Keren Peles: Al Kol Ele (“For All These”)

The war that broke out on October 7 brought Keren Peles, one of Israel's busiest singers and creators, back to the landscapes of her childhood: she was born near the Sea of Galilee, where the poet and songwriter Naomi Shemer also lived. In the online series “Song of Hope” Peles chose to perform Shemer’ song “For All These” – a touching prayer that takes on a new and chilling meaning against the background of the war.

This is one of the most well-known songs written by the renowned musician Naomi Shemer, recipient of the Israel Prize for Hebrew Songwriting in 1983. In the song, the singer calls out to God and asks Him to protect “the honey and the bee sting, the bitter and the sweet, our infant daughter”, and many more. Shemer referred to it as a very personal song written to lift the spirits of her widowed sister, but the song quickly assumed a national meaning: the words “do not uproot what has been planted… protect this home” became an anthem for those opposing the evacuation of Yamit (in the 1980s), and later for those opposing the evacuation of Gush Katif (2005).