his soldiers,
Only the light of the fireflies has lit her
The paths of yesterday in the clover fields
And the blossoming of spring.
The team he led
Towards beyond the mountains
Towards the unknown.
The team he led
To the great battle for the freedom of Israel
Nobody heard, nobody knew.
One of our favorite books is Self-Portrait of a Hero: From the Letters of Jonathan Netanyahu, 1963-1976 , and we highly recommend it. (The JIDF will earn a small commission on any sales of the book through the aforementioned link, so if you do not own it or have not read, now would be a great time to do so!)
On July 4th 1976, the Jewish People lost a great hero.
If you don't know the story, you should.
Please visit "the official commemorative website for the late Lieutenant Colonel Jonathan Netanyahu."